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In Friday, Nov. 8’s big showdown for first place between perennial power Dunbar High School and Eastern High School, both teams entered the game with winning streaks. In an exciting battle for the District of Columbia Intercollegiate Athletics Association (DCIAA)  Stars Division, Dunbar defeated Eastern on their opponent’s home turf 28-26. 

The Eastern Ramblers won four straight games and averaged over 36 points during the streak. Further, Eastern was celebrating senior night, so the atmosphere was extra electric in anticipation of this matchup.

Dunbar’s Crimson Tide, on the other hand, had a five-game win streak and was equally productive on offense, averaging over 30 points.

Moreover, each team boasts a candidate for DCIAA Player of the Year: Eastern senior running back Daquan Ginyard and Dunbar quarterback Brosnan Dukes.

At the end of the matchup, it was Dunbar, with three second-half touchdowns by quarterback Dukes, that proved to be the difference in this battle.  The senior engineered a 94-yard drive that he capped off with a three-yard jaunt to help the Crimson Tide win their second straight DCIAA Stars Division.  But even with Brosnan’s heroic drive, the Ramblers refused to go down. 

Highlights in a Game Against Longtime Winners vs. Underdogs

The Ramblers, fueled by the prospects of what the game meant, came out and set the table early, marching 73 yards in 12 plays on their first possession, with Ginyard supplying most of the yards and finishing it off with a one-yard run. 

The kick conversion failed and Eastern led 6-0 at the 7:56 mark of the first quarter.

The Crimson answered with an eight-play, 65-yard drive that was finished off by Dukes, giving his team a 7-6 lead with 5:42 on the clock.

From there, the Ramblers took control, using the running of Ginyard and some key defensive plays to take a 19-7 lead at the half.  Ginyard has now amassed 1,706 yards in nine games this season.

Dunbar (9-1, 5-0 in the DCIAA) initially had trouble moving the ball against Eastern.

Then, finally the Crimson Tide was able to get on the board, courtesy of a short field and some clutch plays by Dukes.  He capped off a short drive with a one-yard push to cut the deficit to 19-14 with under two minutes remaining in the third quarter.

With 7:20 left in the fourth quarter, Dunbar was able to take the lead at 22-19.

However, Eastern had other ideas and by taking advantage of some Dunbar penalties, the Ramblers took three plays to go 30 yards and regain the lead at 26-22.

The Ramblers’ hopes were buoyed when their punter got off a 51-yard punt that pinned the Crimson back to their own 6-yard line.

That is when Dukes, who has passed for over 2,000 yards this season, put together a 12-play, 94-yard drive that he put his signature on with a burst up the middle for the go-ahead touchdown with less than two minutes remaining.

Benefitting from some Dunbar penalties, Eastern (7-3, 4-2 in the DCIAA) had one more chance when a penalty gave them a short field goal with 1:26 remaining in the game.  While the Ramblers set up shop at the Dunbar 19-yard line, the Crimson Tide defense limited Eastern to one yard in three plays, setting up what would be a game-winning 35-yard line field goal. The kick went just right, and Dunbar ran on the field to celebrate.

“It feels good to get a real team win,” Dukes said, soaking the win in.

For Dunbar Head Coach Anthony “Bink’ Vaughn, it was his second straight DCIAA title. 

“When we were down, 19-7, we made a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes,” said Vaughn, a former QB at his alma mater.  “We hurt ourselves a lot with penalties and mistakes. Give Eastern credit.  They played well.  I just told the kids to just keep believing.”

Next Up for Dunbar and Eastern 

Next are the DCIAA Stars Division playoffs, which begin on Saturday, Nov. 16, with Dunbar going against H.D. Woodson. The winner of that game will be playing the winner of the Eastern Coolidge matchup for the Turkey Bowl championship on Thanksgiving.

For Eastern head coach Roman Morris, who surprised fans this year with a successful season, last Friday’s defeat is bittersweet. It has been almost three decades since Eastern’s program has been relevant and Morris takes pride in getting the team some recognition, even despite the narrow defeat. A former player at the District high school, he brought respectability back to the program after a long drought.

“We can say a lot about this game.  It was a great game between two teams who were playing for something,” said Morris. “At the end of the day, Dunbar has been there; we have not.”

The coach paused and put Friday’s game against Dunbar into perspective, helping others understand the nuanced moment for him and his team. 

“This was not a loss for us,” he said, noting the teams could very well meet up in the Turkey Bowl Championship on Nov. 28. “We’re looking at it as a victory for us because we have another chance.”