Douglass Football Team Reflects, Looks to 2012

The Frederick Douglass High School football team recently completed one of the finest seasons in its history with an appearance in the 2011 Maryland 2A state championship game.

Only one other Douglass team has ever reached the state final, that occurred in 1975 when the Eagles fell to Fort Hill, 34-8, in the Class A state championship game.

This season, however, Douglass defied the odds amid expectations from those outside the football program.

After a mediocre 2-2 start to the 2011 campaign, the Eagles won nine straight games en route to the state championship where Douglass lost to Middletown of Frederick County, 43-6. The Eagles finished the season with an 11-3 record.

The team was led this year by the dynamic duo of senior running backs Josef Hinnant and Emmanuel Smith, who provided a lethal one-two punch on the gridiron during the postseason. The two players combined for over 1,500 yards and 24 touchdowns during the 2011 campaign.

“The two-headed monster we call ourselves,” said Smith, who has garnered interest from FCS programs Bucknell and Old Dominion among others. “[I had a] great time working with him. I’m glad he stepped up in the beginning of the season when I wasn’t here.”

Smith suffered a broken arm in a car accident during the preseason but returned to the team in mid-season.

“The doctor told me to stay out,” said Smith, “but I had to get back on that field. I couldn’t just stay out and let my team down so I had to get back there and be the leader.”

“It was wonderful, man,” Hinnant said about the 2011 campaign. “I’m always going to remember this [season].”

With numerous players expected to return next year including 6-foot-5, 200-pound wide receiver Paul Harris, Douglass head coach J.C. Pinkney firmly believes the program has a bright future. 

“We have a lot of pieces in place,” Pinkney said. “We get a lot of guys back.”