ERHS-Bowie Rivalry Article Preview

I recently realized that, plain and simple, the Roosevelt-Bowie rivalry is dying. I wrote a commentary on it, and it will be available in its entirety, complete with year-by-year records from the past few years, later this month when the print edition of The Raider school newspaper comes out. Until then, here's a preview...

By Naveed Siddiqui

As I sat on the bleachers near the end of the ERHS girls’ soccer regional final against Bowie, I had to look up at the scoreboard to make sure this wasn’t just a nightmare. 3-1 was the final score (with the Raiders on the losing side) and, afterwards, I couldn’t help but wonder: what ever happened to the great Eleanor Roosevelt – Bowie rivalry?

When the class of 2010 was in its freshman year it got introduced very early to the dominance that was ERHS athletics. That school year the baseball, track, and girls’ basketball teams each won state championships, while the boys’ basketball team reached the state semifinal and was stunned by Magruder. The following year the girls’ swim team won a state title while the boys were not far behind, and the Lady Raiders basketball team won its unprecedented fourth consecutive state championship.

The success dwindled from there.

Some teams earned a couple county and regional titles here and there. And the wins against Bowie became even more scarce....

Make sure you pick up a copy of The Raider when it comes out later this month so you can read the rest of the article!

ERHS Cross Country - Preview, Midseason, and Recap Report

By Dejen Mengis
Staff Writer
The Raider

The Eleanor Roosevelt High School Cross Country team has been known for its dominance in Prince George's County; and it does not look like they are slowing down.

The boys varsity team started off their season strong with a fourth place finish at the Maymont Park Cross Country Course, led by fifth place finisher junior Charles Bollinger. The girls’ side looked strong as well, finishing in seventh place in the Coastal Girls Division, led by race winner ERHS junior Amirah Johnson.

The Maymont course is known for showcasing some of the best talent throughout Maryland and Virginia. Yet amid the competition, the team performed well.

“A lot of people improved on their personal best,” said Coach Gregory Johnson. Johnson took over the head coach job amid the preseason resignations of coaches Timothy McMahon and Sherman Turner. Since then McMahon has followed former coach Desmond Dunham to a post as a part-time volunteer coach at the University of Maryland and Turner has loosened the time conflicts between coaching and his job.

Last year Coach Johnson took over as head coach of indoor and outdoor track. This season, however, marks Johnson’s first as head coach of the cross country team.

Although Coach Johnson believes that it had a “good combination before” he thinks the team’s performance is not expected to drop.

Despite the team’s success, however, many still expect it to perform better. “We have a ton of potential and we’ve made a lot of improvement, but we’re not all the way there yet,” commented junior Carl White.

A major goal of the team this year is to perform better at the state meet than they did last year, at which they finished 14th overall. “We have very high expectations,” added White.

“Our team will be very good this year at the state championship,” predicted sophomore Justin Ahalt.

The girls have also found success this year, which seems to be focused around junior Amirah Johnson.

“I am very pleased with our performances this year,” said Johnson. “I think we will do well and get a good place at states.”

The state meet, held at Hereford High School, is widely known for being one of the toughest courses in the country. However, the team’s assurance that they will be “very good at the state championship” makes it hard to doubt their future success.

4th seeded Roosevelt football loses at 1st seeded Wise 6-0 in first round of playoffs

Volleyball Update

Roosevelt volleyball fell to Bowie tonight in the South region final. Football plays at #1 Wise in the first round of the playoffs tomorrow

Boys Soccer Falls to High Point in Regional Semifinal

By Naveed Siddiqui

Editor-in-Chief

The Raider

In a season that had many ups and downs, the Eleanor Roosevelt High boys soccer team saw its season abruptly end in the 4A regional semifinal game against High Point on Thursday. The Raiders fell to the Eagles 6-5 in a shootout after a 1-1 regulation and two extra time periods could not decide the winner.

It was only fitting that a shootout would decide this matchup of two evenly-matched county powerhouses. ERHS finished the regular season 9-1, with the only loss coming on the road against High Point early in the season.

