West Potomac’s season ends with second-round loss to Madison

West Potomac defensive players look on late in the fourth quarter of the Wolverines 21-14 playoff loss.

West Potomac’s first possession of the game gave a hint that it might not be the Wolverines night. Junior quarterback Tanner Jones, starting for injured senior Mark Ellis, hit senior wide receiver Brandan Lisenby in stride for a long touchdown that appeared to give West Potomac a quick lead.

But a holding penalty nullified the touchdown, and the Wolverines soon punted. Madison took over with great field position and quickly drove down the field for the game’s first score.

Amid the bad breaks and Madison running back Landan Thomas’s brilliant second half, West Potomac fell to the Warhawks 21-14 in the second round of the 6A North playoffs. The defeat ends the Wolverines season at 9-3, with all three losses coming by seven points or less.

“Our plays were there, we just didn’t quite make them,” West Potomac coach Jeremiah Ross said after the game. “Hats go off to Madison, they deserve it. They got it done when they had to get it done.”

West Potomac tied the game in the first quarter on a run by senior running back Justine Annan. In the second quarter, following an Erik Roach interception and a well-executed fake punt by senior Cory Jones, Tanner Jones found Lisenby down the left sideline for a touchdown that gave the Wolverines a 14-7 advantage at the half.

That would be the last time the West Potomac offense would threaten, as Madison’s defense tightened up and their offense used a ball-control running game to keep the Wolverine O off the field. After being bottled up in the first half, Thomas broke free for an 84-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter to tie the game, and would then score again in the fourth to give Madison the lead for good.

West Potomac’s nearly had a chance for a momentum-shifting play while down 21-14 in the fourth quarter. A bad snap sailed over Madison punter Sean Wilkinson’s head, and the ball rolled inside the Warhawk 10-yard line. Wilkinson, however, managed to pick the ball up in stride, turn around, and just get a punt off before Wolverine defenders closed in on him.

West Potomac could not get into the Madison redzone on any of the ensuing possessions, and picked off a pass to seal the win on West Potomac’s final drive.

“I feel bad for the seniors that worked so hard,” Ross said. “We just gotta get back to work now and keep competing.”

Backup QB steps up

West Potomac’s Jones got his first start of the season Friday because starter Mark Ellis was still suffering the lingering effects of a concussion suffered in last week’s win against T.C. Williams.

Ross believed earlier in the week that Ellis would play, but on Wednesday the senior felt some discomfort after practice, and the team decided to hold him out this week.

“[The decision] was more about his future than anything else,” Ross said.

That thrust Jones into action, but it proved to be a tough — and somewhat unlucky — outing against one of the area’s top defense. In addition to having his first touchdown called back, he was twice sacked and stripped, causing turnovers. Madison also intercepted Jones twice in the fourth quarter, both on passes that were tipped into the waiting arms of Warhawk defenders.

Ross praised Jones’ performance under tough circumstances, and said the offense will be in good hands under his direction next season.

“I thought Tanner did a good job stepping in there under the circumstances,” Ross said. “He’s gonna be a heck of a quarterback and have a great year next year as a senior.”

Notes: Senior linebacker Erik Roach and senior cornerback Marquis Davis each had interceptions for the Wolverines, while senior linebacker Da’Jon Bellfield had a sack and senior safety DaWann Steagall had a fumble recovery. Madison will play at Westfield next Friday.