DeMatha Captures 25th Football Championship

ANNAPOLIS, MD. - DeMatha’s football season didn’t get off to a good start. It couldn’t have ended any better.

On Nov. 24 at Navy Marine-Corps Memorial Stadium, the Stags captured the WCAC Capital Division championship with a 16-7 victory over Good Counsel. The game epitomized team play as No. 2 DeMatha bested the No. 5 Falcons on offense, defense and special teams.

“It was the ultimate team win,” Stags coach Bill McGregor said. “We always talk about the importance of those three phases of the game.”

After forcing a three-and-out, DeMatha (10-1) needed just three plays to strike first on a 45-yard touchdown pass from senior Denzel Gardner to junior wideout Lavar Keys. The defense followed with a goal-line stand, and senior Alex Amaya punctuated an 84-yard drive with a 22-yard field goal to make it 10-0 in the second quarter.

Amaya nailed two more field goals, including a career-long 49-yarder and a 20-yard effort to put the Stags up by two scores with 1:09 left in the game. Their final drive took four minutes and 38 seconds off the clock.

“Defensively, we really rose to the occasion,” McGregor said. “Offensively, we did what we had to do.”

Senior Bud Coombs, who rushed for 135 yards on 14 carries, got his first taste of ultimate victory after losing the previous two title games.

“We really wanted this one,” said Coombs, also an All-American outfielder who has committed to play football and baseball at Maryland. “It means so much to finally win the championship.”

Twice after Good Counsel cut the lead to 13-7 late in the third quarter, the DeMatha defense forced a punt.

“We locked in throughout practice the entire week,” senior linebacker Noah Chambers said. “We knew we had a mission to accomplish.”

Coombs committed the only turnover of the game when he fumbled deep in Falcons’ territory with 8:18 to play. It was plenty of time for Good Counsel (7-5) to march downfield (from the 22) and take the lead. Particularly with sophomore quarterback Jackson Rice, who finished 21 of 31 for 193 yards; and senior wide receiver DaMarion Fowlkes (11 receptions for 105 yards).

But the Stags, under defensive coordinator Deno Campbell, tightened up and yielded little ground to the Falcons.

DeMatha took over on its 28 with 5:47 remaining and a razor-thin six-point lead. Junior Elijah Lee rushed for 3 and 13 yards before Coombs returned and produced back-to-back 21- and 18-yard gains.

On fourth-and-goal from the 2, McGregor opted for the field goal. Amaya made the 20-yarder but the Stags were called for a 5-yard penalty. His second kick likewise soared through the uprights, but the play had been whistled dead following an offsides call against Good Counsel.

Amaya, unfazed by the repeated attempts, drilled another 20-yarder to hand DeMatha a nine-point lead and nearly guarantee the Stags would seize their first WCAC title since 2016.

“It was no big deal,” he said. “That’s an extra point.”

Seniors Go Out in Style

DeMatha lost its opener at Spalding, 26-10, before reeling off 10 straight victories. The first big win, 49-12, came in Philadelphia against Roman Catholic, one of the top teams in Pennsylvania. Things were even tougher the following week when the Stags beat perennial national power Washington High, 20-14, in Massillon, Ohio.

“That was a great victory for us, on the road against a very tough team,” McGregor said.

Those games prepared DeMatha for the rigors of the WCAC, which included road victories at Gonzaga, 28-14, and St. John’s, 31-15. The Stags didn’t play a home game until Oct. 18 – a 35-7 triumph over Good Counsel – because the Wilson Stadium turf field was being replaced. They followed with home wins vs. McNamara, 37-0, and St. John’s in the WCAC semifinals, 42-6.

“It was a hard schedule, but what I’m so proud about is how the kids responded week after week,” McGregor said. “Mentally its’s a grind; physically it’s a grind; emotionally it’s a grind. But they worked to get better, and we did.”

Quarterback Play

Gardner, honored as WCAC Offensive Player of the Year, was 6 of 10 for 128 yards and rushed 11 times for 53 yards. Keys, who has committed to Penn State, had four catches for 76 yards, and freshman Chase Irvin caught a slant for 41 yards. His reception set up Amaya’s 49-yard boot to push the DeMatha lead to 13-0 early in the third period.

Gardner, the only four-year starting quarterback in Stags history, put a bow on his career with a school-record 37 victories as the starter (37-8, .822). He will continue playing at Marshall.

“Denzel has played well for us all four years,” McGregor said. “He’s as good a quarterback as I’ve ever coached.”

A Champion Leader

McGregor, in his 35th year leading the Stags, has guided DeMatha to 18 of its 25 Catholic league championships and was named WCAC Coach of the Year.

Soon after the clock struck zero in the crisp Maryland capital air, a big smile appeared on McGregor’s face. For a man who routinely guided DeMatha to championships, this was his first since 2008. (He coached elsewhere from 2011-18.)

“It means a lot. You want to make sure you still have it,” he said with a laugh. “We came close the last two years. So, this one is special; I thoroughly enjoyed it.

“I can guarantee you this: My Thanksgiving turkey will be extra sweet and taste a little bit better this year.”

Chris McManes (mick-maynz) is DeMatha’s communications manager and has been covering the Stags since 2015.