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Gwynn Park High School football coach Danny Hayes is confronted with a problem in the final week of the regular season. His Yellow Jackets were given an unexpected week off when Crossland officials decided to end the Cavaliers' football season two weeks early because of disciplinary issues.

That leaves Gwynn Park with a week off prior to the start of the 2A South Region playoffs, which begin the weekend of Nov. 13-14.

While other teams are finishing up the season and trying to squeeze into the playoffs, the Yellow Jackets will be spending their Saturday as far away from the football field as possible. They will be trading in their helmets and pads for street clothes and community service, as they will participate in a volunteer activity that Hayes said he and his coaching staff were planning.

Hayes said the unexpected weekend off gives his players and coaches a chance to give back to the community.

"We aren't going to give them any time off," he said. "Instead we are going to get to work and stay focused. Just because we have Saturday off doesn't mean we are going to take it off. We are going to do something for the community."

The Yellow Jackets will finish the season with a 10-0 record and are champions of the County 3A/2A/1A League. They earned the top seed in the 2A South Region and are eagerly awaiting an opponent for a regional semifinal contest at Gwynn Park.

But don't expect the Yellow Jackets to lose focus during their week off. Senior linebacker Brian Blue said he will make sure they remain focused on the task at hand. Despite the fact that Gwynn Park isn't sure who it's playing next.

"We are going to be in the weight room, doing some conditioning and watching tape of whoever we play in the playoffs," he said. "We definitely have to remain focused since we aren't playing this week. I am going to make sure the guys stay out of trouble and get ready for our next game."

But before the Yellow Jackets could look ahead to the playoffs, they survived a scare from a playoff-bound Potomac team.

Gwynn Park turned the ball over seven times, but managed to escape with a hard-fought, 35-20 victory on Saturday at Potomac High.

Senior quarterback Marc Lucas threw two touchdown passes to wide receiver Johnny Norris, and the defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns. Running back Khalek Shepherd also added a 4-yard touchdown run as the Yellow Jackets slowly pulled away in the second half.

Lucas completed 6 of 12 passes for 129 yards. But he did fumble once and throw three interceptions, including one that Potomac's Brandon Thompson returned for a touchdown. Shepherd finished the game with 114 rushing yards, but fumbled once on a punt return. The Yellow Jackets lost two fumbles on special teams.

The turnovers will give Hayes plenty to talk to his players about as the Yellow Jackets prepare for a run at the 2A state title.

"We can't cry about being off because the bottom line is we have to get ready for the playoffs," Hayes said. "We will start watching tape and get these guys ready for the next game.

E-mail Joshua Hudson at

jhudson@gazette.net.