Gonzaga College High School | Archive | December, 2008

CLICK ABOVE FOR THE PHOTO GALLERY AND VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS AND INTERVIEWS!

By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com

Ending the first day in first place was fun, but Tuscarora’s wrestling team still went to bed Friday night with the same goal it had when it entered the Damascus Holiday Tournament.

Place in the top three.

Then, surprisingly enough, the Titans entered Saturday’s championship finals still ahead, this time by just one point. And yet again, with just one finalist compared to multiple finalists by their challengers, they just hoped to hold on to a top three finish.

One by one, everybody Tuscarora needed to lose lost. And the big win the Titans had to have came from a freshman, who like his team had a worse showing in Tuscarora’s own, less-challenging tournament two weeks ago.

By the end, Tuscarora couldn’t believe it had just won the Damascus Holiday Tournament, beating last year’s champion Glenelg and Virginia’s South County by five points, 165-160. Georgetown Prep finished in fourth with 154 team points.

Tuscarora had just one champion – 135-pound freshman Austin Wenzlaff – and he was the only Titan in the finals. Tuscarora had two third-place finishers in  senior Robby McClughan and sophomore Johnny White, and eight placers in fifth, sixth and seventh. The Titans had 11 of their 13 wrestlers in the top eight.

By comparison, Glenelg, South County and Georgetown Prep had a combined nine wrestlers in the finals.

“I didn’t expect to be here right now, but it feels good,” Wenzlaff said. “I didn’t think I was going to win the semifinals match. I went out there and wrestled hard and did it again in the finals.”

Wenzlaff (12-2) beat Georgetown Prep’s Eric Fessell, 2-0, in the 135-pound final for the decisive match. After two scoreless periods Wenzlaff notched a reverse on the edge of the mat.

Wenzlaff was as shocked as anybody. He finished third at the Titan Thunder tournament two weeks ago and entered against a much tougher bracket this time around.

But despite being a freshman, Wenzlaff is accustomed to winning. He won states in fifth grade, placed seventh at Eastern Nationals and placed at states every year for the past seven years.

He’s the perfect example of the kind of wrestler Tuscarora Coach T.J. Salb expected to make a big impact in a year or two. But not this quickly.

“We knew we had the talent,” Salb said. “We just didn’t know it would come to fruition this quickly … I figured we might be still a year away from being at this point.”

Tuscarora got inspired performances from little-known wrestlers such as 189-pounder Nick Bradford, who won a combined 10 matches over the past two seasons while he shed more than 50 pounds of weight. Bradford pinned his way to a seventh place finish.

The Titans won all but one of their consolation finals matches after trailing Glenelg by 6.5 points entering the consolation finals. After Liberty’s Jeff Shea beat South County’s John Fitzgerald at 145, Tuscarora knew it had the title locked up and immediately swarmed to hug Shea – a complete stranger.

For Tuscarora, it’s the school’s first-ever tournament title.

“It made everyone on the team happy, made my coaches happy and most of all made my parents happy,” Wenzlaff said. “Coach said he’d make me honorary captain for a week, so that’s good.”

GLENELG ADJUSTING

When Glenelg won the Damascus Holiday Tournament last year, it did it largely behind its big guns in Chris Stinnett, Tim Chase and Danny Bichner — all of which won state 2A/1A championships last year.

But now that they have moved on, Glenelg is undergoing some major changes.

Unlike last season, the team ran on the first day of practice. It was a sign that unlike last year when the Gladiators could lean on their handful of dominant wrestlers, Glenelg was going to have to work harder as a team if it was going to have a chance at defending its state title this year.

Glenelg 119-pounder Zach Gerber and 125-pounder Brendan Conway took a step towards showing the Gladiators’ cupboards are still stocked, both winning titles to bring the Gladiators six points from defending their Damascus Holiday Tournament team championship.

Gerber beat Williamsport’s Kemper Baker, 2-1, and Conway eked out a 4-3 decision over Severna Park’s Brady Massaro, which looks like it could be the start of a rivalry this year. It is Conway’s second Damascus Holiday Tournament title.

Glenelg also had 160-pounder Billy Kuczarski in the finals. Had he won by pin, the Gladiators would have won the tournament. But Kuczarski lost to Georgetown prep’s Billy Gribbin, 13-5.

