Gonzaga College High School | Archive | October, 2008

Offensive Player of the Week: Alan Elder, Gonzaga
Elder ran the ball 23 times for 193 yards and four touchdowns against a McNamara defense that has done fairly well against the run this season. Also kudos to Gonzaga’s offensive line that was just owning the line of scrimmage.

Defensive Player of the Week: Sam Oyekoya, Gonzaga
Oyekoya was an absolute monster on the defensive line. He had five sacks against McNamara and several more quarterback pressures, allowing Gonzaga to consistently stunt McNamara drives.

Special Teams Player(s) of the Week: St. John’s
The Cadets stuffed Carroll in its own end zone for a safety. It was St. Johns’ second safety with the other coming via defensive tackle Andre Monroe.

Offensive Play of the Week: Caleb Porzel, Good Counsel
Porzel’s 90-yard touchdown run against O’Connell was unbelievable. First, he nearly fell in the backfield. But he gets up, scoots through the line and busts up one sideline. Then he crosses nearly the entire width of the field and then goes back to the original side for the touchdown.

Defensive Play of the Week: Kevin Hogan, Gonzaga
Not only did Hogan play well at quarterback, the sophomore also had a spectacular game at safety. Hogan picked off two passes near the end of the first half to keep the Eagles ahead going into the break.

Hit of the Week: Chris Townsend, Bishop McNamara
Townsend just continues to blow people up. This time he shot through the line on a sweep to the right and knocked the Gonzaga runner backwards. Said one Gonzaga fan on the sideline after seeing the hit, “That’s kid right there is a player.”

Quote of the Week: Alan Elder, Gonzaga
“We’re not great. We’re not unstoppable. But we feel confident about ourselves.”

Game of the Week: DeMatha 21, Paul VI 13
Not many people would have thought this would be so close. DeMatha took a 21-7 but the Panthers cut that to one touchdown and two-point confersion on a run by Idreius Augustas, who ran 14 times for 71 yards. The Stags were buoyed by 141 rushing yards and two touchdowns by Aaron Conaway.

Good Counsel 41, O’Connell 14
In a potential playoff matchup, Jelani Jenkins and the Falcons rolled. Jenkins scored three rushing touchdowns and Caleb Porzel added some fireworks of his own. But the Falcons had too many penalties for Coach Bob Milloy’s liking.

Gonzaga 26, McNamara 7
The Eagles picked up their second straight WCAC win behind a big game by senior running back Alan Elder, two interceptions from quarterback Kevin Hogan and a slew of sacks. Gonzaga looked in control throughout the game.

St. John’s 35, Archbishop Carroll 12
Ed Thomas scored one touchdown passing and another running and the Cadets notched two safeties in beating Carroll. The Lions did, however, score the game’s first touchdown.

Riverdale Baptist 38, St. Mary’s Ryken 0
The Knights are shut out again and haven’t won since their season opener.

St. Christopher’s 45, Bishop Ireton 21
The Cardinals can’t win two straight, falling to a strong St. Christopher’s team.

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By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com

Gonzaga had just finished off a 26-7 win at McNamara when the team broke huddle with a cheer, “Beat DeMatha!”

“Beat DeMatha. I like the sound of that,” one Gonzaga player said, as if it was a novel idea.

Beating DeMatha and getting back into the WCAC hunt would have seemed farfetched for Gonzaga two weeks ago. But now, after the team’s second straight conference win and its first over McNamara since 2005, Gonzaga believes it can play with anybody in the WCAC.

“We’re not great, we’re not unstoppable,” senior running back Alan Elder said. “But we feel confident about ourselves.”

Elder ran for 193 yards and four touchdowns and the defense notched nine sacks, including five by senior defensive end Sam Oyekoya, and four interceptions.

That’s a drastic change from the story coming from I Street just a couple weeks ago when the Purple Eagles lost to O’Connell, 40-0, to fall to 0-4 on the season. After losing to the DCIAA’s Coolidge, 36-34, in Week 1, Gonzaga was outscored 124-0 in its next three losses.

The Eagles didn’t notch their first win until last week when they came from behind to beat Archbishop Carroll, 38-16.

“It was real tough because Gonzaga has a real good reputation and strong seasons consistently,” Gonzaga sophomore quarterback Kevin Hogan said. “To start out 0-4, we needed to bounce back. And we feel like we’re bouncing back now.”

