I-95 Kick Off Classic: DeMatha wins first for rookie coach

BALTIMORE — A new era at DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) started Saturday afternoon at the I-95 Kick Off Classic on the Morgan State University campus. And it started out exactly as rookie head coach Elijah Brooks had dreamed it would.

Less than three minutes into the game, DeMatha senior running back Charlie Jordan sprinted 77 yards for a score to give his rookie coach the first lead of his head-coaching career. In the end, the touchdown celebration would prove to be just a prelude to Brooks' first career win, a thrilling 24-20 win over Loyola Blakefield (Towson, Md.).

"It feels great," said Brooks, a DeMatha alum who took over for legendary coach Bill McGregor, who built a national power at the Hyattsville private school during his 29 years as head coach. "It was definitely a nerve-racking game. I'm just happy we got a win."
It was a hard-fought win that looked, early on, as if it might come easy.
The Stags stopped Loyola on its first two possessions and then, on first-and-10 from his own 29-yard line, DeMatha sophomore quarterback Jamal Robinson found a wide-open Chris King in the flat and the senior wide receiver sprinted 71 yards into the end zone.

"They were a good team," said a starry-eyed Robinson, who completed five of 11 passes for 169 yards, one touchdown and an interception. "It was a tough game. It's much different than playing freshmen football. I learned a lot of lessons, like where to go with the ball, how to respond to adversity and stuff like that."



Much to the DeMatha sideline's surprise, just as it looked like the Stags would run away with the game, Loyola scored 20 unanswered points.

The Dons' first score came with just 57 seconds remaining in the first quarter when senior quarterback Jake Clise rumbled 58 yards on a quarterback-keeper to pull the Dons within 14-7.

After Loyola (0-1) was forced to punt on its next two possessions, Clise put together two consecutive scoring drives of just three plays each. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound right-hander connected on touchdown passes of 21 and 32 yards to senior wide receiver Jordan Floyd and senior running back Kacy Kapinos, respectively, to give the Dons a 20-14 lead. Clise would finish the game completing 12 of 23 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns, and rush for another 90 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.

DeMatha took the lead right back on its next possession when Jordan sprinted untouched down the right sideline 65 yards for a score. Senior kicker Jason Dillon's extra point gave the Stags a 21-20 halftime lead.
"I told the team that we made some mistakes that were on us and that we have to finish out the game the DeMatha way and finish strong," Brooks said of his halftime speech.

DeMatha's defense started the second half strong. Sophomore defensive back Jarriel Jordan's interception of a Clise pass set the Stags up for a 32-yard field goal by Dillon to extend the lead to 24-20.

Loyola opened up the fourth quarter driving the ball 79 yards on 10 plays to the DeMatha 1-yard line. But on fourth-and-goal, Clise rolled to his right, and just as he let go of his pass aimed at a wide-open receiver in the back corner of the end zone, Virginia-bound defensive end Mike Moore reached up and smacked the football to the ground, ending what would be the Dons' final threat of the game.



"I knew it was a great thing for our defense and it was time for offense to finish the deal," Moore, who was in on at least four tackles for loss and had several other assists, said of his final defensive effort.

Jordan carried the ball 19 times for a game-high 202 yards and two touchdowns. But after the game, the senior leader seemed to be more happy about his coach's first win than of his individual statistics.

"My only speech before the game with my team was that we had to start the new era off good," a satisfied and relieved Jordan said as he walked off the field.

Brawl ends battle of Dunbars early (next page) {PAGEBREAK} Dunbar (Baltimore, Md.) 22, Dunbar (Washington, District of Columbia) 8

The two teams had not met since 1961. And after what happened Saturday night on the field in the grand finale of the I-95 Kick Off Classic between Dunbar of Baltimore and Dunbar of D.C., they might never play again.  

An ugly fight broke out following an onside kick with 4:33 to play in the game and forced officials to clear the field of players and fans and declare Dunbar of Baltimore the winners, 22-8.

Prior to the melee, the defending Maryland Class 1A state champion Poets jumped out to an early lead in a game filled with late hits and personal fouls.

Senior running back Lavar Highsmith scored on a 6-yard run in the first quarter and junior running back Paki Brown scampered into the end zone from 10 yards out in the second to give the Poets a 16-0 halftime lead they would never relinquish.

Westlake takes a thriller from Urbana (next page){PAGEBREAK}

Westlake (Waldorf, Md.) 21, Urbana (Ijamsville, Md.) 20

Sandwiched between arguably the two biggest games on the final day of the second annual I-95 Kick Off Classic, Saturday's third game turned out to be a thriller.

