It was billed as the “game of the week,” pitting Charles Herbert Flowers High School in Prince George’s County against Friendship Collegiate Academy in Northeast, District of Columbia on Friday, Sept. 6. The game had the makings of a big event and was sold out a day before.
The Jaguars, a perennial power in Prince George’s, were just two years removed from the Maryland state semifinals, while the Knights, ranked number seven in the area, have become a local power in high school football over the past five years, having won back-to-back District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) state titles.
In addition to it being played before a sellout crowd, the game was under the Friday night lights at Flowers.
After all the hype, it was the all-around talent of Xavier Kennedy and a stout defense, led by senior Bryce Jenkins that proved to be the difference as Friendship blanked the hosts, 14-0.
The Knights (2-0) forced a three-and-out on the Jaguars on their first possession of the game. It set the tone as on its first possession, Friendship Collegiate Academy turned to Kennedy, who took the handoff and raced 90 yards for the touchdown. The speedy senior finished with 220 yards of all-purpose yards (running, receiving, kick returns) of the night, offering his second outstanding performance of the season.
“No question, that run was a major factor,” noted Friendship Collegiate head coach Mike Hunter, now in his 10th season at the Northeast school. “It got us going and from there; we were able to establish our defense.”
The Friendship Collegiate defense limited the Jaguars to only two first downs over the course of their first six possessions. Even when Flowers was able to move the ball-mostly on penalties, the stingy Knights’ defense let it be known that any attempts to score would be a large task. It is important to note that Friendship’s defense has yet to allow a touchdown in the first two games.
“It’s what we expected,” stated Maryland commit Bryce Jenkins, who was clearly the most dominant player on the field. “We just had to execute.”
Jenkins proved to be unblockable for most of the night, often stopping Flowers’ runners behind the line of scrimmage and harassing the Jaguars quarterback. Friendship’s defense limited its opponent to 159 yards of total offense, many plays resulting in losses behind the line of scrimmage.
Meanwhile, the offense had trouble scoring. The Knights lost their senior quarterback, Brenton Toles from last season, so Hunter has employed a two-quarterback system, rotating sophomore Darren Richardson Jr. and junior Howard Kennedy. The inexperience of the duo showed in both their decision-making and errant passing as they missed open receivers several times.
But while the offense was unable to establish any rhythm, Kennedy’s all-around skills proved to be just enough to keep the Jaguars at bay. He benefited from the blocking of Jenkins, the four-star offensive tackle, who is headed to the University of Maryland.
Jenkins displayed his power and athleticism, often taking out two or three of the smaller Flowers defensive linemen.
“Bryce has really grown. He has been in the system for four years and is showing more leadership since he is one of the seniors on this team. It is his time,” the Friendship coach said.
In the fourth quarter, Richardson finally showed some signs of development as he connected with freshman wide receiver Christopha Alston for what would prove to be more than enough to close out the win. The Knights’ defense would add a safety late in the fourth quarter, again courtesy of its vaunted defense.
Of the defense, Hunter noted, “They play together. They play fast. They want to hold the opponent to zero every week.”
Hunter is also Friendship’s athletic director, so he gets to make his own schedules.
As a charter public school, Friendship Collegiate Academy is not bound by conference scheduling or regulations.
For its part, Flowers will use the game as a learning experience.
“We knew coming in what we were facing in Friendship, “said Flowers head coach Daemon Powell, who has been at the helm since 2018. “That’s why I scheduled this game. We have a really young squad, so the guys made a lot of mistakes. But I thought we played a good enough defensive game. We just gotta pick it up on offense and get some execution going on.”
Powell has posted back-to-back 10-1 seasons at the school.
Friendship didn’t find much success on offense throughout the night, but the two big plays it converted were more than enough.
Friendship Collegiate boasts several three-star and four-star players like Jenkins, year in and year out. Two of Friendship Collegiate Academy players, Dylan Stewart (University of South Carolina) and DeAndre Cook (Penn State) were both Four Stars last season.
Since it is independent, it has the luxury of scheduling tough non-conference opponents. The schedule includes games this season against always-powerful St. John’s Catholic High School and Riverdale Baptist and a rematch against ranked Dunbar, its opponent in last year’s DCSAA championship.
“It is all about exposure for the athletes,” said Hunter. “If we allow our players to be seen by college coaches and develop into college athletes, more colleges and universities will come here and recruit.”
He also talked to The Informer about how the team’s schedule helps prepare them for major plans in the future.
“The schedule also helps get us ready for the playoffs and defense of the state title,” said Hunter, who has won six DCSAA titles during his tenure. “Our goal is December.”