D.C. Council member Vincent Gray will host the second annual Ward 7 Clash of the Titans football game on Friday, Sept. 15, featuring the H.D. Woodson Warriors and the Friendship Collegiate Academy Knights in a battle between two of the city’s top football teams.
“These are the best not just in the District, but some of the best in the country,” said Gray, who in 2012 established the D.C. State Athletic Association to create a formal opportunity for local sports teams from D.C.’s public, private, parochial, independent and charter schools to compete against each other in the first D.C. state championship competitions.
“As a native Washingtonian, three-decade Ward 7 resident and lifelong athlete and advocate of athletics, I am proud to honor the achievements of both H.D. Woodson and Friendship Collegiate Academy and advance this competition between outstanding athletes,” Gray said.
This year’s game will be a home and non-conference game at Friendship Collegiate Academy on the grounds of H.D. Woods High School’s football field in Northeast.
Since Woodson received the designation as home team last year, Friendship gets the honor this year.
Last year’s contest resulted in a 19-14 victory by Friendship.
“Ward 7 has an extensive history of producing great scholars and athletes. H.D. Woodson and Friendship have two of the strongest programs in the D.C. metro area and I’m happy that Gray has arranged for these two wonderful teams to meet and play annually,” Darrin Slade, the principal at H.D. Woodson Senior High School, said in a statement.
The game represents an opportunity to showcase the best of great talent found in D.C. high schools, public charter schools and DCPS, said Curtis Lawrence Jr., principal of Friendship Collegiate Academy.
“I look forward to this continued partnership,” Lawrence said.
The game will feature Woodson’s Mychale Salahuddin, the nation’s No. 3 all-purpose running back, who has committed to playing at the University of Southern California after he graduates next year.
It’ll also feature Dontay Demus Jr., a wide receiver who’s committed to the University of Maryland, and safety Chauncey Moore, who’s committed to Temple University. Both are on course to graduate in 2018.
“Being a Warrior, we represent the city on a very dominant academic, athletic and social standpoint,” Salahuddin said. “My teammates and I have made big decisions that will support our future regardless of football. All through hard work, it’s time to truly prove to the city that we are real and that all the hype must be taken into consideration.”
Tickets for the 6 p.m. battle can be purchased online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/friendship-collegiate-vs-hd-woodson-varsity-football-tickets-36545103388. Tickets are $5 online for adults and $3 for students. The day of the game, tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students with an ID.