The Big Kickoff: Almost Underway
The four time, reigning Washington Catholic Athletic Conference football champions begin the “strive for five” in one of the hardest ways possible. The DeMatha Stags will travel to Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas and look to improve on a 2016 team that many consider to be the best in school history. Most teams riding a 17 game win streak dating back to October 16, 2015 would ease in to season knowing that they already have to play in the toughest conference in the United States. DeMatha football finished #4 in the USA after their undefeated season in 2016 and Head Coach Elijah Brooks is bringing the faith-filled gentlemen and scholars across the country to Sin City. The Stags have a ton of varsity experience and are looking to continue their ascent in national prominence by toppling other leaders.
DeMatha Stags are currently ranked #6 in the USA Today 2017 national high school football preseason poll. Nevada powerhouse Bishop Gorman is also coming off an undefeated season and they are ranked #4 in the same poll, after finishing #1 in the country last year and earning a National Championship. This game is going to be deep. The stage is set for an epic battle and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN this Friday, August 25. This will be the first meeting between these two football teams but the schools have faced each other in basketball twice, splitting the series. Neither school is a stranger to the spotlight and they have both had multiple sports from their programs featured on national cable networks. Both programs are the embodiment of what it means to compete at the most elite level of high school sports in the United States.
The Varsity Experience
In order to consider opening the season on the road against a team that finished number one in the United States you would need the confidence that comes with experience. Coach Brooks was recently tapped to be a coach on the 18U USA National Football team and he is going to be sure that his DeMatha Stags are up to the task. Brooks deserves this high honor and recognition for righting the ship after WCAC foe Good Counsel dominated for a spell. This year he is bringing back plenty of players on both sides of the ball that also know what it takes to win.
#1 Judson Tallandier, #14 Tyler Lenhart, Coach Brooks, #10 Anthony Toro, and #79 Austin Fontaine.
Team captains LB/TE Anthony Toro, DT Austin Fontaine, CB Judson Tallandier and QB Tyler Lenhart are seasoned veterans ready to embark on their senior campaigns. Right up front we once again have a disruptive defensive lineman in Austin Fontaine who is committed to the University of Maryland and ranked #148 on the ESPN Top 300 football recruit rankings. Not too far behind on the gridiron you will find Anthony Toro, who will wear the prestigious #10 in honor of SEAL LT Brendan Looney for the third year in a row. Toro is known as a linebacker with a nose for the ball, his clutch hands as a tight end, and for being an outstanding student athlete with an 1140 on the SAT.
Corner back Judson Tallandier II is ready to climb the rigging in the secondary and undoubtedly make plays as his #1, and early commitment to the University of Pittsburgh suggests. Judson was already a shutdown corner but with the addition of DeMatha and NFL alumnus Josh Wilson as a secondary coach expectations are higher than the tallest mast. Quarterback Tyler Lenhart will take over the helm and look to add to his DeMatha win total while racking up big yardage and scholarship offers. Ty earned his stripes with only just one win as a starter playing behind the best quarterback DeMatha has ever seen, Beau “Mr. Perfect” English, who is now plying his trade at the Air Force Academy. According to The Washington Post the quarterback recruit has a gun for an arm and is considering Harvard among the his top scholarship offers. Their crew will eagerly look to them as examples when charting such a difficult course, but they are all worth their salt.
Offensive Swagger
DeMarcco Hellams is the type of wide receiver/ corner back / athlete that has already made a big splash. DeMarcco is also on the ESPN Top 300 football recruit ranking, in at #50 for the class of 2019. Senior wide receiver Dominic Lyles made the WCAC All Conference Team last year and he will be a big target for Tyler Lenhart this season. Dominic Lyles is also uncommitted but holds five scholarship offers, including Bucknell University. Offensive guard Evan Gregory is likely to be a big part of the offensive line having any football success. Evan is yet another University of Maryland commit that can pass protect and run block with the best of them and will anchor the entire unit. And speaking of the run, DeMatha is going to feature talented running backs that have become representative of the brand.
Cervus elaphus ready to climb.
Myles Miree and MarShawn Lloyd are both returning for their junior and sophomore years, respectively. These young men can tote the football and dazzle you with moves and/or pound you with toughness. Myles and MarShawn have made names for themselves by making big plays as underclassmen and together with senior Detrick Washington they comprise a formidable backfield. (USA Today and Maryland Sports Access, respectively.) Jermaine Johnson, Jr and Dominic Logan-Nealy are two class of 2019 wide receivers who are going to try to add to all that offensive swagger.
Senior tight end John Morgan is headed to the University of Pittsburgh along with co-captain Judson Tallandier II, and he also joins him on the defensive side of the ball at LB/DE. Michael Holt, Jr. will also play both ways and hold the line in his senior season and he already has an offer from West Virginia Wesleyan. Right now all of the other members of the new chain gang aren’t in focus, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t shine.
Not Top Secret: Defensive Intelligence
Year after year, the DeMatha football program has depended on Defensive Coordinator
Cervus elaphus on his way.
Deno Campbell to make other teams have nightmares. The defensive genius is a yet another alumnus that keeps giving back by delivering effective schemes and developing monsters. The Washington Post has named two DeMatha players as the Defensive Player of the Year in the last two years: Shane Simmons and Chase Young. Success like this isn’t an accident and everybody knows that Deno’s boys are going to work hard. There is no mystery in the madness but you can bet that teams will fear the fury of our storied defense and that they will weather the storms ahead.
Defensive tackle Jalen Brown and LB/DE Anthony Hill, Jr. are two seniors that are ready to rock and roll with their mates. The DeMatha Stags have generated interest going into their senior year and would like to rack up scholarship offers along the way to a number one ranking. Cameron Lomax will get to show off his radar at the free safety and strong safety positions. Nick Cross, who holds offers from Syracuse University and Virginia Tech, is also going to be a solid rover between coverage and run support at safety. Alec Solano will see a lot of snaps at the linebacker position in what will be his junior season. Linebacker Kobi Thomas is another senior that is going to be an agent of success for the 2017 DeMatha Stags football team. Like always, there is plenty of room for players to give us some pleasant surprises this season.
If these young men can play with the assured consistency of their predecessors then it is ‘steady as she goes!’
Special Operators
Naim Muhammad is a senior All-American track star and he is back on the football field this Fall. In addition to filling in at defensive back, Naim is always a threat on the returns and he holds an offer from the University of New Hampshire. There were some hiccups kicking the ball last season so let’s hope that DeMatha has it all figured out now.
A special shout out goes to DeMatha football kicking coach, Principal Emeritus John Moylan who is celebrating his 85th birthday today. Anyway, check out what Ty Lenhart and Austin Fontaine had to say about the season on CSN Mid-Atlantic yesterday. The link is in the tweet.
https://twitter.com/CSNMA/status/899956968613433344
The Schedule Notes
The link to the official schedule can be found right here at the DeMatha website but there are some other notable games after the blockbuster opener. DeMatha will play Gonzaga in the middle of six game home stand, and after a week off on October 6. Saint Johns College High School was the runner up in the WCAC and they will be hungry for revenge on Military Road on October 21. Both conference teams have played DeMatha as tough as anybody in recent years and they have also committed and contributed to the current WCAC football arms race.
The league has been restructured to include a stronger Commissioner and the result is a two-tier system that will be discussed at a later date. Be sure to follow the action on DM Stags TV, especially during weeks 2 – 9, to check out the games being shown there!
[Featured Image open source from University of California Berkeley, UniProt BLAST]
The Chronicles of Six 