The H.D. Woodson Warriors won the 39th annual Turkey Bowl on Thursday at Eastern High School, capping an improbable season with a 24-6 victory over the Dunbar Crimson Tide.
The win was sweet revenge for the Warriors, who lost to Dunbar 20-9 in last year’s city championship game. Nearly 3,600 fans were in attendance on a bright, crisp, clear day in Northeast Washington.
“This means that they are truly, truly champions in every sense of the word,” said Ward 7 Councilwoman Yvette Alexander on the field afterward, noting the camaraderie the team displayed despite not having a home field this season. “They really deserve what they’re getting.”
Woodson defensive tackle Derrell Johnson let out three primal screams on the field after the game. “That’s what I’m talking about, Kay!” he then yelled at Warrior running back Kayvone Spriggs, who had a big run to convert a fourth-and-five at the end of the third quarter.
Also on hand were Mayor Adrian Fenty, who spoke briefly at halftime, former Mayor and current Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry, and Council Chairman Vincent Gray, a Dunbar graduate.
Woodson quarterback Ricardo Young, the team’s offensive MVP, gave credit to his coach for the win after the game, describing Greg Fuller as a “very intense coach — very hyperactive all the time. He prepared us for the game. … I’m feeling good.”
“Not making too many mistakes” was the key to Woodson’s win, Fuller said after the game. He tried to continue speaking before his Warriors surrounded him and drowned him out with exuberant chants of “Coach of the year! Coach of the year!”
With the victory, Woodson tied Dunbar for the most all-time Turkey Bowl wins, at nine. Anacostia and Eastern are tied for second with eight wins apiece. Though Woodson emerged victorious, D.C. Public Schools Athletic Director Troy Mathieu praised both Fuller and Dunbar head coach Craig Jeffries.
“They’re not just good coaches, but they run good programs,” he said. “It’s what they’re doing every day of the year.”