Extra-point conversions were the difference — one missed and one made — as Westlake came away with a 21-20 win over Urbana in double overtime just as the sun began to set over Hughes Stadium on the Morgan State University campus.



Senior kicker Kofi Toku's extra point in the second possession of the second overtime was the difference as the Wolverines won their season opener over the defending state Class 4A champions.

Toku's winning kick was set up when Westlake senior wide receiver Deandre McCoy hauled in an 18-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Marquel Lee. McCoy also was responsible for getting his team to the overtime when he returned a kickoff 89 yards to knot the score at 14 with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Neither team scored in the first overtime, but Urbana's senior quarterback Michael Spahr connected with senior running back Brad Zaucha on a 5-yard touchdown pass on the first possession of the second overtime to give the Hawks a brief 20-14 lead. But Urbana's conversion attempt failed, giving Westlake the advantage it needed to win the game.

Patterson (Baltimore, Md.) takes care of Archbishop Curley (next page) {PAGEBREAK}Patterson (Baltimore, Md.) 20, Archbishop Curley (Baltimore, Md.) 13

A broken play and subsequent desperation pitch by Patterson's Craig Oliver turned out to be the senior quarterback's best, or at least luckiest, play of the day as the Clippers defeated Archbishop Curley, 20-13, in the first of four games Saturday at Morgan State University.

With just under two minutes remaining in the game and Patterson holding a narrow 14-13 lead, Oliver tried to run up the middle but was forced to roll out to his right and was on his way down when he pitched the ball back to Anthony Dandridge. The surprised senior wide receiver grabbed the ball and then sprinted 72 yards down the right sideline and into the end zone to give the Clippers a 20-13 lead.



"I didn't know he was going to pitch it to me," an elated Dandridge said after the game, "so I knew it was my opportunity and so I took it and took off. I knew we had the win when he gave me the ball because nobody was going to catch me."

It was the Patterson defense that held strong late in the game on Curley's final two drives. The Friars had a fourth-and-inches at the Patterson 21 but the Clippers' defensive line stood up fullback Nik D'Avanzo to set up Dandridge's heroic run.

"The defensive stop was huge," Patterson coach Corey Johnson said. "[The defensive line] really responded and stood that big fullback up right at the line."

Curley's final drive was halted by senior defensive back Derwin Beasley's fumble recovery with under a minute to play. Oliver then took three knees and watched the game clock expire.

"This win means a lot," Oliver said. "We missed a lot of practice due to the storm. We had something to prove. We heard on the radio last night about Dunbar in D.C., like we didn't exist. So we wanted to prove ourselves."

Oliver was in on both of Patterson's other scores, running 65 yards on a quarterback keeper for the Clippers' first score and then hooking up with senior Derwin Beasley on a 34-yard pass for another.



After the game, a relieved Johnson reiterated how much the win means to his young team to start the season.

"We were worried about our first game because of the earthquake and hurricane, and the amount of practice time we missed, especially with the number of new players we have," the sixth-year coach said. "So we were really behind the learning curve. But these guys were just tremendous."

Curley senior fullback Matt Zelechowski carried the ball eight times for 101 yards and two touchdowns.

Gilman rolls Oscar Smith (next page){PAGEBREAK}Gilman (Baltimore, Md.) 51, Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Va.) 27

On paper it was hyped as one of the biggest games in the country on Friday night. On the field it was quite a different story, at least from a competitive standpoint.

Gilman sprinted out to a four-touchdown lead then cruised to a relatively easy 51-27 win over Virginia-powerhouse Oscar Smith in the nightcap of Friday night's I-95 Kick Off Classic

Highly-touted senior running back Cyrus Jones carried the ball 12 times for 194 yards and three touchdowns of 10, 37, and 21 yards. He also had a 14-yard touchdown reception.

"It feels great to get a national win," said Jones, who is being recruited by several major college programs in the country. "It's big for our state, our league, and just my team in general."



Gilman junior quarterback Shane Cockerille, a transfer from DeMatha, finished with 15 carries for 247 yards and three touchdowns (40, 10 and 11 yards).

While the game was won on the field, Jones was quick to credit the team's preparation leading up to the game.

"We knew coming in that the game was going to be won during practice and in the film room," he said. "We dedicated ourselves on getting familiar with their tendencies and trying to perfect our assignments on both sides of the ball. It was our job to come out, see the tempo, prevent big plays, and to play consistent for the full 48 minutes. I'm proud of my team and our effort."