Shots were difficult to come by in regulation as both teams showed stellar defense. The Eagles scored on a breakaway shot in the first half that bounced off a diving GK Chris Bonnell. The Raiders responded in the second half after a long throw-in by senior Jeff Hopper. On a carom near the goal, the ball deflected off the head of junior Rene Pizarro into the net.

The shootout held true to its name. The Eagles and Raiders traded goals for five rounds, but after a sixth High Point goal, ERHS senior captain Harif Balogun’s shot was saved, ending the magical season for the Raiders.

Reflecting on the season, there are nothing but positives to look at in players’ minds. A 9-1 record, beating the defending state champion Bowie Bulldogs, a spotless home record, and a Prince George’s County championship are just a few of the many great accomplishments during the Raiders’ 2009 season.

For Pizarro, the likely captain of next year’s team, all that is great, but the one thing he takes away from this season is the great chemistry the team had. “We all had high hopes for ourselves, but we managed to turn the soccer team into a family, and we managed to turn practice into a place where you'd want to be, because we were all close,” he says.

Senior captain Chris Bonnell believes the county championship banner that will be raised in the gymnasium epitomizes the greatest accomplishment of the team. “We will be remembered forever. It is something that hasn't been done in several years which distinguishes our class [from] all of the others.”

Chemistry, along with working on the little things in practice, helps to build a team emotionally, mentally, as well as physically. Bonnell, the emotional leader of the team, believes the past four years represent a vital part of his life.

“Regardless of what any record says these four years playing soccer at Eleanor Roosevelt High School have been one of, if not the most important and special experiences of my life,” he says. “There is no bond or experience I have ever gone through that was the same. I can say with no exaggeration that those people are my family and I love every one of them.”

It will be difficult to replace one of the winningest senior classes in school history; a class that went undefeated at home dating back to its junior varsity days in 2006. Pizarro says out of all the great things the class of 2010 players brought to the table he will miss “their talent and desire to win” the most.

The team will lose ten seniors from this past season. Pizarro believes the key to success in subsequent years will be the play of the younger members of the team.

“I feel like we have the responsibility to teach and help out the underclassmen because they will play an important role in the team next year. We have to make sure they understand and want success as much as [we do].”

The 2009 season did not end the way the team would have wanted. But the players cannot dwell on the last game for too long. There are too many great memories to look back upon, and too much hope to look forward to.

Roosevelt football loses on Senior Day to Suitland 6-25

Boys Soccer vs. Laurel - Regional Quarterfinal

The ERHS Boys Soccer team will play the Spartans of Laurel on Tuesday at 2pm at Roosevelt. This will be the last soccer game at home for the Raiders this season.

ERHS Boys Soccer Claims County Championship

The Ragin' Raiders continued their winning streak Wednesday as they beat the 3A/2A/1A champion Central 4-0 for the Prince George's County Championship. Goals were scored by Michael Beard, Adam Quigley, Oscar Campos, and Roderick.

Now ERHS looks ahead to the state tournament next week. Seeded third in the south region, the Raiders will play the winner of the Laurel/Oxon Hill game.

Soccer Playoff Draw Complete - ERHS 3rd Seed in South Region

The draw for the state soccer tournament was held midday today. The Raiders' boys soccer team will be seeded third in the south region and play the winner of the Laurel/Oxon Hill game. The entire bracket is here.

Bladensburg Loses to Parkdale; ERHS Guaranteed No. 1 Seed

The headline says it all. Bladensburg soccer lost to Parkdale this week and that means the Mustangs have 2 losses. ERHS has only one game remaining, against Suitland. The game likely will not count in the seeding process, but since the Raiders have only one loss on the season they will get the number 1 seed in the county 4A standings. They will play the top team from 3A/2A/1A for the county championship next Wednesday at High Point.

ERHS vs. Suitland Postponed

The final game of the season for the Raiders' boys soccer team has been postponed. There was some anxiety for the Roosevelt players on whether they would even get a CHANCE to play Suitland since there was talk that Suitland might disband due to their embarrassing season. The Raiders NEED this game to be played in order to have a chance for the top seed in the county and an opportunity to play for the county championship.

