​DeMatha Football Sails to 35-7 Win Over Good Counsel

It was deuces wild for DeMatha on Friday night against Good Counsel.

Denzel Gardner threw a pair of touchdown passes, Bud Coombs ran for two scores, and Jacob Wallace had two interceptions to lead the second-ranked Stags to a 35-7 victory over the No. 4 Falcons.

“We were clicking, and [Denzel] was able to make key throws, our receivers caught the ball, and our line protected pretty well,” DeMatha coach Bill McGregor said. “It was just a really good team win across the board.”

In producing one of his finest games throwing the football, Gardner finished 7 of 12 for a career-high 196 yards. He completed three passes of at least 40 yards. And he did it in front of his future head coach at Marshall, Charles Huff, and offensive coordinator Seth Doege.

“Denzel is a great player,” McGregor said. “He’s a four-year starter; he doesn’t make mistakes, can run the ball, can throw the ball. He’s an outstanding football player.

“What I was really happy about for him is, obviously, his performance for us. But on the sideline was the head football coach for Marshall and the quarterbacks coach who recruited him. So, I thought it was special for Denzell to come out and play as well as he did and for us to have this big win.”

The Stags (6-1) have now won six in a row and improved to 2-0 in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. Good Counsel, which downed DeMatha in last year’s WCAC Capital Division championship game, fell to 4-4 and 1-1.

“Good Counsel is an outstanding football team, and I’m sure we’ll see each other again,” McGregor said.

After a scoreless first quarter, Gardner found junior Josh Parker for a 67-yard touchdown. Parker broke free from his man, caught the ball at the Falcons’ 30-yard line and went untouched into the end zone.

On the Stags’ next possession, Gardner hit freshman Chace Irvin for a 45-yard gain to the Good Counsel 7. Irvin was being held on the play but managed to catch the ball with one hand. DeMatha made it 14-0 when Coombs scored from the 4.

Following the Falcons’ third punt of the first half, the Stags marched 50 yards in 10 plays to go up 21-0 with 11 seconds left before halftime. Coombs, a senior who has committed to Maryland, had a 12-yard run to bring the ball to the 5.

From there, junior Lavar Keys (Penn State) went up high to catch Gardner’s pass along the right edge of the end zone. Senior linebacker Noah Chambers (Virginia Tech) ended Good Counsel’s first drive of the second half with a 30-yard interception return TD.

The Falcons, who were coming off a 28-13 victory over St. John’s, finally got on the scoreboard early in the fourth quarter when senior Joe Williams concluded a 93-yard drive with a 5-yard run.

DeMatha answered right away with an 11- and 12-yard run by junior Elijah Lee before Gardner found Keys streaking down the left sideline for a 40-yard completion. Three plays later, Coombs went in from the 1.

“We had a great week of practice; that’s where it starts,” Gardner said. “We knew they blitzed a lot; we knew they ran [man-to-man coverage]. So, I just trusted my guys outside, my receivers, and my line did a great job blocking all night.”

Wallace, who also stars on the Stags basketball team, then picked up his second interception and returned it 32 yards. It was the senior cornerback’s second game this season with two takeaways. In a 49-12 victory at Roman Catholic, he returned a fumble 38 yards and had a 34-yard pick-six.

“They drove a little bit on us early, but we didn’t give it up; we came up with the big play when we had to,” McGregor said. “That’s been the story of our defense all year.”

Parker (67 yards) and Irvin (45) each finished with one reception. Keys hauled in five for 84 yards.

“I trust my [offensive coordinator Luke Casey] and my line to let it rip in the air,” Gardner said. “I think we’ve got the best receivers in the WCAC.”

New Field – DeMatha was playing its first game this year on its designated home field, Marvin F. Wilson Stadium at the P.G. Sports & Learning Complex. The Landover facility had been closed while a new artificial surface was being installed. The Stags had to play their first two home games at the St. James in Springfield, Va., and at Bowie (Md.) State University.

Next Game – DeMatha heads to Northwest Washington to face No. 7 St. John’s on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Cadets are 5-2 (1-1 WCAC). First Amendment Sports will stream the game live.

“That’ll be another really tough game,” McGregor said. “The schedule doesn’t get any easier.”

The Stags are ranked 24th in the nation by MaxPreps.

Chris McManes (mick-maynz) is DeMatha Catholic High School’s communications manager.