DeMatha Football Rocks St. John’s 42-0, Heads to WCAC Championship

When DeMatha’s lead reached 35 points in the second half of its 42-0 blowout of St. John’s, the game clock continued to run instead of starting and stopping.

It was probably the first time the Cadets had a running clock against them since the Stags won 40-0 at St. John’s in 2015.

DeMatha’s pounding 10 years ago wasn’t surprising. What the Stags (10-0) did to their longtime rivals last Friday night at Wilson Stadium in Landover was a downright shock.

DeMatha had to overcome its only fourth-quarter deficit of the year against the Cadets on Oct. 24 before emerging victorious 23-20 in overtime. This time, however, the Stags seized command early and played outstanding football the entire night.

“It was a good team win,” DeMatha coach Bill McGregor said. “We always talk to the kids about starting fast, and we did, we started fast.”

The No. 1 Stags’ dominant win propels them into the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Capital Division championship for the fourth consecutive year. They will play fifth-ranked Gonzaga (7-4) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis on Sunday at 6 p.m.

DeMatha, which will be attempting to go undefeated for the first time since 2016, took the opening kickoff and marched downfield 54 yards to score on senior Elijah Lee’s 3-yard run.

The touchdown was set up by two 37-yard plays: senior Lavar Keys’ kickoff return and junior Tristan Sabb’s pass to senior Josh Parker.

“Lavar gave us excellent field position, and then we hit the long pass early to Josh,” McGregor said. “He made a great catch, took it down inside the 5, and we punched it in from there.”

The Stags weren’t done punching. After the defense forced the No. 10 Cadets (6-5) to quick-kick, the DeMatha offensive line gave Sabb all the protection he needed to find Parker alone at the 50-yard-line. He raced untouched to the end zone to complete an 88-yard pass and run.

“The [defensive back] slipped and he’s wide open,” McGregor said. “Then it becomes one of those things, is it going to be overthrown, is he going to catch it, not catch it.

“Josh made a great effort and caught it. Then all of a sudden it’s 14-nothing in the first quarter. It was a great way to start.”

Late in the first half, Sabb directed an 83-yard scoring drive by completing passes to junior Austin Barber (24 yards) and a pair to Keys (totaling 45 yards) to push the ball to the St. John’s 20. Sabb ran for five yards, and Lee scored from the 15 to boost the Stags’ lead to 21-0 with 1:07 to play before halftime.

“We came in focused. Our whole week of practice was good,” Keys said. “We didn’t make a lot of mistakes, and everybody was on their assignments. We just came out and dominated. And I knew it from the jump.

“When we got the first touchdown, I knew it was over.”

Crediting Teammates

The Cadets’ first possession of the second half gained a mere 12 yards and necessitated a punt that junior Logan Brown returned 38 yards. Sabb scored on the ensuing play by rushing 20 yards. He added a 51-yard scoring jaunt to make it 35-0 with 4:21 left in the third quarter.

The clock was now running.

Sabb had the most productive day of his first year as DeMatha’s starting quarterback. The three TDs he accounted for produced 159 yards of total offense.

“As a team I think that was definitely our most productive day,” Sabb said. “As far as my individual stats, that doesn’t really matter because it doesn’t happen without my teammates. So, I don’t really focus on that.

“I focus on how many points we put up.”

Run Down

After giving up several big-chunk runs and screen passes the first time the teams met three weeks prior, the Stags were able to limit St. John’s strong ground game. Dajon Talley-Rhodes and Tyric Powell were largely kept in check Friday.

“We were really dialed in,” McGregor said. “We really emphasized gap control and tackling. They have two really big-time backs, and fortunately we were able to keep them under control without any big, big plays. Now, they made a couple of key plays on us during the ballgame, but we didn’t allow them a big home run play for a touchdown.

“We just kept playing good defense the entire night.”

Junior defensive lineman Josh Taylor agreed with his head coach.

“All week in practice we were reading our keys and going 100 percent the whole time,” Taylor said. “That’s the only way to play the game. I just applied that to tonight.”

Shout Out for the Shutout

Sophomore quarterback Cooper Neal got in on the fun with a 9-yard TD, and then it was up to DeMatha’s reserve defenders to preserve the team’s third shutout of the year. It almost didn’t happen as junior signal caller Nyeem Woods scrambled into the end zone with less than 20 seconds remaining. The tally, however, was negated by a holding penalty.

Taylor was happy to see the shutout preserved and called the victory “amazing.” Keys said the contest reminded him of the team’s 42-14 victory over Gonzaga but carried greater weight because it means they get to play one more time for another championship.

“This game was pretty fun, a little like the Gonzaga game but it was more important because us, as seniors, it’s not our last one,” he said.

Staying Hungry

One of McGregor and his assistants’ main jobs during practice this week is keeping their charges from becoming overconfident against the Eagles (7-4). A second straight WCAC championship is far from guaranteed against a team that had to defeat St. John’s, 24-21, just to make the playoffs and emerged from an early 14-point hole to beat Good Counsel last week, 31-28.

“We haven’t done anything yet,” McGregor said. “We have to have a great week of practice to perform well in the game. Gonzaga is a great football team.

“We have a long way to go.”

I (owe) U

Keys, who had been committed to Penn State, revealed Sunday that he will play for Indiana. The speedy wideout had also been considering Maryland and Kansas State. The unbeaten Hoosiers (11-0) are ranked second in the nation and will be making their second consecutive appearance in the College Football Playoffs.

Defensive back Darrell Carey, who had also pledged to attend Penn State until James Franklin was fired, will go to Maryland.

Franklin was hired Monday by Virginia Tech, which has three Stags in its program: sophomore Emmett Laws, freshman Noah Chambers and running backs coach Elijah Brooks.

The Big Three-Seven

DeMatha had three 37-yard plays in the first half, and Keys accounted for two of them. In addition to his 37-yard kickoff return to start the game, he gained the same amount of yards with a tough catch along the right sideline to position Lee for his 14th rushing touchdown of 2025.

Parker had the other 37-yarder to set up the Stags’ first TD on a night it would score at least 41 points for the sixth time this season.

Riding a Harley

Keys, Carey and several other DeMatha teammates played youth football with Gonzaga defensive lineman Tyson Harley. The senior four-star prospect is still committed to attending Penn State but is keeping his options open depending on who the Nittany Lions hire as head coach and his position coach.

If Harley decides to go elsewhere, the 6-foot-4, 215-pounder is expected to choose from among Maryland, Rutgers and Michigan State.

McGregor has high praise for Harley, who also played basketball for nearby St. Jerome and Gonzaga.

“He’s a great football player – tall, long, lean, can run, can jump, incredibly athletic,” McGregor said. “He makes a lot of plays. We have to figure out a way to block him, which is going to be tough. He’s an outstanding WCAC football player.”

Big-time Recruits

Eagles defensive lineman Carter Meadows (6-6, 225) is heading to Michigan. Tight end Brayden Marko (6-6, 240) has committed to Maryland.

“They’re both big-time players,” McGregor said. “Gonzaga is a very good football team. We’re going to have our hands full with them.”