Marcus Coker, DeMatha
Tom Lemming photo
It’s not just the nation’s sixth-ranked team St. John’s is facing on Saturday.
When the Cadets from Washington D.C. host DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) Saturday in a Nike 5 Days 2 Friday showcase contest, they take on so much more.
Among the foes:
* Tradition: DeMatha is loaded with it. Forget the fact the Stags have won 12 WCAC titles since 1993 including the last six consecutively, they also boast seven alums in the NFL, the most of any high school in the country.
They are are Quinn Ojinaka (Falcons), John Owens (Seahawks), Derek Wake (Dolphins), Brian Westbrook (Eagles), Byron Westbrook (Redskins), Josh Wilson (Seahawks) and Edwin Williams (Redskins).
On top of that, coach Bill McGregor, in his 28th season, has helped send at least 10 players to Division I-A or I-AA on scholarship in 19 of the last 20 seasons.
“My goal is to help them continue playing the game they love while continuing with a first-rate education,” McGregor told MaxPreps’ Casey Littlejohn and Adam Spencer, who have been reporting all week from DeMatha. “Kids here know all the players who have come before then.”
* History: The Stags have defeated St. John’s soundly the last five years by a combined count of 187-43. The last four scores have been eerily similar: 34-6 (2008), 38-6 (2007), 42-6 (2006) and 38-6 (2005).
* Marcus Coker: MaxPreps writer Jason Hickman, who does a national Player of the Year watch each week, said this week if this were a Heisman race, “Coker would have just punched his ticket to New York City.”
That’s because the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Iowa verbal led the Stags (6-0) from a 21-3 deficit last week against Good Counsel and tallied three fourth-quarter touchdowns including a 64-yarder with 1:07 remaining to give DeMatha a hard-earned 24-21 win. He finished with 213 yards on 25 carries, upping his season totals to 1,243 yards and 17 touchdowns.
DeMatha is No. 6 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings.
Despite all those obstacles, the Cadets (4-2) are more than capable.
They are led by Charles Brown, who in his first three games rushed for 558 yards (11.87 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns.
Other top players include quarterback Andrew Konieczka, running back Gary Mziay, receiver Kris Drummond and defenders Andre Monroe (17 tackles per game), Matt Elasser (9.3) and Brandon Baylor (6.0).
Kyrrell Latimer has verbally committed to Virginia.
Photo by Michael Starghill
St. John’s opened the season winning four of five in impressive fashion before dropping a tough 38-35 game to Bishop McNamara last week.
That will give the Cadets further incentive to get back on track.
DeMatha is averaging 42.3 points per game and has plenty more weapons than Coker with quarterback Daniel Tapscott (721 yards passing, five TDs), running backs Patrick Harbeson and Michael Meriweather, who have combined for seven touchdowns, and receiver Ryan Burbrink (13 catches, 268 yards, four TDs).
Defensively, Ta’von Bailey, Kelby Johnson and Bobby Cafes lead the team in tackles and Virginia-bound Kyrrel Latimer is one of the top safeties in the state.
“We believe in each other,” McGregor said. “We believe in DeMatha and we believe in our (conditioning).”
Now if St. John’s can just believe it can beat DeMatha.
Follow reporting all week from Casey Littlejohn and Adam Spencer all week on the Nike 5 Days 2 Friday home page.
