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The win lifts the Jaguars into the 4A South Region championship against top-seeded Henry A. Wise at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Wise. The Pumas defeated Eleanor Roosevelt, 6-0, in the other 4A South semifinal on Saturday. The region final will come just two weeks after Flowers beat Wise, 14-12, in the final game of the regular season.
Clark finished with 144 yards on 18 carries. The senior got the scoring started with a 6-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, as the Jaguars took an 8-0 lead. He then scored on a 55-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter, as the Flowers offensive line opened a huge hole, and Clark ran virtually untouched to put the Jaguars on top, 26-21.
"[Left tackle] Warren Daniels came around and pulled and he made a big gap for me and I just ran up in there," Clark said.
But every time the Jaguars scored, Suitland had an answer.
The Rams (9-2) returned the kickoff after Clark's second touchdown to the Flowers 26-yard line. Suitland struck three plays later when Dontrewell Kelley scored on a 20-yard touchdown run, giving Suitland the lead, 27-26.
"We keep coming and they keep coming and it's like this every year," said Flowers coach Mike Mayo. "There usually isn't this many fireworks, but neither one of us could stop the other. It came down to who pretty much had the ball last."
Flowers (10-1) took over at ts own 22-yard line, trailing by a point with 4 minutes, 24 seconds remaining. The Jaguars embarked on a methodical drive that chewed up yards and nearly all the remaining time.
"It was just like, 'Let's go, let's do this thing, we got to drive down their throat,'" Clark said. "We were just setting them up for our misdirection."
And that's exactly what the Jaguars did. From the 9-yard line, Clark came down the line, took a handoff and went right through the heart of the Suitland defense into the end zone. Raymone Wilson added the two-point conversion to give Flowers a 34-27 lead with 26 seconds remaining.
Suitland got the ball back one last time and drove to the Flowers 35-yard line with 4 seconds remaining. Quarterback Devonte Lindsey's final pass into the end zone was broken up by Flowers' Cooksey Hunter as time expired.
"We fought hard, but maybe it just wasn't meant to be today," said Suitland coach Ed Shields. "I am proud of the guys and the work they accomplished during the season
