Both teams are from Prince George’s County. Both head coaches have won two state titles. But that’s all that 2006 Maryland football champions Friendly and Suitland had in common this season.
While Friendly won an anticipated 3A championship in utterly dominant fashion, outscoring playoff foes by a combined 112 points, Suitland claimed a surprising 4A title by winning its four postseason games by a combined seven points. The teams’ respective celebrations last weekend at M&T Bank Stadium reflected their varying expectations.
Friendly toasted its 37-18 win over River Hill on Saturday night with confetti, cameras, and a pre-printed state championship sweatshirt for coach George Early. The Patriots even called timeout in the closing seconds to allow their Florida-bound star, Joe Haden, to receive his second standing ovation as he left the field doing the Gator Chop.
Suitland wasn’t nearly as prepared to do up its 39-38 victory over Sherwood, in which it overcame a 21-point deficit. In fact, when quarterback Carlos Fields lunged for the goal line to score the tying touchdown as time expired in regulation, a few of the Rams were so overjoyed they left the bench to celebrate at midfield. Suitland drew a 15-yard penalty for its exuberance, moving kicker Yanni Davis out of his range for a possible game-winning extra point, sending the game to overtime.
The party came in earnest a few minutes later, when linebacker Travis Ivey stuffed Sherwood’s 2-point conversion attempt to give Suitland its second state championship in three years.
Friendly’s course charted
The seeds of Friendly’s state championship were sewn in 2003. After an embarrassing 7-0 loss to perennial doormat Central dropped Friendly to 0-3, the Patriots promoted their tiny (5-foot-4, 130-pound), but promising freshman quarterback,Haden, to the varsity.
“He was this little, skinny kid, but even then, we recognized that he was our best quarterback,” said offensive coordinator Marcus Berry. “We were doing it for the future, but he also gave us our best chance to win that season.”
Haden took his lumps, throwing interceptions that were returned for touchdowns on back-to-back passes in a loss to H.D. Woodson. But the following season, Haden led Friendly to the region championship game, throwing nine touchdown passes along the way to fellow sophomore Vincent Hill.
The dye was cast. Friendly, with a bevy of young speedsters, including sophomore RB/LB Rakeem Vick and freshman RB Lamaar Thomas, was on course for a state championship.
But in 2005, the Patriots were dealt a crushing defeat in the opening round of the playoffs, falling at Lackey, 21-19, on a disputed play. With no time left, Haden appeared to cross the goal line with the ball, but referees ruled that he had been stripped of it before he scored. That sour memory drove the Patriots this season.
“We got cheated,” said Haden. “We wanted to come back harder this year and not leave any games close. We wanted to win every game by at least four touchdowns.”
Friendly nearly accomplished that lofty goal. Its closest calls were 19-point victories over Douglass and River Hill.
Suitland Surprise
After a season-opening 30-6 loss to Class 2A Douglass, Suitland’s championship was a testament to perseverance and the coaching of Nick Lynch.
The closest thing Suitland had to a star was junior tailback Mikeem Chavious (124 carries, 1,078 yards). But Lynch, starting 13 underclassmen, nurtured his young, defensive-minded team.
By playoff time, junior quarterback Carlos Fields was a poised leader. Fields directed the winning drive in the fourth quarter in a region final upset of Flowers. Then in the state championship game, he led two touchdown drives in the final seven minutes. Fields knows the look of a good team: A week before the regular season, Fields transferred from perennial power Eleanor Roosevelt.
“When I first saw [Suitland] practice, I knew we could be pretty good,” said Fields. “But I could never have imagined us ending up at the state championship.”
Friday night, however, Suitland played every bit like a state champion. Undaunted despite trailing, 21-0, Suitland stuck to its game-plan and eventually wore down Sherwood with its punishing ground attack.
The game was the Rams’ season in microcosm. A year that started with little promise, ended up golden.
