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Suitland High School football coach Ed Shields could tell something was just a little off about his team during the first half of its 39-6 win against Parkdale on Saturday.

After clinching a playoff berth with a win the week before, the 7-1 Rams seemed to lack focus against the 3-5 Panthers. The well-oiled offense averaging more than 34 points per game during a seven-game win streak, only put 13 on the board in the first half. The stingy defense, which was coming off back-to-back shutouts, was picked apart by the Parkdale offense during a 10-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a Marcus Kennedy to Mike Carter touchdown pass.

Heavy favorites, the Rams left the field at halftime leading 13-6. During the break, the Suitland seniors took part in the senior day festivities. Once the pageantry of the occasion was over, Shields said he saw a change in his team's attitude.

"Once senior day was behind us, they got more focused after halftime," Shields said.

After recovering a short kickoff at midfield to start the second half, Suitland marched straight down the field. At the end of the meticulous 11-play drive, running back Kevin Williams scored a 5-yard touchdown run to put the Rams ahead, 21-6.

Parkdale's ensuing drive fizzled at its own 29-yard line. A 3-yard punt gave Suitland the ball at the Panthers' 32, and quarterback Devonte' Lindsey found receiver Jason Johnson in the end zone on the next play to make it a three-score game.

"Nothing really changed," Lindsey said. "We just had to start executing our plays the same way we practiced them."

As the Suitland offense started clicking on all cylinders, the Rams' defense followed suit. The Panthers did not even manage to enter Suitland territory after halftime, and Kennedy failed to complete a pass in the second half before being pulled late in the game. With the Panthers' short passing game held in check, the Parkdale offense was suddenly harmless.

"It's tough to execute on offense when you can't even complete a screen pass," said Parkdale coach Richard Holzer. "We normally average about 15 yards a play on those."

With playoff seeding on the line, Suitland will travel to play 6-3 Eleanor Roosevelt on Saturday. As the Rams get ready for the postseason, Shields hopes his team will pick up right where it left off at the end of the second half against Parkdale.

"You want to finish well as a group and be in a rhythm," Shields said. "Unfortunately, we have a tough opponent coming up so we still need to figure out a way to get that rhythm so we can go in with the right momentum."