In another titanic Washington Catholic Athletic Conference football title matchup, DeMatha outlasted Good Counsel, 24-20, to claim the 2014 Championship. The game was played Nov. 22 at the University of Maryland’s Byrd Stadium. The Stags from DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville improved to 9-3 overall; the Falcons of Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney dropped to 10-2 overall. The game featured three lead changes. The gold-helmeted Falcons surged to a 14-0 lead with 1:19 remaining in the first quarter. Following a Thomas Barringer DeMatha punt, the Falcons witnessed the game change dramatically. The white-helmeted Stags forced a turnover – an interception by DeMatha junior Darryl Turner, Jr. – and two plays later, the Stags were back in the contest – merely trailing 14-7, courtesy of a Khory Spruill three-yard TD run. Good Counsel turned the ball over on downs on their ensuing possession. And, the Stags’ Keegan Meyer booted a 44-yard field goal nine plays later to narrow the deficit to 14-10. A Falcon punt ensued, before the Stags took their first lead of the contest with 1:55 remaining in the second quarter, when sophomore wide receiver Anthony McFarland hauled in a 26-yard TD reception from sophomore QB Beau English. The first half ended with DeMatha ahead, 17-14. In the back-and-forth third quarter, the Falcons took a 20-17 lead after junior QB Andres Castillo punched it in from 10 yards out, but the point after was no good The Good Counsel lead would not stand up however, as the Stags would take the game’s final lead at 24-20 – following a Beau English one-yard run – to give the Stags their second consecutive title. “Both the 2013 and the 2014 titles feel great, but maybe this one is a little bit sweeter – given all of the young players that we have on this team,” DeMatha head coach Elijah Brooks said after the contest. Good Counsel’s Castillo connected on 10 of 17 passes for 130 yards, with one interception; Mohamed Ibrahim had 19 rushes for a total of 79 yards; and Keon Paye had five receptions for a total of 66 yards. DeMatha’s English connected on eight out of 16 pass attempts for 74 yards, and no interceptions; Lorenzo Harrison ran the ball 16 times for a total of 43 yards; and Darryl Turner, Jr. made four receptions for a total of 32 yards. In the semi-finals, DeMatha outlasted rival Gonzaga 21-14; Good Counsel defeated McNamara 58-18. During the regular season, Good Counsel was 6-0 in league play. They were followed in the standings by  DeMatha, 5-1; Gonzaga, 4-2; McNamara 3-3; St. Johns, 2-4; O’Connell, 1-5; and Carroll, 0-6. Good Counsel led the league with only 87 points allowed in WCAC games; DeMatha led the league with 210 points scored in six WCAC contests. Good Counsel’s Bob Milloy was selected as WCAC Coach of the Year (he previously also had very successful stints at two Montgomery County public schools, Springbrook and Sherwood). WCAC first-team honorees are DeMatha’s Terrance Davis, Lorenzo Harrison, Anthony McFarland, DeAndre Kelly, Shane Simmons, Jaire George and Darryl Turner, Jr.; Good Counsel’s Ike Shurman, Keon Paye, Patrick Bartlett, Darius Fulwood, Keandre Jones, Nick Miller and Zack Ralli; Gonzaga’s Richie Pettibon, Reggie Corbin and Brian Johnson; McNamara’s: Ramar Williams; St. John’s Scotty Washington, Eric Assoua, Terrell Hall, Will Jackson and Ayron Monroe; and Carroll’s Richard Merritt. Since the WCAC “reformulated” in 1993, DeMatha has won an 14 titles. Good Counsel won titles in ‘12,’11,’10 and ‘09. Gonzaga won titles in: ‘02,’97 and ‘96.