Score from Tuesday - Girls vs. Flowers: 3-0. Boys vs. Flowers: 1-0

ERHS Soccer Slips Past Parkdale; High Point Loses

Roosevelt came from behind to beat Parkdale today 2-1 after trailing at halftime 1-0. Also, Bowie beat High Point so that means the Raiders are in sole possession of the number 1 seed in the county! They play Flowers and Suitland to close the season...

Hopper Featured in The Gazette

Article on Jeff Hopper's mad throwing skills can be found here.

Jeff Hopper Scores

Rene Pizarro Close Call

Adam Quigley's Near Miss

State Champs Held Scoreless

In front of a record crowd at Roosevelt Field the ERHS boys soccer team played its best game of the season. This, too, against the defending Maryland 4A State Champion Bowie Bulldogs. The Raiders definitely looked motivated, as they used the home crowd to their advantage in shutting out the Bulldogs.

"There's no way to describe it, the crowd being there...awesome," said junior midfielder Rene Pizarro about the support given to the team by the fans. In what was expected to be a close, hard-fought game, Roosevelt dominated. Senior forward Michael Beard took a throw-in from fellow senior Jeff Hopper and headed it right into the goal to give ERHS an early 1-0 lead in the first half.

Early in the second half junior Teo Wilkening took a long lob pass that went over the goalkeeper and put it in the net easily. Later Hopper added some insurance as he put the Raiders up 3-0. ERHS goalkeeper Chris Bonnell was not as busy as expected. Bowie did not have many shots on target in the game as Roosevelt's defense stepped up.

The crowd was treated to an intense game two of the doubleheader. The girls team got an early lead on Bowie and looked like they would come out victorious. But in the second half the Bulldogs evened it up and the game went back and forth until the final four minutes.

Roosevelt senior Janice Johnson was fouled in the box and kicked the penalty shot into the top left corner of the net. But the goal was disallowed on a questionable call for a player stepping into the penalty box. Johnson took another shot, but this time missed high.

With the game still tied with just over a minute left a streaking Bowie player was knocked down close to the goalkeeper's box. Instead of a free kick, she was allowed a penalty shot one-on-one with the ERHS goalie. The Bulldogs scored and the Raiders did not have enough time to work with as Bowie pulled out another close game against the Lady Raiders.

ERHS Football Slips Past DuVal

The Raiders won a close contest at DuVal today, 28-22. ERHS travels to Oxon Hill next Saturday, with the Homecoming game being on the 17th against Bowie.

ERHS Soccer Downs Oxon Hill

The long trip to southern PG County did not phase the Raiders on Friday as they handled the Clippers 10-0 (Girls) and 8-0 (Boys). The boys team is now riding a four game winning streak into Tuesday's contest with Bowie, while the girls team has not lost since the second game of the season.

On a related note Bowie's boys team is on a two game losing streak (Parkdale and Bladensburg).

ERHS Demolishes Northwestern; Bowie Next

The Raiders had a good prac--, I mean, game today against Northwestern, beating the Wildcats 7-2. Next week ERHS battles defending state champion Bowie Bulldogs. The game will be at 3pm on Tuesday, October 6. WEAR WHITE!!

Goals:

Michael Beard - 2

Jeff Hopper - 2

Ramone Cameron - 2

Adam Quigley - 1

Bowie in a week!!....but first there's Northwestern

Yeah we're all eagerly awaiting next Tuesday when Bowie comes to town, but there is another matter at hand first. Both the boys and girls travel to Northwestern tomorrow afternoon. If the boys win they will carry a three game winning streak to the Bowie game. The girls have not lost since the Roosevelt Invitational at the start of the season.

ERHS Loses Close Game to Rival Wise

By Christon Quashie

Staff Writer

The Raider

In a defensive game, the Dr. Henry A. Wise High Pumas pulled out with a win in a close and competitive match up against the Eleanor Roosevelt High School Raiders on Friday afternoon.

With many people at Eleanor Roosevelt to witness two of the top teams in the county facing off, the anticipation of this much-hyped game was felt all around.

