DeMatha, Good Counsel brace for football showdown

Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) vs. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) is always a big game.

When the two Washington Catholic Athletic Conference rivals meet each year in the regular season, it typically has the atmosphere of a playoff game. Friday night's matchup in Olney will be no different, except that there seems to be even more on the line this time.

Coming off a Top 5 national finish last season, Good Counsel looks to maintain its footing as the area's top team and its status as a stalwart on the national scene. DeMatha merely looks to reclaim both of those.

"Going on the last 10 years, both programs have been playing and competing fiercely. We usually play each other twice in a year, once in the regular season which is close, and once in a championship. We usually get a good game there," DeMatha head coach Elijah Brooks said.

Brooks' counterpart knows both teams show up to play for this game no matter what.

"Last year, they had a 6-4 year — probably their worst in 40 years," Good Counsel head coach Bob Milloy told The Gazette. "And we were 12-0. But it was 21-21 in the fourth quarter. I don't care how good we are or how bad they are or the other way around, they're going to play hard against us."

Not only has Good Counsel won three of the last four meetings with DeMatha, it has also won the last three WCAC titles. That title was one that DeMatha took home five straight years, from 2004-2008, by beating Good Counsel in the championship game each year.

"Good Counsel and DeMatha have dominated the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference for nearly a decade," said Josh Barr, former preps writer for the Washington Post.

History aside, it is still a matchup of two very good teams this season. Good Counsel's only loss came on the road to Bishop Gorman, while DeMatha is off to its first 5-0 start since 2009. Each is ranked in the Top 100 of the Freeman Ratings; Good Counsel (4-1) is No. 23 in the Xcellent 25.

Led by two-way star Dorian O'Daniel, who has been an effective running back and a standout linebacker for Good Counsel, the team has rattled off four straight victories, including wins over St. Joseph Regional and Gilman. Like O'Daniel, senior Kendall Fuller also contributes on offense and defense for Good Counsel. He has three receiving touchdowns and has registered 12 tackles from the cornerback spot.

That type of talent is what worries Brooks.

"O'Daniel, Fuller, (Sam) Mustipher. They're so explosive. We have to limit their big plays. They can take it 80 yards each time they touch the ball," he said.

DeMatha's offense has big-play potential of its own. Junior quarterback John Lovett has improved greatly from last season, according to Brooks, and has two very capable receivers to throw to in Cam Phillips and Chris Jones.

"Both of them can really stretch the field," he said. "They're great route runners, make plays on the ball and put a lot of pressure on the defense because you can't lock in to one receiver."

Defensively, DeMatha boasts super freshman Shane Simmons, a defensive end who has already seen varsity action. He's been offered by Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia.

As Barr points out, the wealth of young talent like Simmons in the Washington, D.C. area only adds to the significance of Friday's game. A DeMatha win might sway the next Stefon Diggs or Jelani Jenkins to Hyattsville, while a Good Counsel victory could help deliver a future Cyrus Kouandjio or Kenny Tate to Olney.

"Both teams feature top-notch college recruits and plenty of scouts figure to be on hand and later watch this tape," Barr said. "But the game also is significant as Good Counsel and DeMatha angle to beat the other (and Baltimore Gilman) for the Mid-Atlantic region's top junior high schoolers, a battle Good Counsel seems to be winning recently."

The showdown, one of the Top 10 Games of the Week, is set for 7 p.m. EST. Follow the action on Qwixcore.