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Sports

Northwestern Loses to League-Leading Suitland

The Wildcats were no match for Suitland on Friday, losing 35-0.

The afternoon was drowsy at Northwestern High School on Friday. Despite the fact that one of the county's top football teams, the Suitland Rams, were paying a visit to the campus, the stands remained mostly empty.

The scoreboard at the north end of the field was as reliable as the weather has been this week. Even at the start of the game, the time clock read 15:00. Maryland high school football quarters last only 12 minutes.

Visiting parents sat in the corner of the bleachers smoking cigarettes and seeming generally indifferent to their environment. Even the Northwestern marching band didn't bother showing up until mid-way through the second quarter.

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There was a ubiquitous lack of urgency in the air and it spread like swine flu straight to the football field. Suitland (3-0) eventually downed Northwestern (0-3) by a score of 35-0. However, had the Rams not sleepwalked through the first half, that number could have easily ballooned to something even more demoralizing for the Wildcats.

Suitland made its first strike of the game in the first quarter. The exact time of the touchdown, a three-yard run by Anthony Norman, will forever be unknown as the scoreboard technicians were anything but technical throughout the contest.

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The Rams added a second score near the end of the second quarter on a second and goal play from the four-yard line. Anthony Squire's short trot was followed by a completion to junior tight end Robert Burke for the two-point conversion, bringing the score to 14-0 at halftime.

It took just two plays in the third quarter for Suitland to put another six points on the board. The series started with a 26-yard completion to Norman followed by a 29-yard jaunt by Squire. The extra point made the score 21-0.

Two more Suitland touchdowns, one in the third quarter and one in the fourth, completed the Rams' scoring for the day. Northwestern on the other hand, was unable to move the ball all afternoon, earning just one first down in the entire second half.

While the Wildcats' performance certainly appeared lackluster, Northwestern Coach Bryan Pierre was less critical of his team than other coaches would have been in the same situation.

"We've got a lot of tough kids. They stuck to it in the game," he said. "They showed a lot of fight today. A lot of times they were outmanned because Suitland was bigger and stronger, but the kids kept fighting."

Pierre's defense of his squad comes largely from the fact that Suitland is highly ranked in the region, and is led by a highly-respected coach.

"They're one of the best, if not the best team in the county right now. They beat (defending regional champion) Wise a couple of weeks ago," Pierre said. "They're one of the best. Suitland's coach, Coach Shields, used to be the head coach here. He hired me."

Pierre also commended the play of senior running back Ian Cruickshank, whose 16-yard run in the third quarter was the lone highlight of the Northwestern offense on Friday.

"We're going to increase his carries. He's a kid that has shown us that he can help offensively," Pierre said.

Northwestern will host Parkdale at 2 p.m. next Saturday. Patch will have extensive coverage of that homegrown matchup.

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