Oscar Smith (0-1), which had lost just two regular-season games since 2004, scored its lone first-half touchdown when Virginia-Tech bound running back J.C. Coleman sprinted 79 yards for a touchdown.

Wise beats Franklin in battle of 2010 state finalists (next page){PAGEBREAK}Wise (Upper Marlboro, Md.) 30, Franklin (Reisterstown, Md.) 7
 
In a clash between two 2010 state finalists, Wise running back Uriah Bethea proved too much for Franklin High as the Pumas sprinted to an early lead and never looked back, defeating the Indians, 30-7, Friday night in the early game on the second day of the I-95 Kick Off Classic at Morgan State.

"The line did a good job of blocking tonight and the backs did the rest," Wise coach DaLawn Parrish said shortly after the game. "As a coach you like a two-headed monster and our backs' contrasting styles helped us a lot tonight."

Wise (2-0) recovered its own onside kick to start the game and just six plays later Bethea scored on a 5-yard run for what would prove to be the winning touchdown.



Bethea, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound running back who has committed to James Madison, carried the ball 19 times for 166 yards and three touchdowns before leaving the game in the fourth quarter cramps in his calves. Running back Chase Powell (eight carries, 91 yards) scored on a 3-yard run Wise's final touchdown.

Franklin (1-1) scored its lone touchdown with less than a minute to play in the game when quarterback Jackson Thornton hit Devin Gibbs-Wagner with a 47-yard touchdown pass. Thornton, a junior transfer, completed 17 of 30 passes for 197 yards.

Cavert Hall cruises past St. John's Catholic Prep (next page){PAGEBREAK}Calvert Hall (Baltimore) 35, St. John's Catholic Prep (Frederick, Md.) 18

Calvert Hall scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to cruise to a 35-18 season-opening win over St. John's Catholic Prep (0-1) Thursday night in the second game of the I-95 Kick Off Classic at Bowie State University.

Clinging to a 14-12 lead late in the third quarter and pinned inside its own 10-yard line, Calvert Hall put together a 91-yard scoring drive, capped by a 23-yard scoring pass from senior quarterback Thomas Stuart to senior CJ Williams. The Cardinals then padded their lead on touchdown runs by Stuart (21 yards) and senior Brandon Neverdon (36).

"This was a great win against a solid program," Calvert Hall coach Donald Davis said. "St. John's is big, fast and well coached. Our coaching staff did a tremendous job making adjustments, and our players executed the plan. I am pleased with the effort of our young men. I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to work with this staff and coach this great group of young people."

Friendship Collegiate edges Mount St. Joseph (next page){PAGEBREAK} Friendship Collegiate Academy (Washington, D.C.) 18, Mount St. Joseph (Baltimore) 13

A torrid fourth-quarter rally by Mount St. Joseph came up just short when Friendship Collegiate stopped the Gaels 4 yards shy of the end zone with five seconds remaining for an 18-13 victory Thursday night in the opening contest of the second annual I-95 Kick Off Classic at Bowie State University.



Trailing 18-0 after three quarters, Mount St. Joseph junior quarterback Luke Casey engineered two fourth-quarter scoring drives, capped by touchdown runs of 4 and 3 yards by junior running back Drexel Mosby (19 carries for 65 yards), to pull the Gaels to within five.

And then, following a turnover by the Knights, Casey drove his team back down into the red zone. But on fourth-and-goal with 10 seconds to play, Casey's pass to senior Samuel Benjamin was knocked away by defensive back Reginal Wyatt to preserve the Knights' win.

"I originally considered calling a draw, but wanted to give us some options," St. Joseph coach Blake Henry said. "Looking back on it now, a draw might have caught them off guard. The play that was called was a roll out to the left with a high low combination on the corner back. Friendship had it well defended."

Friendship Collegiate (2-0) built its lead behind touchdown runs of 2 and 20 yards by West Virginia-commit Albert Reid.

Despite the loss, Henry praised his team for its comeback effort: "I told my players on the bus that I'm always proud to be their coach, but I have never been prouder. They could have folded at halftime, and most teams would have folded. They played like men tonight and that's all I can ask of them."

Jon Buzby is a sports columnist for the Newark (Del.) Post, a freelance writer, and on the broadcast team for the 1290AM The Ticket High School Football and Basketball Games of the Week. You can reach him at jonbuzby@hotmail.com.