Stags stun unbeaten Good Counsel with 3-5-3 defense, limiting Caleb Porzel and Jelani Jenkins to under 80 yards combined on the ground.
By Todd Bradley, DCSportsFan.com
Special to MaxPreps.com
Although the temperature dropped to 27 degrees Saturday night at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, it didn't prevent 6,000 people from coming to Annapolis to see the fifth consecutive WCAC championship game between DeMatha and Good Counsel.
Just like the previous four games, DeMatha took care of business when it counted. The Stags scored five straight touchdowns to win their sixth consecutive league title, defeating Good Counsel 34-7. The victory avenged a 21-point loss to Good Counsel (11-1) two months ago in front of a national audience.
"Everyone was disappointed that we didn't come out and execute [the first game]," DeMatha quarterback Tom Chroniger said. "We did not show what DeMatha football was about. This game we came out and we executed."
After allowing a 12-yard touchdown run to Caleb Porzel in the second quarter, DeMatha (10-2) was dominant on both sides of the ball. The Stags used a 3-5-3 defense, which caught Good Counsel off guard and limited Porzel and Jelani Jenkins to less than 80 combined yards on the ground.
"I don't think they were ready for [the 3-3-5] because we didn't show it until this game," Chroniger said. "It basically shut them down on the outside. They tried to go up the middle and that obviously didn't work."
DeMatha punter Michael Branthover had an excellent game, and he was able to pin Good Counsel's offense deep in their own territory numerous times. Late in the second quarter, DeMatha's defense rewarded Branthover when Michael Coley hit Porzel and forced a fumble in the end zone, which resulted in a safety.
On the ensuing possession, DeMatha's offense capitalized when Marcus Coker ran the ball into the end zone from 6 yards out. From that point on, it was all DeMatha.
"They changed up a lot of stuff that we worked on all week," Jenkins said. "They were able to capitalize."
Leading 8-7 after the first half, DeMatha struck early in the third quarter when Emmanuel McPhearson stepped in front of a Tyler Campbell pass and returned it 22 yards for the score. The touchdown seemed to take the life out of Good Counsel and increase the already noticeable momentum the Stags had.
"We were in the Cover 2 out of the 3-3-5, and I was able to step right in front of the pass and I took it for six," McPhearson said. "We were never concerned. They beat us 42-21, but they didn't hurt us. They just helped us. We worked hard for six weeks and this is what came of it."
Led by players like Raheem Cardwell, Patrick Harbeson and Jeff Knox on the defensive side of the ball, DeMatha's defense continued to limit Good Counsel offensively. Knox picked off a pass by Porzel on a trick play, and the Stags' running game took it from there. Aaron Conaway scored twice in the second half, including a back-breaking 25-yard run late in the third quarter.
"I felt like the whole sideline was inside me," Conaway said. "The team stayed with me all the way to the [end zone]. Everyone just picked it up after that, and it just made me run even more."
According to Conaway, there was never a moment of doubt coming into Saturday's game.
"We thought we were going to win the moment we stepped on the field," Conaway added. "We have the blue shoes that never lose, and we're DeMatha. You can't beat us."
"We thought we were going to win the moment we stepped on the field. We have the blue shoes that never lose, and we're DeMatha. You can't beat us." --- DeMatha’s Aaron Conaway
Leading 21-7 at the start of the fourth quarter, DeMatha added two late touchdowns to seal the game and send Good Counsel fans home early. Coker had a 3-yard run and Conaway scored from 4 yards out with time running out.
"Aaron Conaway and [Marcus] Coker played one hell of a game today," Chroniger said. "I don't think I played my best game at quarterback, but Aaron and Marcus and my line carried the team."
Although this was Chroniger's last game with DeMatha, he's not too worried about what the future hold for the Stags.
"It's been six years in a row that we've won the championship, and I'm pretty sure that we'll be back here again next year."
Todd Bradley is the Editor-in-Chief of www.dcsportsfan.com, which covers high school athletics in the Washington, D.C. area. E-mail Todd at editor@dcsportsfan.com.