“It’s a lot more serious now,” said Gerber, who notched his first tournament victory. “We have to set an example for everyone else in the room.”

BANNISTER IS OUTSTANDING AGAIN

When Andrew Bannister’s career record of 174-19 heading into the Damascus Holiday Tournament finals was announced, the crowd gasped in disbelief and applauded him before the match even started.

In a Maryland public school, 100 career wins is a major milestone. What Bannister has done at the WCAC’s Bishop McNamara, a school without much of any wrestling tradition, is remarkable.

Bannister built on his legacy by winning his second Damascus Holiday Tournament title in convincing fashion, 9-1, over Potomac’s Kaison Tanabe in one of the evening’s highest-anticipated finals. He was also named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.

It’s not every day that a three-time private school state champion goes against someone who has actually beaten him. Tanabe beat Bannister once in three meetings last year, knocking him out of title contention at the St. Albans tournament.

“He’s kind of strong, so I have to keep working on him and break him down,” Bannister said before the match.

Bannister did just that, methodically picking Tanabe apart throughout the match en route to a 9-1 major decision victory. Being named Outstanding Wrestler is nothing new either, as he was also named the Outstanding Wrestler at all three state championships he won.

“That would be pretty nice to keep piling them up,” Bannister said, looking ahead to a Damascus title. But while capturing the Damascus crown is quite an accomplishment, Bannister has bigger goals for the season.

“My motivation this year is to make it to the finals and try to win National Preps this year,” said Bannister, who took fourth at Nationals last year.

A TRIUMPHANT RETURN FOR MROHS

It seemed like the perfect idea for Wootton heavyweight Kevin Mrohs to take off last season from wrestling. He wanted to hone his body for a potential college football scholarship, which paid off with a trip to the playoffs.

Just one problem, though. He missed wrestling.

Mrohs started to miss wrestling after sitting out all last year and has returned even better this season. He is now 11-2 on the season and has tournament championships at the Titan Thunder and Damascus Holiday Tournament.

Mrohs defeated Liberty’s Dan Duvall, 5-3, in Saturday’s finals. He won a 5-3 decision in the semifinals and via a pair of pins before that.

“I just missed it,” Mrohs said. “I realized it like the physical workout. It’s so intense. Just beating people one-on-one, its different then taking the whole team on.”

NICHOLS FEELING THE URGENCY

After placing second at states as a sophomore, a lot was expected of Severna Park’s Billy Nichols last year. First there were swollen glands in his throat, then came the mono.

After dropping 15 pounds, Nichols wrestled in the state tournament and didn’t even place. This was after placing second at Mount Mat Madness, a tournament considered more difficult than the Maryland state tournament.

“I’m looking to win it this year,” Nichols said. “A state title is my main goal and it’s my senior year so it’s what I need to do.”

But first things first, Nichols took care of business at the Damascus Holiday Tournament, pounding Williamsport’s Robbie Mies, 10-1, in the 215-pound finals. Mies finished fifth in the 2A/1A state tournament last year and had pinned his way to the finals.

Nichols got up 4-0 early and never relented, showing the urgency to dominate this season.

After finally getting healthy in April last year, after the wrestling season was over, Nichols went to Junior Nationals to show what he had. He came one place from placing, showing just how talented Nichols is.

“I had so many expectations and everybody expected me to do so well,” Nichols said. “There’s a lot of pressure on my from my coaches and especially my dad so I’ve been training hard.”

REPRESENTING FOR VIRGINIA

South County was one of just two Virginia schools entered in the tournament and the lone public school of the two. The Virginia residents nearly showed Maryland how it’s done.

South County put two wrestlers in the finals, and although both lost it was a good showing.

Senior 103-pounder Patrick Shaffer pinned his way into the finals, where he met Eric Friedman of St. Paul’s, who placed eighth at the prestigious Beast of the East already this season. Shaffer held his own but fell, 4-0.

Still, even placing that high is an accomplishment for Shaffer, who now just has two losses on the season and became the school’s first district champion last year. Shaffer has come a long way since the days when he weighed about 84 pounds as a freshman.