Also two of the top defenses in the county the Pumas and Raiders lived up to their much talked about defense. The teams headed into halftime 0-0, as there were lots of big hits and great tackling.

Looking for offensive, Wise marched down the field in the 3^rd quarter and scored, but failed on the conversion, which put them in the lead 6-0.

Recovering a fumble in the opening minutes of the 4^th quarter, the Raiders looked to capitalize on the turnover, but were unable to. Still playing aggressive defensive, the Raiders did not allow the Pumas to score on a crucial 4^th quarter drive where the Pumas drove down the field led by a powerful running attack.

With 2:09 left and the ball on the 7-yard line, sophomore quarterback Shawn Petty fumbled the football and Wise recovered. Not giving up, the defensive got the ball back for the Raiders offensive with 20 seconds deep in their own territory. After a couple of impressive catches, time simply ran out on the Raiders comeback, as the Pumas won 6-0.

Although the team lost, Raiders football coach, Thomas Green was “not disappointed” in his team’s performance and he also says this game can “work in our favor.”

As for the rest of the season, senior running back, Richard Aiyegoro simply states, “we [are] not losing anymore.” Co-leading tackler, senior Dominic Shepard believes it is back to the weight room and the team needs to continue to “work hard.” Other leading tackler Cornelius McDonald knows he needs to work on getting his “stamina right,” and with a serious look on his face, McDonald says he will “continue to be a dog on the field.”

The Raiders look to get back on the winning track against the Duval Tigers on October 3^rd at 2 PM.

Boys Soccer Comes from Behind Against DuVal

The ERHS boys soccer team played DuVal today and beat the Tigers 2-1 in come-from-behind fashion. After going down 1-0 the Raiders got goals from Jeff Hopper and Roderick "Insert last name," who just got called up from the junior varsity team.

With Bowie coming to town in just over a week, ERHS looks to build momentum as they face the Northwestern Wildcats in a road contest on Tuesday. Junior midfielder Rene Pizarro knows not to get too excited for Bowie. "[I'm] very pumped, but we have to take it step by step." Pizarro will be questionable for Tuesday's game due to his ankle. He says his focus for the next few days will be to get his ankle healed to be able to play against the Wildcats.

UPDATE: Good news for Roosevelt. Senior Robbie Stewart, who has missed the entire season so far due to his back, might be able to play either this week against Northwestern or the following week against Bowie. Huge plus for the Raiders.

Wise Defeats Roosevelt

Wise beat ERHS for a second consecutive time on Friday, 6-0. Last year's score of 12-6 and this year's score shows how evenly-matched these teams are defensively. The Pumas got the best of the Raiders again and this time shut them out. Let's see how ERHS comes back from this next Friday at Duval.

Busy Friday

3 games on Friday. The football team will try to avenge their loss to Wise in the playoffs last year as they face the Pumas at 3pm at home. Down the street at Duval around the same time, the girls soccer team will play the Tigers followed by the boys team at 5pm.

Final score 4-0 raiders

Game over. Final score 4-0 Ragin Raiders

Chris Bonnell scores! He sprinted to the ball and beat the goalie cleanly

Rene scores. 3-0 roose

Darius scores! Great run by him and Oscar and Darius shot across his body on the top left corner. 2-0 Ragin Raiders

Halftime. 1-0 Roose

Multimedia message

Adam as goalie

Will Fisher just missed point blank

Chris Bonnell is back in the game as mid. He took Adams number 6 jersey

And Quigley has replaced Chris as keeper

This Wise goalie can not kick. It looks like a punt

Quigley is warming up in goalkeeper uniform. Thatd be something

1-0 Raiders

Nothing too much going on right now. Everyone seems to be in cruise control

Here live at the Wise game. Kallas said the first 11 guys to show up at the field get to start. Lets see what happens

Wise Tomorrow for Soccer Teams

The varsity soccer teams come back home tomorrow against Henry Wise. The boys have the early game this time (3:30pm) and the girls have the late game (5pm). Everyone SHOULD be at the field supporting their team, but if extenuating circumstances come up I will be blogging from at least the boys game tomorrow. So come check the blog around 3:30 and keep refreshing for constant updates!

