Tale of Two Halves in Roxborough High School Win

ROXBOROUGH—Grinding out ugly games separates mediocre teams from good ones. And it's hard to find ones much uglier and uncomfortable than the Roxborough Indians (2-0) win Friday against the University City Jaguars (0-2) during a sweltering afternoon.

The Indians relied on their pounding running game, timely defense, and athleticism to win their debut game in the Public League's Class AA.

IN SHORT

Watching the first and second halves, the Roxborough fans could have fooled themselves into thinking two separate games occurred. The first two quarters were defined by gun-slinging quarterbacks, wild turnovers and exciting, home-run plays. QB Isaiah King demonstrated his defensive prowess by starting the game off with an interception return for a touchdown. On offense, he followed a 35-yard Sharif Harper run with a 2-yard touchdown plunge. However, University City capitalized on poor tackling with a 80-yard TD run from Lindon Caeser and kick-return score from Raymond Jefferson. The Jaguars also added a safety.

After losing the possession battle, Roxborough headed into halftime down 16-10. The Indians changed the game's tempo and began grinding the ball out. Harper (#2) and Omar Smith (#1) proved a one-two punch, and Roxborough rode them to a lengthy game-winning drive that lasted most of the third quarter. Backup quarterback Everette Edwards tossed a two-pointe conversion to Raheim Page.

Tough defense and key turnovers spelled the Jaguars' demise. Zayvion Davis recovered a fumble, Devin Crosby intercepted a pass, and Anibal DeBrito fell on a bad snap to propel Roxborough to a 20-16 win.

INDIAN OF THE GAME

Isaiah King—In addition to scoring the first two touchdowns on an interception and rush, the senior two-way player demonstrated his value to the team throughout. King controlled the secondary and picked three passes from University City's Karim Karamoko. Coach Mike Stanley moved him to wide receiver to spell him in the second half, and King rewarded the decision with continued stellar defense.  

OTHER KEY PERFORMANCES

Sharif Harper—The junior running back played vital roles in the two scoring drives. In the first half, his long run set up a score. In the second, he continually hit roles, moved the chains, and was rewarded with a touchdown.

Karim Karamoko—Although University City's quarterback frequently turned the ball over, he also looked sharp on some bombs. He exhibited some athleticism in option runs or wildcat formations, and kept Roxborough on edge every time he touched the ball. 

COACH'S TAKE—"The first half, we weren't able to get things going defensively. We started slow and weren't tackling well. We were in the right spots on some turnovers, and in the second half, the defense really started playing well."—Coach Mike Stanley

THEY SAID IT—"Our strategy was run it until they stopped us, and we just kept going with it."—Stanley

"The game was on the line. You just have to go out there and get it."—Stanley on a fourth quarter defensive stand

UP NEXT—Roxborough travels to Germantown to play Imhotep 6:30 p.m. Saturday.