“Once you’re giving up 14, 15, sometimes 20 pounds to kids, it’s hard to battle,” South County Coach Andy Jimmo said. “He was still a tough kid, fought through all the way.”

“I always had the technique,” Shaffer added. “But technique only goes so far when you’re giving up 20 pounds.”

Shaffer began to start growing last year and finally was up to a healthy 103 pounds. Steadily, his record improved to the point where he feels he should be competing for some major hardware this season.

“This is the first year I’ve actually been the biggest kid in my weight class,” Shaffer said. “I think it helped out now with all the experience and wresting kids bigger than me.”

FRIEDMAN CONTINUES HOT START

He’s only a freshman and we’re not even into the New Year and St. Paul’s 103-pounder Eric Friedman’s wins are already starting to blur together.

After beating Shaffer in the finals, Eric said he wasn’t sure whether this was his first tournament victory or not. It may be memorable considering it came against a senior while Friedman is just starting what could be a long career of collecting medals.

Friedman did, however, know that he placed eighth at Beast of the East, where some of the nation’s best wrestlers come to play. He is now 17-3 on the season.

“I knew I had a tough match and I’m just glad I wrestled well,” Friedman said. “ I’m used to being the smallest so it’s nice to have someone older than me at the same weight.”

THE REPEATERS

Below is a brief recap for those wrestlers who repeated as Damascus Holiday Tournament champions.

Gonzaga 112-pounder Paul O’Neill was nearly on his back in the first few seconds of his match but quickly got a reverse and stuck Pete Galli of St. Paul’s in one minute, 32 seconds.

“I noticed he was high and I just stepped around and stuck with it and got him on his back,” O’Neill said. “He was good. Thank God I pinned him in the first.”

Walkersville brothers Tyler (140) and Zach White (152) each repeated as Damascus Holiday Tournament champions as well. Both were aggressive in the finals and scored easy wins.

Tyler beat Wootton’s Eric Mears, 14-2, and Zach topped Randle Hernandez of Bullis, 7-1.

“It feels good to get this one for our new coach,” Zach White said.

TEAM SCORES

1. Tuscarora – 165.00
2. Glenelg – 160.00
    South County – 160.00
4. Georgetown Prep – 154.00
5. Liberty – 123.00
6. Severna Park – 108.50
7. Williamsport – 103.50
8. Wootton – 103.00
9. Landon – 94.50
10. St. Pauls – 93.00
11. Good Counsel – 89.00
12. Calvert Hall – 76.00
13. Damascus – 74.50
14. Churchill – 65.50
15. Bullis – 58.00
16. Walkersville – 57.00
17. Bishop McNamara – 55.50
18. Gonzaga – 35.50
19. Potomac School – 19.50

FINALS RESULTS

103 – Eric Friedman (St. Pauls) dec. Patrick Shaffer (South County), 4-0
112 – Paul O’Neill (Gonzaga) fall Pete Galli (St. Pauls), 1:32
119 – Zach Gerber (Glenelg) dec. Kemper Baker (Williamsport), 2-1
125 – Brendon Conway (Glenelg) dec. Brady Massaro (Severna Park), 4-3
130 – Andrew Bannister (McNamara) maj. Kaison Tanabe (Potomac), 9-1
135 – Austin Wenzlaff (Tuscarora) dec. Eric Fessell (Georgetown Prep), 2-0
140 – Tyler White (Walkersville) maj. Eric Mears (Wootton), 14-2
145 – Jeff Shea (Liberty) dec. John Fitzgerald (South County), 5-1
152 – Zach White (Walkersville) dec. Randle Hernandez (Bullis), 7-1
160 – Billy Gribbin (Georgetown Prep) maj. Billy Kuczarski (Glenelg), 13-5
171 – Tony Gardner (Calvert Hall) fall Giancarlo Zerega (Georgetown Prep), 2:39
189 – Junioe Monzey (Georgetown Prep) dec. Cullen Cassidy (Landon), 3-2
215 – Billy Nichols (Severna Park) maj. Robbie Mies (Williamsport), 10-1
285 – Kevin Mrohs (Wootton) dec. Dan Duvall (Liberty), 5-3

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By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com

Gonzaga junior Duke recruit Tyler Thornton gives sophomore Cahli Thomas a tough time in practice.