Mitch Kempisty Touchdown

ERHS Football Continues Shut-out Streak

Through three games this season the football team still has not allowed a point. Yesterday the Raiders crushed High Point 57-0 on the road in Beltsville.

Week 1: @ Bladensburg - 49-0

Week 2: vs. Laurel - 14-0

Week3: @ High Point - 57-0

ERHS 120 - Opponents 0

Soccer @ High Point - Recap

Both the boys and girls were at High Point today. The girls got another clean sheet, 6-0, while the boys were beaten 2-0. The boys are now 3-3 on the season and are coming home for their September 22 match against Wise.

Ramone Cameron Goal Against Laurel

Doubleheader Against Laurel: Recap

Today was a home game for both the boys and girls soccer teams. They both played Laurel and both won. The boys game was played in pouring rain, maybe the reason it was so low scoring.

Boys: 2-1

Girls: 8-0

Weekend Scores

Okay enough boys soccer stuff. Here are the results of a couple other games from this weekend.

Girls soccer blanked Bladensburg 9-0 on Friday. I mean, I know Bladensburg is bad but goodness.

Football beat Laurel 14-0. 14-0? After last week's 49-0? Offense needs to step it up, defense continues to look as strong as last season.

Raiders Lose to Kenwood in Final

Roosevelt lost the final of the Glen Burnie Boys Soccer Invitational 3-2 against Kenwood. Kenwood scored a late equalizer and then took the game in extra time. The Raiders next game will be their home opener on Tuesday against Laurel.

Raiders Bounce Back Against Meade

After Tuesday night’s heartbreaking loss to Chesapeake, the Eleanor Roosevelt High boys soccer team rebounded at the Glen Burnie High Boys Soccer Invitational Saturday. The Raiders won 3-0 in their first game against Meade.

Roosevelt got goals from junior Rene Pizarro, sophomore Awa Dulleh, and senior captain Adam Quigley. The first two goals were scored on quick breaks after clears from the Raiders’ defensive zone. Some excellent passes allowed for one-on-one’s between the forward and the goalkeeper.

Quigley’s goal came on a penalty kick after streaking Jeff Hopper was fouled from behind near the goalkeeper’s box. The captain went 1 for 2 in PK’s for the game.

After Pizarro’s quick strike the Raiders offense seemed to be in cruise control as they let the Mustangs get in scoring position on several occasions. The defense was outstanding for ERHS as they cleared nearly ever Meade opportunity. There were a few close calls, though, including a shot that slipped out from ERHS goalkeeper Stephen Sexton’s grab and was picked up by a Mustang forward. As he worked to get the ball under control junior Oneal Cunanan pounced and cleared the ball for the Raiders. The play was reminiscent of senior captain Harif Balogun’s big clear against Bladensburg in the opener.

After this tournament the Raiders will finally come home for their opener against Laurel. This game also marks the first county game since the opener a week ago. The home fans will get to see their Raiders, who will come home with a winning record, for the first time on Tuesday.

Article in The Gazette

I guess the team's becoming pretty popular around town. Here's an article from The Gazette about the boys against Bladensburg. It's focused on Awa, they say he scored the second goal when it was clearly Jordan that scored. Oh well, it's good press. Looking forward to more publicity as the season goes on.

Awa scores to make it 2-0

Awa's goal

Game over. Final score 3-0 Ragin Raiders. Goals by Rene, Awa, and Adam

Awa is off with an injury. Tried to beat the keeper to the ball and tripped

Ball slipped through Stephens hands. Meade forward couldnt find the goal behind him. Stephen came back and pounced on the ball. Great save

Great ball movement between awa and jeff. Save by keeper

My goodness what a game. Stephen just gave up a huge rebound but Oneal was there to clear it away from the shooter. That was a SURE goal. Like Harif before

Penalty on hoppers shot. Adam scores on the pk

Raiders just cant seem to get it to their offensive zone. Shot by Meade goes wide. Halftime. 2-0 Roosevelt

Ive been getting number 12 Jordan confused with mike beard. My bad

Another great play by hopper and beard. Save by the goalie

Seems like michael beard is playing in a forward position

Defense looks solid. Hopper with a close miss on a breakaway

Goal by Awa. 2-0

Stephen and the defense made great saves to stop lots of shots just now

Just got to the games. And Rene just scored against Meade

Glen Burnie High School Boys Soccer Invitational

More out-of-county matchups coming up for the boys as they travel to Glen Burnie this Saturday for the GBHS Boys Soccer Invitational. They will play three teams: Glen Burnie, Kenwood, and Meade starting at 9am.

