They dragged themselves off the field beaten and battered, the heartbreak of a 31-28 double-overtime loss to Phoebus written on their faces.
That Virginia Group AAA Division 5 state semifinal loss on Dec. 2 meant the end for Potomac’s football team. But for seniors Anthony Staples, Deante Steele, Mulku Kalokoh, Josh Asare, Ryan McHenry and Rafael Amey, there wasn’t much time to reflect. Basketball practice started in less than 48 hours.
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Such is life for top athletes throughout the Washington area, where it isn’t unusual to play two or three sports in a school year. But the transition from football to basketball may be hardest of all, especially for those on football teams whose deep postseason runs last well into the winter sports season.
“I can’t say I’m in real good basketball shape yet,” said Staples, a rifle-armed quarterback and linebacker who also starts at power forward for Potomac’s basketball team. “That rhythm that you need isn’t there. My shoulder is sore. I have a sprained ankle. But that’s the price you pay for playing football. I enjoy it. But you just have to fight through it.”
Compared to a playoff football game, basketball practice can be a harsh slap in the face. Two Friday nights ago, Sherwood senior Deontay Twyman played quarterback in the Maryland 4A state championship game at M&T Bank Stadium, where his team lost to Suitland, 39-32, in overtime. Less than 12 hours after he arrived home, Twyman and his top receiver, Dominique Budd, were trudging to an 11 a.m. basketball practice Saturday morning. They soon discovered they were not in basketball shape.
“Football legs and basketball legs are two different things,” said Twyman. “Football, you play for five or six seconds, then you rest. First [basketball] game I could only play three or four minutes before I had to come out.”
That’s when the competitive drive has to kick in. Staples and his Potomac teammates are dealing with all kinds of football-related injuries. Steele, a running back/defensive back, has a bad knee. Asare, a defensive back, had assorted cuts and bruises and sore legs. But to a man they showed up for practice on Monday even though coach Keith Honore gave them the day off.
“Because we needed to show our teammates who don’t play football that we’re serious about this team,” Steele said. “We’ll always have time to rest later.”
No rest for the weary
» Potomac (Va.)’s boys basketball team had to reschedule four games while its football team made its postseason run, including a showdown with Cardinal District rival Freedom. That game is now slated for Feb. 3.
» Senior G Deontay Twyman has been the top scorer the past two seasons for Sherwood, which was 3-1 entering last night’s game vs. Walter Johnson.
» Potomac (Va.) had played just three games entering last night’s Cardinal District game against rival Forest Park. The Panthers were 2-1 with a district win over Gar-Field.