Gonzaga stands at 2-1 in the conference, tied for DeMatha and ahead of O’Connell. So as strange as it sounds, the Eagles have it all laid out in front of them with games against DeMatha, Good Counsel and St. John’s ahead. And right now, that doesn’t scare Gonzaga.

“We feel like we can compete with anyone,” Hogan said. “We started the season off slow, but McNamara’s a good team so we feel like we’re opening some eyes in the WCAC.”

Gonzaga opened some eyes quickly as they drove 68 yards in five plays in its second drive. The first play on the drive was a 48-yard run 5-foot-5 senior running back Alex Beauboeuf. Elder capped off the drive with a 6-yard plunge to give Gonzaga a lead it would never give up.

With their next possession, the Eagles scored again on a 2-yard run by Elder, who ran five times for 36 yards on the drive. McNamara (3-3, 1-2 WCAC) got the ball with a 13-0 deficit and ate up 18 yards on its first play, by far its longest play yet of the game. Oyekoya answered with two straight sacks that left McNamara staring at a third-and-26.

Oyekoya said Coach Joe Reyda told the defensive line that it was going to be alone in rushing the quarterback as the Eagles opted to drop extra players into coverage. The defensive line did its share and more, pestering McNamara quarterbacks James Joseph and Kevin Clark throughout the day.

“When they got into a situation where all they were going to do is pass, we knew we just had to go – beat the man in front of you and make plays,” Oyekoya said. “Nobody ever wants to be the person to give up the play in a big situation. Everybody on the defense wants to be the person to make that play.”

McNamara had two solid drives near the end of the first half but both ended with interceptions by Hogan, who plays safety as well as quarterback.

The Eagles’ momentum carried over into the second half as Elder took a handoff on the second play from scrimmage 57 yards for a touchdown that gave Gonzaga a 19-7 lead.

“I could drive a truck through that hole,” Elder said.

Elder continued to run wild in the second half and Gonzaga’s defense was superb, bending to McNamara at times but bearing down with sacks several times in critical situations.

Overall, it was the best the Eagles have played all season and it came at a much-needed time.

“We feel confident in what we can do on offense and defense,” Elder said. “We have players stepping up, just making plays right now and the coaches really did a good job adjusting to do whatever it takes to get us to win some games.”

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Washington D.C. area high school and youth sports to be featured as part of innovative alignment between leading D.C. media properties

Washington D.C. – October 10, 2008 – ABC 7 WJLA and DigitalSports.com, the region’s top source for local youth and high school sports coverage, have announced a media partnership. The joint venture has been developed to highlight and promote dynamic youth sports coverage in the Washington D.C. metro area.  Visitors to www.wjla.com will now have the opportunity to access play-by-play coverage of local school sports events by simply typing in the key word “high school sports.”

DigitalSports is the premier source for local youth and high school sports multimedia offering up-to-the-minute videos, photos, headlines, stats, standings and more. Through this partnership Digital Sports information will become readily accessible to the WJLA audience.  Components of the media marriage include cross-branded web presence on the station’s website and the DigitalSports sites, as well as broadcast television coverage of sports highlights that will span the entire DC Metropolitan area.

“Our technology and operational infrastructure allow DigitalSports to capture and publish news, videos, photos, game results and more in a unique and scalable fashion,” said Rich Toland, General Manager of the DigitalSports D.C. Metro Team.  “Through our many partnerships and with the use of our proprietary technology, we can be in many places at one time.  We’re thrilled that our partnership with ABC 7 will allow even more students, teams and families to enjoy increased coverage and promotion of not only themselves and the games that they play, but also of the uplifting stories that come as a result of participating in organized sports.”

DigitalSports.com was established to highlight the positive aspects of high school and youth sports and the positive impact sports has on the individual and their community.  The goal of the DigitalSports network is to support the influence sports has on young-athletes by offering information, tools, services and tuition-awards to students across the country.  The DigitalSports.com Washington D.C. Metro portal, which can be found online at www.dcmetrodigitalsports.com , serves as a gateway to the various high school conference and county websites that reside within the D.C. Metro area.

For more information on DigitalSports programs, franchise opportunities, scholarships and awards, visit www.digitalsports.com.

About ABC 7 WJLA
ABC 7 WJLA is the Washington metropolitan area’s ABC affiliate. The website address is www.wjla.com. WJLA’s owner, Allbritton Communications Company, operates eight television stations in seven broadcast markets, including Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington, DC.  Allbritton Communications also owns and operates the political newspaper and website POLITICO and POLITICO.com.