Even when Thomas and the rest of the Gonzaga underclassmen do something good in practice, Thornton brushes it off.

But after bailing out the No. 6-ranked Eagles Tuesday night against Good Counsel, Thornton said he’s going to cut Thomas a break.

Coming off the bench to replace Thornton, Thomas hit a three pointer with 2.3 seconds left in regulation to send Tuesday’s game to overtime. From there, Gonzaga capitalized on a stunned Good Counsel squad to give the Eagles their first conference win, 80-76.

“He stepped up today,” Thornton said with a smile. “I think we have to let up a little bit.”

If Thornton had not fouled out of the game with 37 seconds to go in
regulation, it likely would have been him taking the game-tying shot.
Instead it went to Thomas, a sophomore still trying to adjust to the
varsity rigors.

“I want the ball. I think I prepare myself for
these types of games and that type of shot,” Thomas said. “I was a
little nervous, but I overcame it. It was a good shot.”

Thomas,
who is in his first season on varsity, said that he feels he has earned
Thornton’s trust through practice, where the two often go head-to-head.
Trust isn’t a given, Thomas said, so he values it greatly and feels
there is a great obligation that comes along with it.

“I took my
bumps and bruises and stuff,” Thomas said. “The older guys, they get me
ready for games like this. … I look back and see that’s what practice
is all about. It makes me want to work even harder and see how good I
can become.”

Thornton picked up his fourth foul with six minutes, nine seconds remaining in regulation. At that point, he had scored 21 of Gonzaga’s 47 points. He returned with 1:55 left, but picked up his fifth foul with 37 seconds to go.

Princeton-bound senior forward Ian Hummer stepped up, scoring three straight field goals in the final minute of regulation to keep Gonzaga (6-1) always just a field goal behind. Hummer finished with 21 points, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime.

“I know that since Tyler fouled out they needed a leader,” Hummer said. “So I tried to dish and score whenever possible.”

On the other end of the court, Good Counsel’s Rodney Glasgow sunk nine straight free throws to keep the Falcons (6-3) continually ahead by two points. But with 10.2 seconds remaining, Glasgow missed a second free throw that would have given Good Counsel a four-point lead.

The Eagles pushed the ball down court and Malcolm Lemmons who found Thomas behind the arch in the corner. Thomas got his feet under him and shot in rhythm.

“When he let it go, I knew it was going in,” Gonzaga Coach Steve Turner said.

Thomas’ three-pointer sent Good Counsel’s Kane Center into bedlam. Eagles players were jumping up and down as they did when they won last year’s WCAC championship. After falling to O’Connell in the team’s WCAC opener, Gonzaga saw this as a must-win game.

Hummer once again took the load on his shoulders in overtime, scoring the first basket and then commanding the glass. He also had a beautiful pass to Patrick Wolf, who also sunk a key overtime jumper, down low to give Gonzaga a 74-69 lead. Hummer would stretch that to 76-69 on a free throw and he sunk two more free throws after Good Counsel had cut the Eagles’ lead to four points.

For Good Counsel, the loss is a tough one to swallow, especially considering that the Falcons were coming off winning the Bullis Holiday Tournament and suffered their second WCAC loss of the season.

The Falcons led from the start of the second quarter all the way through midway through the fourth and had a nine-point lead at one point. They had a four-point lead with under two minutes remaining.

“That three-pointer was demoralizing,” said junior Ben Hazel, who led all scorers with 23 points. “We felt like we had it the whole game, felt like we had the game won. Then the three, it was kind of hard to regroup and get back together for overtime.”

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(Dec. 23, 2008) – Former Gonzaga High School standout and Loudoun resident Patrick Cullen was named the East Coast Athletic Conference Rookie of the week earlier this month.

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Boys Beltway Basketball

Check back after the holiday tournaments for the next Top 10 release: January 5, and every Monday thereafter.
*Records as of Monday, Dec. 22*

1. Montrose Christian (Ind.) 8-0   

Click HERE to view the Washington, D.C. Area page of DigitalSports.com.

