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Two weeks after they met in a tense regular season game that was decided in the fourth quarter, the Henry A. Wise and Charles H. Flowers high school football teams will play Saturday for the second consecutive year in the 4A South Region final.

Defending region champion Wise (10-1) will look to defend the title it won on the road last year with a 28-0 thumping of the Jaguars. Wise has grown accustomed to posting shutouts this season, establishing a state record of eight in a row. But that streak ended when Flowers upended the Pumas two weeks ago, 14-12.

Wise rebounded from that setback by posting its ninth shutout of the season, blanking Eleanor Roosevelt 6-0 on Saturday in a 4A South Region semifinal game.

"It really comes down to our defensive line against their offensive line," said Wise coach DaLawn Parrish. "We have to find a way to negate their offensive line. They have three really good backs. Their offense is a lot like ours. They want to run the ball and control the clock. It will be up to our defense to make plays. They got the better of us last time, so we have to make the adjustments. We have to avoid the penalties. [Penalties] nearly killed us [Saturday against Roosevelt]."

Flowers' coach Mike Mayo has the Jaguars in the region final for the sixth time since the Springdale school started playing a varsity schedule in 2001. But Flowers has yet to reach the state semifinals, having lost all five of its region finals. Mayo said that in spite of the victory against Wise two weeks ago, the result of Saturday's game will be the one people remember most.

"They have a great team, and they're good on defense," Mayo said of Wise. "They have a lot of good athletes and you have to come to play. When you have to play teams in this league a second time, it's rough. It makes for a tough task. Anything can happen on any given day and the battle up front is usually what makes a difference this time of year. Teams don't change too much what they do this time of year. You can't stop doing what's been working for you all year."

Wise senior running back Rahsaan Moore, a University of Maryland recruit who scored the only touchdown against Roosevelt last week, said the Pumas' loss to Flowers offered several valuable lessons.

"That was a humbling loss," Moore said. "We learned a lot from that game. They came out and made the plays. We had the lead twice and they still beat us. Their offensive line is excellent and their running backs are really good. We have to find a way to stop them. We're definitely going to be ready for them this time. We're going to walk off the field with a win this time."

In close contests, intangibles such as turnovers and penalties can often play a big role in the outcome.

"Right now, the officials are going to be calling things tighter, because this is the playoffs and the officials are not going to tolerate a lot of things that they used to," said Mayo, who watched as Suitland was hit with more than 150 penalty yards in last week's playoff game. "We try to cut down on the penalties and keep your heads and play smart football and let the game come to you. You want to eliminate the turnovers and the mistakes. You'd like to play a perfect game, but you do the best you can."

4A South Region Final

Flowers at Wise

When/Where: 1 p.m. Saturday at Wise High, Upper Marlboro

Flowers (10-1)

Leading passer: Thomas Lawrence 30 of 58, 473 yards, 6 TD, 5 INT

Leading rushers: John Clark 113 carries, 980 yards, 12 TD; Reggie Woods 83 carries, 813 yards, 11 TD;Raymone Wilson 97 carries, 502 yards, 5 TD

Leading receivers: Clark 6 catches, 100 yards; Woods 5 catches, 50 yards, 1 TD

Wise (10-1)

Leading passer: DeAndre Smith 30 of 68, 496 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT

Leading rushers: Jabril Baldwin 101 carries, 685 yards, 9 TD; Deontre Johnson 77 carries, 383 yards, 6 TD; Rahsaan Moore 53 carries, 320 yards, 13 TD

Leading receivers: Thomas Tabbs 11 catches, 157 yards, 2 TD; Trevon Butler 9 catches, 209 yards, 4 TD

E-mail Ted Black at tblack@gazette.net.