Kevin Hogan, Gonzaga
File photo by Michael Starghill Jr.
Nine months after beating Good Counsel in the WCAC Championship, the Stags rolled past Riverdale Baptist 38-0 to win their first game of the season in convincing fashion. DeMatha jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back.
Led by University of Iowa commit Marcus Coker (20 carries, 173 yards, 1 touchdown), DeMatha racked up nearly 300 yards on the ground behind a massive offensive line, which was backed up by a defense that spent the majority of the afternoon in the Riverdale Baptist backfield.
After a 17-yard touchdown pass from Daniel Tapscott to Ryan Burbrink in the first quarter, DeMatha marched right back down the field and took a two-touchdown advantage on a 1-yard sneak by Tapscott. A 38-yard field goal by Michael Branthover and three touchdown runs by Coker, Jeff Knox (who has committed to Pittsburgh) and Patrick Harbeson capped off a nearly perfect afternoon for the Stags.
DeMatha looked much better than Gonzaga, which fell to the Friendship Collegiate Knights 19-9.
Even though Gonzaga held a slight advantage on the scoreboard, the Eagles were getting very lucky early in the game. The Knights had two turnovers, a handful of penalties and three big dropped passes that helped Gonzaga gain the lead.
The third quarter, however, was a nightmare. Throughout the entire first half, Gonzaga was able to keep Malcolm Crockett, the Knights' major weapon, under wraps. Crockett was able to take the first pass of the third quarter and take off for 27 yards, giving his team a huge boost of energy before passing the torch to sophomore Albert Reid.
Reid broke a 26-yard run, and 15 yards were tacked on for a face-mask penalty. The Knights would score on the next play, as Reid would punch it in from 10 yards out.
"I thought my performance was good, but I couldn’t do it without my O-line, quarterback and defense," Reid said. "In the beginning of the game we weren’t playing like ourselves, but we took care of business, and now we have DeMatha in two weeks, and it's time to get ready for that."
St. John's improved to 2-0 with a 40-point victory over Carver Vo-Tech. Once again, the Cadets were led by senior Charles Brown, who only carried the ball five times, but he rushed for 186 yards and three touchdowns. Two games into his senior season, Brown has five touchdowns and 385 yards rushing.
Scores from the WCAC: DeMatha 38, Riverdale Baptist 0; St. John's 40, Carver Vo-Tech 0; Ireton 20, Carroll 18; Paul VI 14, St. Mary's Ryken 0; Friendship Collegiate 19, Gonzaga 9; McNamara 56, Spingarn 0; Good Counsel 28, Valhalla 16.
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.