*Teams in
consideration for the Beltway Ballers poll include those in the DCIAA,
Loudoun County, Montgomery County, Northern Region, Prince George’s
County, Prince William County, Southern Maryland Athletic Conference and WCAC, as well as other independent private schools*

Wish to chime in on the Beltway Ballers poll? E-mail James A. McCray: tmccray@digitalsports.com        

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Join us on Saturday, December 20, 2008 – 11:00 A.M. as the Eagle Bank Bowl proudly presents the DigitalSports.com 2008 Washington D.C. Area “Most Dedicated” Football Players of the Year!


DigitalSports.com has selected eight deserving Washington D.C. Metro student athletes to receive this honor for the dedication they have shown towards their football teams, their high school, their community and their families.  These athletes will be recognized at RFK Stadium when Wake Forest takes on The U.S. Navel Academy in the first-ever Bowl Game contested in the Nation’s Capital.  Scroll down to view this year’s honorees. 

Come be a part of sports history and show your Dedication to D.C.’s Most Dedicated!


Click here for ticket information!

	Bryn Renner, Quarterback, West Springfield H.S. (Fairfax County, VA) In two seasons as a starter, Renner threw for 5,872 yards and 67 touchdowns; Renner has committed to play college football at the University of North Carolina.
	Patrick Thomson, Quarterback, Stone Bridge H.S. (Loudoun County, VA) Thompson threw for a school record 4,424 yards and 51 touchdowns over the past two seasons and will be playing his college football at Wake Forest.
	Zach Thompson, Tight End, Stone Bridge H.S. (Loudoun County, VA) A devastating blocker, Thompson averaged 17 yards a catch and helped Bulldogs to a 27-2 record over the past two seasons and has also committed to play college football for Wake Forest.
	De’Antwan Williams, Running Back, Woodbridge H.S. (Prince William County, VA) Williams, who recently committed to Rutgers, compiled 6,909 rushing yards during his career, which ranks sixth all time in Virginia High School history.
	Jeremiah Mathis, Tight End/Defensive End, DeMatha H.S. (Washington Catholic Athletic Conference) A 6-foot-3 two-way starter, Mathis helped lead DeMatha to its sixth Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title.
	Zack Splain, Quarterback, Sherwood H.S. (Montgomery County, MD) Splain led Sherwood High School to the 4A Maryland State High School championship while throwing 35 touchdowns and only four interceptions this season.
	Peter Athens, Quarterback, Huntingtown H.S. (Southern Maryland Athletic Conference) Athens, a three-sport standout, passed for 1,550 yards and 15 touchdowns to lead Huntingtown to its first-ever Southern Maryland Athletic Conference championship.
	Anthony Wright , Running Back, Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr. H.S. (Prince George’s County, MD) Wright rushed for 1,760 yards and 21 touchdowns this past season and helped lead Wise High School to its first ever 4A South regional championship.

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By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C. Metro Area

*CLICK HERE for 107 photos from the final.

*CLICK HERE for 60 video highlights.

For the oldest school in the Federal City of Washington — an area amongst the richest nationally in prep basketball talent — any “all-time” talk is sure to raise eyebrows.

But with this class of Purple Eagles — and those recently preceding it — the comments are almost expected.

Gonzaga became the first team to win three-straight D.C. Classic titles with a 62-42 victory over St. John’s in the tournament final at Bender Arena at American University on Sunday.

“This means we’re going to go down as one of the better teams in Gonzaga’s history,” said Eagle junior guard Cedrick Lindsay, the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. “It speaks for itself.”

Added fifth-year Gonzaga coach Steve Turner: “This is the first time any team has three-peated this tournament and we’re excited about that. Our staff does a great job every year of bringing in a good field. The third time in a row is crazy.”

Almost as unbelievable is the Purple Eagles’ effortless ability to distribute the ball offensively.

Gonzaga had at least three players reach double-digit scoring in every game of the tournament.

That includes four players in Sunday’s tournament final: Lindsay (game-high 19 points), senior Ian Hummer (13 points), and juniors Tyler Thornton (17 points) and Malcolm Lemmons (10 points).

“Our motive has always been to share the ball,” said Turner, whose Eagles have won the D.C. classic a record eight times. “We not a team, every night, to have a guy scoring in the 20’s.

“We can have four guys scoring in double digits and feel like we’ve got a pretty good chance to beat anybody that we line up against.”

