By Perry Green
AFRO Sports Editor
The Dunbar Poets beat the City College Knights, 22-0, on Oct. 3. (Courtesy Photo/highschoolsports.net)
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(October 4, 2009) - The Dunbar Poets wanted to send a message to Baltimore. After shutting out the City College Knights, 22-0, on Oct. 3, that message has been delivered loud and clear.
“We sent a message that we’re still here and we’re not going anywhere,” Poets coach Lawrence Smith said. “Dunbar still rules the city.”
The Poets’ actions spoke louder than their words, as they survived a tough road match-up to advance to 4-1 this season.
The game started off ugly, with neither team scoring in the first half. But the Poets wasted no time in the second half, as Dunbar tailback Nathan Ayers scored a 6-yard touchdown on the first possession of the third quarter.
City College fumbled the ball during their following possession, setting the Poets up for their second score of the game. This time Dunbar struck through the air, with quarterback Evan Pittman hooking up with Deontay McManus on a 37-yard touchdown pass.
“They were worried about how well we were running the ball, so at that point we knew we could surprise them with a pass down the field,” Pittman said. “Deontay made a great catch, but I credit the offensive line, because we couldn’t have made that play without them.”
Pittman completed 2 of 4 passes for 42 yards and two touchdowns, including a 15-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter that put the game out of City College’s reach.
The Knights (3-2) look to bounce back from defeat when they face Patterson on Oct. 10. Meanwhile, Dunbar will focus on earning their fifth win of the season in a battle against Walbrook on Oct. 9.
“All we have to do is focus on improving every week and the season will take care of itself,” Smith said. “If we do that, when the playoffs come around, we’ll still [be] standing.”