Every year a player comes around in the WCAC that rises above the rest. Two years ago it was Kenny Tate (now playing at Maryland). Last year it was Jelani Jenkins (Florida). This year it's Stefon Diggs. The problem is that he is only a sophomore.
The 6-foot, 175-pound Germantown native had his coming out party Thursday night as Good Counsel (3-0) rolled to a 49-37 victory over a very talented Gilman team. Diggs returned two kickoffs for scores, scored a third touchdown on a 12-yard run, racked up 51 yards on five carries and left everyone wanting more. With Good Counsel leading 7-3 halfway through the first quarter, Diggs returned a kick 87 yards for his first score of the game.
"I was ready to make a play for my team, and I just kind of felt it in my blood," Diggs said. "I knew I had it, (my teammates) made the necessary blocks and I just hit it."
With Darius Jennings (34 carries, 273 yards, three touchdowns) doing everything he could to keep the Greyhounds in the game, Diggs would consistently negate any progress Jennings and his teammates made, and he did it quickly. Moments after Gilman scored to make it a 14-10 game, Diggs returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for his second touchdown of the half.
"I was kind of upset they kicked it to me again because I already took one back," Diggs said. "It was like they didn't care. I had to make them pay for that."
And he did. Any momentum Gilman had quickly shifted to Good Counsel's sidelines as the Falcons made one big play after another. Jennings scored his first touchdown of the game on a 9-yard run to bring Gilman within three at 21-18, but Good Counsel quarterback Zach Dancel hit receiver Louis Young on a 71-yard touchdown pass to put the Falcons up by 10.
The scoring continued through the second half, but Diggs and E.J. Scott (Virginia) tacked on two more touchdowns to put the Greyhounds away. Diggs' final touchdown was an impressive run that put the exclamation point on an already successful night.
"I'm not too fast, so I just try to make plays," Diggs added. "I got a pitch to the outside, the defense overpersued so I cut it back. I even faked myself."
As for all the success Diggs is having during his sophomore season, which follows a freshman year in which he was named to the WCAC All-Conference first team, Diggs is staying grounded.
"This is overwhelming, but everyone tells me to stay on top of my schoolwork. That's all that matters."
But if you're wondering just how talented Diggs can be, the sophomore lets his actions speak louder than his words.
"The tape really says it all. Hey...Stefon Diggs. DCSportsFan. Good night."
If there was one thing we learned Thursday night, it's that Diggs needs to be on the field as much as possible because it could be the difference between playing DeMatha in the championship and beating DeMatha in the championship.
Todd Bradley is the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of DCSportsFan. Before starting the site, Bradley went to Gonzaga High School and Loyola University New Orleans. He wrote for The Times-Picayune during college and the Greensboro News & Record upon graduation.
