DeMatha bounced back from its season-opening loss a week ago by shutting out fellow Prince George’s County, Maryland private school Rock Creek Christian 26-0 Friday night.
Both teams entered the game 0-1 on the season, losing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida the week prior. DeMatha was coming off an 11-6 loss to Cardinal Gibbons, while the Eagles of Rock Creek Christian lost 35-0 to Dillard.
Friday’s game started slow. Neither team got much going on offense in the first quarter. With about two minutes remaining in the frame, DeMatha struggled to convert a 4th-and-short. Senior running back Brendon Wyatt fell short of the first down at the Eagles’ 34-yard line.
As the game remained scoreless, the Eagles had a bad snap that bounced into the end zone. Just as Rock Creek Christian’s quarterback Tahj Smith recovered the ball, he got sacked by DeMatha sophomore linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng for safety. The Stags took the early 2-0 lead with 8:18 left in the second.
Later in the quarter, after forcing a three-and-out, the Stags blocked a punt by the Eagles. DeMatha took over possession at the Eagles’ 25-yard line. On 3rd-and-2, DeMatha sophomore quarterback Denzel Gardner found senior wide receiver Alvin Thornton for a 17-yard touchdown, extending the Stags’ lead to 9-0 following the extra point by sophomore kicker Jackson Peterson.
DeMatha sophomore defensive end Cortez Harris made two solid plays, including a sack on third down to force another punt by Rock Creek Christian, with 48 seconds left in the first half.
On the next possession, Wyatt made a great inside cut en route to a 46-yard run before being pushed out of bounds at the Eagles’ five-yard line with one second left on the clock. That set up a 23-yard field goal by Peterson to give the Stags a 12-0 halftime lead.
The Stags put their strangling grip on the game in the third quarter. Wyatt broke a 20-yard screen pass on 3rd-and-8. On the next snap, Gardner threw a great ball in the end zone to senior wide receiver Gerald Campbell for a 30-yard touchdown that extended the Stags’ lead to 19-0.
With control of the game, the DeMatha defense put an exclamation point on the game’s complexion. Senior defensive end and Ohio State commit Jason Moore took down the Eagles quarterback on third down to force a punt later in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter with 8:59 remaining, senior safety Tawfiq Byard intercepted an overthrown pass by Rock Creek Christian backup quarterback Dominique Jackson before returning it 28 yards to the Eagles’ 42-yard line.
On the ensuing DeMatha possession, junior running back Tovani Mizzell put a bow on the game. Mizzell, who committed to Georgia, went up the middle before making a great spin move into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown.
The Stags improve to 1-1 on the season. Dematha will face Benedictine in Cleveland, Ohio Saturday.
