The last team in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference to defeat DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) was Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) in 2015.
Friday night, the Eagles did it again, rolling to a 26-20 defeat of the No. 17-ranked Stags, who have won four consecutive WCAC titles.
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Gonzaga led 19-0 by the half. Loic Sangwa got things started with a 31-yard touchdown run. On the Eagles’ next scoring drive, Caleb Williams connected with John Marshall on a screen pass that went for a 26-yard touchdown. Jason Labbe picked off DeMatha quarterback Tyler Lenhart and returned it for a touchdown and DeMatha was in disarray.
Right after intermission, Williams, oa freshman, found Marshall again for a 38-yard touchdown pass. Gonzaga looked to be in control, but that was before Eric Najarian woke up DeMatha for 20 consecutive points.
The Stags’ first score came with 8:44 left on a 48-yard pass from Najarian to Jermaine Johnson. Najarian found tight end Anthony Toro for a 22-yard touchdown pass with 5:05 left to cut the lead to 26-13. Following a Gonzaga fumble, Najarian found Dominic Lyles for a 12-yard touchdown pass with 3:20 remaining.
When Gonzaga punted with 1:03 left, DeMatha was at its own 36-yard line and needed a touchdown. Najarian drove the Stags to the Eagles’ 36, but he was sacked with 10 seconds remaining.
Gonzaga (6-1) will play host to Archbishop Carroll (Washington, D.C.) next Saturday while DeMatha (4-2) will play host to Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) next Friday.