About Digital Sports
DigitalSports is the source for your local sports and activities; providing members and guests with a single point of access to high school and club sports and activities around the country. By distributing professional and user-generated content, DigitalSports offers communities around the nation the opportunity to share and spotlight the accomplishments of their local youth.

DigitalSports’ mission is to deliver a positive, quality experience to its guests through their online tools and systems and their video and print information as well as providing innovative tools and resources to coaches and mentors.   DigitalSports operates as a new-media outlet within defined guidelines for preventing any publishing of inappropriate content.

The goal of DigitalSports(r) is to inform, entertain and inspire.  DigitalSports believes that the real heroes are to be found in our local communities; next door, in our homes and in our schools.  More information can be found at www.digitalsports.com.

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 ***Check back on Friday for more videos from the game***

By Andy States
Content Manager, DigitalSports.com

With Brendan Duffy’s header into the net, the Gonzaga Purple Eagles took a 2-0 second-lead at Saint Mary’s Ryken on Thursday afternoon. Strangely enough, for a time it seemed the Knights had the Purple Eagles right where they wanted them.

“As my assistant coach said at the end, it’s the most dangerous lead in soccer because you get a little complacent,” Gonzaga coach Scott Waller said of the 2-0 advantage. “We sat on our heels a little bit.”

Ryken cut the lead in half and furiously charged for the tying goal through the game’s final 20 minutes. But, whether it was as pretty as they would have liked or not, the visiting Purple Eagles held on for a 2-1 win.

“They say 2-0 is the most dangerous lead to have in a soccer game and [Ryken] proved that,” said Gonzaga senior Danny Rice. “They came back at us, didn’t let up.”

Scoreless through a half, Gonzaga (14-1-1) jumped on Ryken (9-7-1) for two quick goals with the first eight minutes of the second half. John McMurray tallied first off of a corner kick in the game’s 43rd minute, while Brendan Duffy struck on a header four minutes later.

With the two-goal disadvantage, Ryken struck back when Addison Goodley planted a header in the top right corner to cut the deficit in half. Following the goal, the Knights produced many opportunities to pull even but were never able to finish the job.

“We played well in the first half. We moved the ball around well,” Rice said. “We kind of let them back into it, but then again we got the result that we came here for.”

“Getting a win here has always been tough for us,” Waller added. “We have a little bit of a target on our back here, I think, because they’re a good team and they’re similar to us in the way they play. They got really up for this game, you could tell. If they got up for every game like that I think they would be easily the third-best team in the league this year.”

The trip to Ryken always is a difficult one, according to Waller. In addition to the Knights being a quality team, it’s a two-hour bus ride for the Purple Eagles and the field is not friendly to visiting teams, being small and not the smoothest of playing surfaces.

“The field is a great equalizer,” Waller said. “We’re used to playing a little more control of a game. First 10 minutes of the game we played very well, controlled the ball and played how we wanted to play. Then all of a sudden we lost our luster.

“We have to get the cobwebs out when we come down here. It’s a good win here, anytime.”

The win was necessary, too, as the Purple Eagles attempt to nail down another WCAC championship. Gonzaga and DeMatha remain as the only teams still without a loss in conference play this season. The teams tied, 2-2, in meeting No. 1 on Sept. 24, and are set to meet again in the regular season finale on Oct. 24.

“We’re staying undefeated in WCAC and that’s all we need to focus on right now,” Rice said. “Every result counts.”

Gonzaga 2, Ryken 1
G    0    2
R    0    1
Goals
Gonzaga: McMurray, Duffy
Ryken: Goodley

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1.    Good Counsel, 5-0, LW 1
The Falcons two-headed monster, Caleb Porzel and Jelani Jenkins, set DeMatha back early, making a statement that they are the clear favorite now.
Next: Friday vs. Bishop O’Connell, 7

2.    DeMatha, 3-2, LW 2
The Stags played Good Counsel pretty even in the second half, showing that they could make changes and hang with the Falcons.
Next: Friday vs. Paul VI, 7

3.    St. John’s, 4-1, LW 3
The Cadets pulled out yet another close win, beating O’Connell in overtime. The offense still struggled for much of the game but Ed Thomas showed he can throw the ball to beat teams, which will be very important as the season goes on.
Next: Saturday at Archbishop Carroll, 2

4.    O’Connell, 4-1, LW 4
The Knights took their first loss of the season but certainly had chances to win Saturday’s game. They nearly pulled it off without running back Justin Trimble.
Next: Saturday at Good Counsel, 7

