Jenks football coach Allan Trimble’s Trojans are 9-0 heading into Friday’s game with Edmond Santa Fe. (Photo: Duane Whitsett/duanewhittsettphotography.com).
There’s a reason No. 6 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) at Good Counsel (Olney) is on TV: For the two seasons, Good Counsel has been down a bit and the Falcons are 6-3 this year to the Stags’ 9-0. That does little to dim this regular-season Washington Catholic Athletic Conference rivalry, which will be carried Friday at 8 p.m. on ESPN as part of the GEICO ESPN High School Football Showcase. Since 2003, there have been only two schools that have won the WCAC title — DeMatha and Good Counsel. The Stags beat the Falcons 48-17 in last season’s WCAC championship, but their four previous meetings were all decided by a touchdown or less.
Oswego East (Oswego) is a tough playoff match Saturday for No. 24 Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.): Loyola’s Ramblers, the defending 8A state champions, are 10-0 and are outscoring opponents by a 44-16 average. Oswego East (9-1) is no pushover, however, as its defense is allowing only 13.3 points a game. The Wolves have an offense led by senior dual-threat quarterback Jaylon Banks, who was 9-for-9 with four touchdown passes last week in a 54-14 playoff defeat of Curie (Chicago). The Ramblers, who didn’t have running back Hamid Bullie (out with a knee injury) for the first time last week, showed they have depth as Kyle Rock ran for three touchdowns in a 42-14 first-round playoff defeat of O’Fallon.
No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) faces another state champion at Flanagan (Pembroke Pines): Last season, Aquinas defeated the Falcons 19-14 en route to winning the 7A state title while Flanagan recovered from the loss to win the state 8A title. Both teams come into Friday’s game playing well. Flanagan is 8-1 with its only loss coming 7-6 to Oxbridge Academy (West Palm Beach). Aquinas is 6-2 but both of the Raiders’ losses were close to teams that were ranked in the Super 25 at the time (27-23 to Booker T. Washington (Miami) and 25-24 to current No. 1 Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas). The Raiders have won the three previous meetings against the Falcons.
No. 23 Jenks, Okla., hosts a big district foe in Edmond Santa Fe: Whoever wins Friday’s game at Jenks will carry the 6A-I District I title. Jenks, the four-time defending state champion, won last season’s game 56-21. Edmond Santa Fe is 8-1 with its only loss coming to undefeated Norman North. Jenks is 9-0 and playing inspired football under longtime coach Allan Trimble, who is battling ALS. Santa Fe has a strong running game, led by backs C. Mbari Snoddy and Brandon Rhone. Led by quarterback Ian Corwin, Jenks is averaging 50.2 points a game and is coming off a 63-28 defeat of Westmoore.
No. 20 St. John’s College and Gonzaga play for two: When the two Washington, D.C., WCAC powers play on Saturday, it will be the first of consecutive meetings as they are scheduled to face each other in the WCAC semifinals as well. The question is, how much does each team show on Saturday, knowing it will be facing the same opponent? Regardless, expect a close game. Last season, St. John’s won 21-17. In 2014, it was Gonzaga that won 20-17.