Roosevelt vs. Chesapeake

The boys lost to Chesapeake today 4-3. Striker Awa scored two goals for the Raiders and Rene Pizarro added another goal. Chesapeake scored in the final minute of the game to break a 3-3 tie. The Raiders were missing captain and goalkeeper Chris Bonnell and defenseman Harif Balogun for this game. Stephen Sexton started at goalkeeper. Chesapeake went 12-3-1 last season.

More detailed ER @ Bladensburg recap on DigitalSports

I was told to submit all of my writings to DigitalSports, and they approved my Bladensburg piece. Here's the link.

Offense Goes Wild as ERHS Football Crushes Bladensburg

Speaking of season openers against Bladensburg, the Roosevelt football team demolished the Mustangs 49-0 on Saturday. This is a huge win for a team that was expected to be weak offensively this season after losing great talent from the 2009 class. Next game is the home opener next Saturday at 2pm against Laurel. Tell your friends...

Roosevelt vs. Bladensburg: Clean Sheet to Start Things Off

If there wasn't reason enough to be excited about this team and this season, now there is another. ERHS blanked Bladensburg 2-0 in the 2009 season opener. Goals were scored by senior Adam Quigley and junior Jordan Horelien. Captain and goalkeeper Chris Bonnell had a clean sheet.

This is the first time the Raiders have beaten the Mustangs in years. Next game is out-of-county against Chesapeake on Wednesday, September 9th.

Bonnell and fellow senior Harif Balogun will miss the game as they will be in Wyoming on a research trip.

Season starts tomorrow!!

Friday, September 4th, 2009

3:30pm

ERHS @ Bladensburg

Will have score and recap shortly after the end of the game. Photos and videos will start when the team comes home against Laurel.

Friday

The season starts Friday at Bladensburg. Slow week until then...things will get going next week.

Kallas Quote

Coach George Kallas

(On what he expects to gain from this season)

"Some consistency. That's our negative right now."

Article Published on DigitalSports

I submitted the season preview that you see below this post to DigitalSports.com. I got an email saying they denied the article. I said, Okay F.U., and moved on. Then Harif texts me that the article is on the website. Weird. They edited it a bit to make it better I guess, so here's the link.

Boys' Soccer: On the Brink in 2009

By Naveed Siddiqui

The heated rivalry between Eleanor Roosevelt High and Bowie High is known throughout both schools, and last fall the latest chapter was added. Bowie defeated ERHS 3-2 in the 4A South regional final in boys’ soccer in 2008, ending the Raiders’ season. The Bulldogs coasted to an undefeated 18-0 season and won the 4A state championship. The Raiders are focusing on making sure that does not happen in 2009.

For Roosevelt’s seniors, anything less than a regional championship this season would be a failure. Senior Harif Balogun says he is “looking forward to building on last year’s finish and going out in style” in his final season. He feels the solid core from last year’s team is returning and that they have already showcased their talent in a “fantastic showing” for the club’s summer league.

Both Balogun and fellow senior Adam Quigley have been very active all year with their respective club teams. “I believe I improve the most throughout the club season,” says Quigley. He believes that those players who do not play outside of high school “do not improve as much as others who do play club soccer.” Quigley, in addition to playing for his club team, won a gold medal at the Maccabi Games this summer in San Francisco, CA. He will be pulling double-duty for ERHS sports this fall, kicking for the varsity football team while also keeping his post on the soccer team.