5.    McNamara, 3-2, LW 5
The Mustangs needed to beat Paul VI and they did – barely. Kevin Clark orchestrated a clutch drive as the Mustangs stay in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Next: Saturday vs. Gonzaga, 2

6.    Paul VI, 2-3, LW 6
The Panthers were in position to knock off a very good McNamara team. They just need to finish games off and watch out for the hook-and-ladder.
Next: Friday at DeMatha, 7

7.    Gonzaga, LW 7
Gonzaga got its first win of the season against Carroll but things get tougher against McNamara this week. Can last week’s win jumpstart a turnaround?
Next: Saturday at McNamara, 2

8.    Bishop Ireton, LW 8
The Cardinals snapped a four-game losing streak against St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes.
Next: Saturday vs. St. Christopher’s, 1

9.    Archbishop Carroll, LT 9
The Lions had a chance for their first WCAC win and took an early lead but couldn’t hold on.
Next: Saturday vs. St. John’s, 2

10.    St. Mary’s Ryken, LT 10
Things aren’t pretty down in Leonardtown, but what can you expect?
Next: Saturday at Riverdale Baptist, 2

Please email any questions, gripes and questions to WCAC Content Manager Ryan Mink at rmink@digitalsports.com

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Offensive Player of the Week: Caleb Porzel, Good Counsel
Porzel had three touchdowns in the first quarter against DeMatha and 124 total rushing yards despite sitting out much of the second half because of cramps. Considering the stage he was on and the defense he was facing, Porzel had a breakout week.

Runner-up: Jerome Couplin III, Bishop McNamara
Couplin III had the game-winning 5-yard reception as time expired against Paul VI Friday night, giving the Mustangs a 20-18 win over the Panthers. Couplin III also made a huge 10-yard reception with 2.8 seconds remaining on the final drive.

Defensive Player of the Week: Jelani Jenkins, Good Counsel
Jenkins seemed to be in on nearly every tackle for Good Counsel as the Falcons stuffed DeMatha’s running game. He also recovered a fumble and returned it 19 yards for Good Counsel’s third touchdown.

Special Teams Player of the Week: Matt Elsasser, St. John’s
Our first two-time winner in WCAC MMQ history, Matt Elsasser takes home the award for a 29-yard field goal as time expired in the first half and a 21-yarder to tie the game as time expired at the end of regulation. His punts were also spectacular.

Offensive Play of the Week: Charles Brown, St. John’s
Brown ran 13 yards for the game-winning touchdown against O’Connell in a 13-6 Cadets victory.

Defensive Play of the Week: Michael Katz, O’Connell
Katz caused and recovered a St. John’s fumble on the goal line to nearly pull off a victory over St. John’s.

Hit of the Week: Tim Anderson, Good Counsel
Anderson blind-sided DeMatha quarterback Tommy Chroniger, causing a fumble that Jelani Jenkins returned for a touchdown.

Quote of the Week: Coach Bob Milloy, Good Counsel
“They’ll be talking about his game probably long after I’m gone. I’m just glad I was a small part of it.”

Game You Should Have Been At: Good Counsel 42, DeMatha 21
This is really tough because there were three really good WCAC games this weekend. But as anyone who was at the Good Counsel/DeMatha game will tell you, this one was really special. If the jaw-dropping plays but some of the nation’s best recruits weren’t enough, the mere atmosphere made this game unforgettable.

Bishop Ireton 21, St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes 0
The Cardinals snap their skid with a win over an inner-state foe.

Bishop McNamara 20, Paul VI 18
The Mustangs come from behind to beat Paul VI as time expires in a game they needed to win. 95 yards in under a minute will be memory that will last quite some time.

Gonzaga 38, Archbishop Carroll 16
After falling into a 9-0 hole, the Purple Eagles come storming back behind 31 unanswered points to win their first game of the season.

 Liberty Christian Academy 65, St. Mary’s Ryken 6
The Knights are still taking their lumps in their first varsity season.

St. John’s 13, O’Connell 6
This could end up going down as a regular season matchup of two playoff teams. O’Connell’s game against McNamara will likely determine that after St. John’s got come-from-behind wins against both teams.

Please contact WCAC Content Manager Ryan Mink at rmink@digitalsports.com

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By: Eric Gilmore
Content Manager, DigitalSports.com

**Click here for video highlights and interviews with Gonzaga’s Joe Reyda, Alan Elder and Sam Oyekoya, as well as Carroll coach Rick Houchens**

Click here for the full photo gallery!

