In recent years,
Dunbar has been the measuring stick when it comes to high school football in the Washington, D.C. area.
The
Crimson Tide were off to another great start this year, winning their
first four games and outscoring their opponents by a whopping 144-8
margin.
However, on Friday they ran into a nearly air-tight defense and were handed a 13-6 loss by up-and-coming
Wilson.
Mark Martin, Wilson head coach
Courtesy photo
For
that major victory, Wilson's third-year head coach Mark Martin has
been named Capital One Bank Washington, D.C. Coach of the Week.
"It's always a big win when you beat a good,
well-coached team," said Martin. "Dunbar has tradition and they have dominated. They
are one of the teams you measure yourself against. We beat Dunbar last
year (20-13). Before that we probably had lost to them about 12 times in
a row. To come back and beat them again shows we are going in the right
direction."
The victory gave Wilson a 4-2 record this year and ran Martin's career record to 18-10.
Sophomore
Abdul Adams (5-11, 185) set the pace by rushing 13 times for 100 yards and one touchdown. Junior
Larry Frazier added 81 yards on 13 carries and senior
Scott Beumel passed for 94 yards. Leading the superb defense was senior
Fred Anderson, who had 12 tackles and returned an interception for a 47-yard touchdown.
Martin credited defensive coordinator William Haith with an outstanding game plan.
"Haith had been studying films like crazy," said Martin. "He came up with a
game plan and I said, 'Let's go with it.' We love being the underdog. We
played fast and physical, we tried to minimize penalties and mistakes
and played outstanding defense."
Martin's roots run deep with the Wilson Tigers.
At
5-foot-8 and 175 pounds, he was an All-Met cornerback and made 22
interceptions during his three-year career. He also was an outstanding
sprinter for the track team.
Martin graduated from Wilson in 1984
and played wide receiver for two years at Morgan State University.
After college he played semi-pro football for 14 years and in 1999 he
founded the D.C. Explosion. One of his former players, Greg Toler, is now a
standout cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts.
He launched his
coaching career as an assistant at Wilson in 2000 and fulfilled his
longtime dream when he became head coach in 2011.