Many players on Roosevelt’s team have stayed active throughout the offseason, staying loose as they star for their club teams. Balogun believes that is very important for soccer players because they can easily lose their edge by not keeping up physically. “It's so easy to get rusty and lose mental sharpness when you're inactive,” he says. He believes that because so many players have stayed in shape in the offseason the Raiders have an advantage over almost every team in Prince George’s County.

The Raiders kick off their season on Friday, September 4^th at Bladensburg. They struggled against the Mustangs last season, getting blanked 2-0 on the road. They travel to Bladensburg again this season, but this time with confidence and a lot more swagger. The home opener is set for Tuesday, September 15^th against Laurel. The Raiders defeated the Spartans 3-1 in 2008.

One game that is circled on every player’s schedule is the October 6^th match against Bowie. The Bulldogs will visit ERHS for the first time in a few years, and Roosevelt's seniors could not be more confident. Balogun, Quigley, and fellow seniors Robbie Stewart, Jeff Hopper, and captain Chris Bonnell are undefeated at home in their four years at Roosevelt.

This match represents more than a rivalry. The storylines and implications of Bowie vs. Roosevelt raise this game to a level above any other game in the state. It is a showcase of some of the best athletic talent in the county between two schools that believe they are the best in the area.

Start of the REAL Season

The first regular season game for the team is on Friday, September 4th at 3:30 at Bladensburg. The Mustangs went 7-6-1 last season beating Roosevelt 2-0 in Bladensburg.

The first home game should be Wednesday, September 9th at 6:00pm but it says on Digital Sports that the Location is TBD. That game is scheduled against Chesapeake High which is apparently AA (ERHS is AAAA). They went 12-3-1 last season.

Roosevelt vs. Annapolis

The Raiders scrimmaged the Panthers of Annapolis High yesterday. Final score: 2-2. The starters didn't play that much because, well, it was only a scrimmage.

Storylines for Fall

Football - Is the team for real?
After a 10-0 regular season in 2008, the football team made a quick exit from the playoffs, losing to Wise 6-14 in their first playoff game under Coach Tom Green. I think Coach Green will propel the team further this season; he has a year of PG County ball under his belt. One concern is the loss of a strong senior class.

Girls' Soccer - Will this be the year?
For the past few years the girls team has been upset very late in the season. Two trips to the state semis and a loss last year in the regional final can't cut it anymore. This team has proved they can play with the best, but now they need to show up when it really matters.

Boys' Soccer - They're confident, but are they better?
They had an enh season in 2008, going 8-4 in the regular season and 1-1 in the playoffs, losing a hard fought game to eventual state champ Bowie. The team is hyped for this season to start, and we'll see what the team is made of once they get underway. Leadership is strong, as Chris Bonnell is captain. Adam Quigley just might have a breakout year. He has played for great club teams throughout the off-season and won a gold medal at the Maccabi Games.

New ERHS Logo

The big story this week is the announcement of the new, universal ERHS logo. If you remember during the latter part of the year when Mitch Kempisty was elected president of SGA he put out a contest for the design of the logo.

Alternate Jerseys?

Players on the team are debating whether it is possible to get alternate jerseys this season. Inside sources tell me that most players are agreeing on a black alternate. The girls team has black uniforms for regular wear so I would assume that the boys' uniforms would be similar.

Digital Sports

Digital Sports will once again be the official website for ERHS sports. Here's the link to go straight to the soccer page. The site looks better this year. Not as many annoying ads.

2009 Schedule Released

The boys' soccer schedule for the 2009 season has been released. It can be found here. Bowie game is on October 6th! Tell your friends...

Just activated mobile posts for this joant so now i can post straight from the games.
- Veed

First day of official practice

Fall sports start on August 17th so around that time I'm gonna start writing a season preview for the team...

By the way I hear the Bowie game is on September 6th...

Boys' Soccer

Adam talked me into being the boys' soccer team's exclusive journalist for this season so this blog is where I'll be posting all my stuff. So here's what the blog will be about...

I'm gonna try to write after every game and try to attend every home game to get pictures and video highlights and post them on here. If you make plays, you'll be on here. Guaranteed. I'll try to have the numbers up here from every game too. I'm gonna offer my personal analysis and break down the match-ups you all have. That's the gist of it...