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Down 9-0 to Archbishop Carroll early in the second quarter, Gonzaga College doubted if the scoring drought, which had lasted 13-plus quarters, would ever end. With a swift 45-yard field goal by senior Robbie Colas, the Purple Eagles’ scoring famish formally finished.

After getting outscored 124-0 in the past three games, Gonzaga didn’t stop there.

The Purple Eagles earned its first win over the season against Carroll, fighting off a nine-point deficit by notching 31 unanswered points, before finishing with a 38-16 victory on a beautiful blue-skied Saturday afternoon in the heart of Washington, D.C.

“The kids kept working hard,” said Gonzaga head coach Joe Reyda. “With the past four weeks and the amount of points that we got scored upon us, these kids just kept coming back and fighting. They’re a great group of kids.”

Gonzaga’s Alan Elder tallied 182 yards on 20 carries — a 9.1-yard per carry average — to complement his two touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Kevin Hogan commanded the offense, completing 10-of-17 passes for 165 yards and a pivotal 21-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. The defense, led by senior middle linebacker John Pfister, even did its part, morphing five Lion turnovers into two touchdowns.

But Elder, a 5-foot-11, 184-pound tailback, paced the Purple Eagles, clipping off chunks of yardage out of the backfield both on the ground and through the air (three catches, 55 yards). One of three captains, his biggest run came early in the third quarter when the game still hinged in the balance.

“Alan’s been our leader all year,” Reyda said. “He’s been our workhorse.”

Up 10-9, Elder, seeing that the Carroll front seven was constantly flowing to the left, knew finding a crease and cutting back upfield was his best chance to get the Purple Eagles out of the WCAC dweller. Fifty-six yards later, Elder revved the purple-shirted crowd, while puncturing the Lions’ poise in the process.

“It was big because we needed to get our confidence up,” Elder, who also added an insurance 1-yard fourth quarter touchdown, said. “Once we scored a couple of times, it got the ball rolling for us.”

Just 72 seconds later, Carroll backup sophomore quarterback Stephon Stephens, who was filling in for an injured Tyrell Temoney, threw a hitch that the receiver mishandled. An opportunistic Gonzaga corner, Alex Beauboeuf, only listed at 5-foot-5, 132-pounds, scooped up the would-be screen and scampered 22 yards for a touchdown.

“Football is a game of momentum,” said first-year Carroll head coach Rick Houchens. “If you start turning the ball over, they’re going to make you pay. It really wasn’t what they did — it was what we didn’t do. We had our chances, we just couldn’t convert.”

Carroll, missing three starters because of nagging injuries, lost three fumbles — all in the second half. After executing a beautiful goal-line stand and forcing Gonzaga to turn the ball over on downs late in the third quarter, Carroll fumbled in its own endzone two plays later, which Gonzaga senior defensive tackle Lawrence Lucas, who also forced the fumble, recovered.

The Lions (1-4, 0-2 WCAC) did manage to cut the margin to 15 points when 6-foot-3 freshman Lamont Baldwin blocked a punt and ran 35 yards for a touchdown. But another costly fumble and Elder’s second touchdown negated any chance of a comeback.

“It’s hard to shore up the past in a short time,” Houchens, whose team went winless in 2007, said. “We’ve made great progress, but we get in key situations and shoot ourselves in the foot. Sometimes the kids are trying too hard. The guys are giving great effort, but we’re just missing a few pieces of the puzzle.”

Meanwhile, the Purple Eagles (1-4, 1-1 WCAC) relied on their 6-foot-4, 190-pound backup quarterback to string together passes to massive tight end John Ruffing (three catches, 43 yard) and Elder out of the backfield. With his team down six points, Hogan’s prettiest pass was a 21-yard loft to senior captain Max Johnston in the back left corner of the endzone.

“[Hogan] was a little erratic in his first start as a sophomore,” Reyda said. “But this week he was composed and felt more comfortable with the offense. He’s going to be a good player. He did a great job today.”

The touchdown was pivotal in allowing Gonzaga, who hosted Reunion Weekend, to notch, not only its first win of the year, but also its first WCAC win after finishing in the middle of the standings a year ago. With Bishop McNamara, who also has a 1-1 league record after inching past Paul VI with a late touchdown on Friday, on the slate next, the Purple Eagles don’t have any time to celebrate.

“This is a big boost for us right now going into the league,” Reyda said. “Every game is going to be a dogfight. We don’t have any easy games.”

E-mail: egilmore@digitalsports.com

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