DeMatha didn’t just beat Gonzaga again Friday night. The Stags sent a message that was hard to miss.
For the second time in three weeks, the Hyattsville, Maryland, power handled the Washington, D.C., program, rolling to a 31-13 win in the WCAC Capital Division semifinals. The result keeps DeMatha in position to chase a third straight league title, even if the path to the championship won’t go through St. John’s College.
St. John’s, which beat DeMatha 12-0 in the regular season, earned its spot in next week’s title game at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium with a win over Good Counsel on Saturday afternoon.
Friday started with a jolt for DeMatha. Gonzaga’s Jelani Shabazz took the opening kickoff back 90 yards for a touchdown, putting the Stags on their heels right away. But DeMatha answered quickly when Chace Irvin caught a touchdown pass, and from there the game tilted in the Stags’ favor.
The win fit the way DeMatha has been playing down the stretch. The defense has become the backbone of this team, and that side of the ball has been smothering opponents for weeks.
Before the October 24 loss to St. John’s, DeMatha had held four straight foes to 12 points or fewer, including a 35-0 shutout of Our Lady of Good Counsel and a 44-6 win over Bishop McNamara.
Even in that 12-0 defeat to St. John’s, the Stags gave up only two touchdowns.
Against Gonzaga, they kept the Eagles to 13 points, continuing a stretch in which DeMatha has shown it can take control of big games. Across its last four contests, including the St.
John’s loss, DeMatha has allowed just 39 points.
This run has been built on more than just the two wins over Gonzaga. DeMatha opened the season with a 35-14 victory over Archbishop Spalding, Maryland’s four-time defending MIAA A Conference champion, then followed it with a 21-20 road win over Philadelphia powerhouse Imhotep Charter.
The Stags’ only regular-season losses came against Roman Catholic of Philadelphia, 14-7, and St. John’s, 12-0.
Interim head coach Bryce Bevill, who took over late in the preseason for legendary coach Bill McGregor, now has a chance to win a conference championship in his first season leading the program. It’s also a chance for DeMatha to show that its standard still holds, no matter who is on the sideline.
The Stags have already answered one big question. They can still contend without McGregor. Now they get one more shot to prove they can still finish as champions.
In Other News...
Marylands Coaching Search Just Became Far More Ambitious
Marylands coaching search has taken a notable turn, with Brian Kelly recently interviewing for the Terrapins vacant job. The former Notre Dame and LSU coach has been out of the dugout since LSU fired him last fall, spending this season as a CBS analyst and SiriusXM co-host while the school moved on from Mike Locksley earlier in October.
Kellys name immediately raises the level of the search, which already has included other familiar candidates such as Chip Kelly, Dan Mullen and Biff Poggi. For Maryland, the next hire will shape not just the programs direction but also how aggressively it tries to position itself in a crowded Big Ten coaching market. [Read more 🡒]
Marylands Sudden QB Change Just Changed Everything For The Terps
Cardell Williams did not need long to make his first start feel like a turning point for Maryland. In a tense Big Ten game at SECU Stadium, the quarterback settled the Terrapins in from the opening stretches, helping them control the pace against Wisconsin and keep the Badgers from ever fully dictating the afternoon. His efficiency stood out immediately, and the offense looked far more settled than a unit still adjusting to a sudden change under center.
Williams finished with school-record marks in completion rate and consecutive completions, and he accounted for three total touchdowns in a 24-21 win that felt as much about composure as production. Maryland still had to close it out late, and S. O'Haire delivered the deciding field goal to seal it, but the bigger question now is whether this one-game spark has permanently altered the Terps' quarterback picture. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Let A Statement Win Slip Away When It Mattered Most
Maryland had a chance to turn a strong start into a signature win, building an 11-point lead against Virginia before the game slipped away in the second half. The Terps looked in control early, but the Cavaliers kept hanging around and eventually flipped the momentum with a blistering finish that left Maryland searching for answers after a loss it could have used.
Virginias offense was relentless down the stretch, shooting better than 62% from the field and hitting nine of its final 10 shots. Maryland, meanwhile, ran into trouble with its own shot-making and ball security after halftime, and Buzz Williams along with several players pointed to the same broad takeaway afterward: the Terps have work to do if they want to close out games like this one. [Read more 🡒]