DeMatha Sends Championship Warning With Second Straight Win Over Gonzaga

Maryland's No. 2-ranked team eliminates its WCAC rival with a convincing 31-13 playoff victory, continuing a remarkable late-season run.

DeMatha reached the WCAC Capital Division championship game for the fifth straight year with Friday's win over Gonzaga College (DC) next week at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. | DeMatha Football

DeMatha Catholic has made its intentions unmistakably clear. The Stags aren't simply hoping to compete for a Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) championship. They're playing like a team determined to win their third straight league crown.

For the second time in three weeks, the Hyattsville, Maryland, powerhouse defeated Gonzaga College High School of Washington, D.C., this time delivering a convincing 31-13 victory Friday night in the WCAC Capital Division semifinals.

DeMatha will not face St. John's College (DC) for the league title, next week at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. St. John's, which defeated DeMatha 12-0 during the regular season advanced to the championship with a win over Good Counsel on Saturday afternoon.

DeMatha, ranked No. 2 in the latest High School On SI Maryland Top 25 rankings, absorbed an early blow when Gonaga's Jelani Shabazz returned the game's opening kickoff for a 90-yards touchdown return. Chace Irvin, however, evened things for the Stags with a touchdown reception and DeMatha never looked back.

DeMatha's Defense Has Become a Championship Weapon

The Stags have developed a formidable defensive identity during the second half of the season.

Before their October 24 loss to St. John's, DeMatha had held four consecutive opponents to 12 points or fewer, including a 35-0 shutout of Our Lady of Good Counsel and a 44-6 victory over Bishop McNamara.

Even in the 12-0 defeat to St. John's, the defense surrendered just two touchdowns.

Friday's performance against Gonzaga continued that pattern, with the Eagles managing only 13 points against a DeMatha team that has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to control high-profile opponents.

The Stags have allowed just 39 points across their last four games, including the loss to St. John's.

A Team That Has Already Proven It Can Beat Elite Competition

DeMatha's championship credentials extend well beyond its two victories over Gonzaga.

The Stags opened the season with a 35-14 victory over Archbishop Spalding, Maryland's four-time defending MIAA A Conference champion. They followed with a 21-20 road victory over Philadelphia powerhouse Imhotep Charter.

Their two regular-season losses came against Roman Catholic of Philadelphia, 14-7, and St. John's of Washington, D.C., 12-0.

Interim head coach Bryce Bevill, who stepped in late in the preseason for legendary head coach Bill McGregor, has a chance to win a conference championship in his first season directing the program, while continuing the standard established by the coach who once mentored him.

And for DeMatha, it is an opportunity to demonstrate that its championship culture extends beyond any one individual. The Stags have already answered the question of whether they could remain contenders without McGregor on the sideline.

Now they have one game remaining to prove they can remain champions.