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Charles H. Flowers High School football coach Mike Mayo said despite what was on the line in his team's pivotal Week 9 game against Eleanor Roosevelt — a chance to solidify its a spot in the 4A South Region playoffs — the Jaguars' coaches and players had more of a sense of urgency from about an off-the-field issue.

"We were pretty much concerned about grades this week," Mayo said Saturday after the Jaguars beat Roosevelt, 22-13. "That was our biggest concern."

The Raiders, on the other hand, had concerns about what was happening between the white lines. The loss was Roosevelt's second in three games and dropped the Raiders to 6-3 this season. Setting aside the forfeit-marred 2007 campaign, it's the most on-field losses Roosevelt has had in any season since it lost three games in 2002.

The road gets no easier for the Raiders, who will host Suitland (8-1) in Saturday's regular season finale.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars (8-1) helped themselves immensely with the victory. Should the Jaguars win their finale against undefeated Henry A. Wise, they could end up as the top seed in the 4A South Region.

"It was just a good, hard football game between two good football teams," Mayo said after the triumph over the Raiders.

The Jaguars got big production from their offensive backfield, as the team welcomed back senior tailbacks Raymone Wilson Jr. and Reggie Woods. Wilson missed three games after breaking his arm in an Oct. 3 victory against Laurel, and Woods missed the last two games after suffering a high ankle sprain in the team's lone loss this year against Suitland.

Both Wilson and Woods had second-half touchdown runs for the Jaguars.

"It felt great that both me and my man Reggie was back out there," Wilson said. "We need the two of us for the playoffs. Our offensive line is great, I think we have the best in the county. Our whole backfield is healthy."

Jaguars' senior Andre Brooks had a big game on the other side of the ball, sharing two sacks, intercepting a pass and recovering a fumble. Brooks' interception gave the Jaguars the ball on the Raiders 14-yard line in the fourth quarter and set up Wilson's 3-yard touchdown run two plays later. That score gave Flowers a commanding 22-7 lead.

"[The defense] had a lot of question marks at the beginning of the season," Brooks said. "Everybody this week came out here with intensity. You know you can never give up."

The problems for the Raiders, on the other hand, go beyond just a play or two.

"Do I think there was a sense of urgency this week? Yeah I think so," said Roosevelt coach Tom Green said. "I think it's a little bit of our youth. We've got some young guys in key spots and at the quarterback position. And quarterback handles the brunt of what's done in our offense. I need my kids to keep playing hard. With a young group, I think we as coaches have to do a better job of play-calling in certain situations with our guys."

Raiders' sophomore quarterback Shawn Petty had several mistakes, but an overall solid game. He completed 13 of 20 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a score. But the interception to Brooks was costly, as was a botched option handoff early in the third quarter. Both turnovers resulted in Jaguars' touchdowns.

"I think we have to keep working hard," Petty said. "We have to come out and all focus on executing. We're just not executing plays right. Everybody has to do their job."

Petty connected with Raiders wide receiver Mitch Kempisty on a touchdown pass with just over 3 minutes remaining in the game. But the Raiders could not recover an onside kick, and the Jaguars kept the ball until time expired.

E-mail Terron Hampton at thampton@gazette.net.