Even amongst teammates — and competition — that balanced and skilled, Tournament MVP Lindsay stood out.

He followed up his 23-point performance in Gonzaga’s 82-54, semifinal win over Bullis (Potomac, Md.) on Saturday with a game-high 19 points in Sunday’s finale.

When asked what it means to have his name etched in the history books alongside tournament alumni such as NBA stars Chris Paul, Juan Dixon, Roy Hibbert and Ron Artest, Lindsay expressed humility.

“It means I played well in this tournament,” he said, failing to hold back a smile. “It’s no comparison to those guys — those guys are great players. There’s no comparison.”

But, for the Purple Eagles, a three-game tear through the 20th Annual D.C. Classic could not have come at a better time.

Gonzaga fell to league-rival O’Connell, 65-60, on December 9, only its second loss since the WCAC championship game two years ago.

And with the elite Junior Orange Bowl tournament in Miami, Fl., less than two weeks away and a torrential league schedule thereafter, the Purple Eagles had to learn recuperate almost overnight.

“This is a good game — a good tournament — to get back on track,” said Thornton, committed to Duke. “We played a league opponent and we really needed this win.”

Added Turner, whose team had two 17-game winning streaks last season in its 34-1 campaign: “Anytime you take a loss, as a group you have the opportunity to get back in the gym and re-focus. If you’re going to lose, you better lose early.

“I feel like, this year in our league, every one is going to get knocked off at some point in time, especially if you’re in the top half.”

E-mail: pmurphy@digitalsports.com

St. John’s  (3-2)   12  11   7   12  —  42
Gonzaga  (5-1)     11  15  15  21  —  62

St. John’s: DeBose 4 0-0 8; Martin 4 0-0 8; Powell 2 3-4 7; Snyder 2 1-2 6; Thomas 2 0-0 5; McNeill 2 0-0 4; Pope 0 2-2 2; Primus-Devonish 0 2-2 2; Bates
0 0-1 0. Team totals:
16 8-10 42. Gonzaga: Lindsay 5 6-8 17; Thornton 6 4-5 16; Hummer 5 3-6 13; Lemmons 3 4-5 10; Saffron 1 0-0 2; Wolk 1 0-0 2; Thomas 0 2-2 2. Team totals: 21 19-26 62. Three pointers: St. John’s 2 (Snyder, Thomas); Gonzaga 1 (Lindsay).

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CHECK BACK LATER FOR PHOTOS!

By Hayley Milon
Bishop O’Connell student

After meeting in last year’s WCAC boys basketball championship, Gonzaga and O’Connell are each quite different this season.

But Tuesday night’s game showed the intensity in their games hasn’t changed one bit.

O’Connell defeated the Gonzaga, 65-60, Tuesday night in Washington DC, finding a measure of revenge from its loss to the Eagles in last year’s title game.

The fourth quarter action showed that the rivalry carried over from last year. Gonzaga clearly is not ready to relinquish its championship status.

Gonzaga scored with 13.5 seconds left in the game to only trail by three points. The Eagles had a few chances to tie the game or win it in the end, but O’Connell’s Devin Cole sunk free-throws down the stretch to seal the win for the Knights (4-0).

The game featured two of the nation’s top junior recruits in O’Connell’s Kendall Marshall (North Carolina) and Gonzaga’s Tyler Thornton (Duke). But it was O’Connell’s David Eismier who stole the show with 17 points and 17 rebounds.

Marshall notched 15 points while Thornton totalled 23 and Gonzaga guard Cedrick Lindsey finished with 19.

“Obviously we’re glad we beat Gonzaga this time around, but we didn’t necessarily play our best,” Eismier said. “We defiantly have things to keep working on this season.”

From the moment of the first tip, energy pervaded the Carmody Center. Both sides played with intensity, which also happened to get both teams into foul trouble.

Gonzaga disrupted O’Connell’s usual offense, resulting in a number of turnovers on the Knight’s behalf. Thornton notched a pair of steals and easy layups to start the game.

“One of the signature characteristics of Gonzaga’s game is that they do a good job of pressuring the ball and making you turn it over,” Marshall said.

Once the Knights settled into a rhythm for handling the ball offensively, they got comfortable setting up and taking some smart shots. They gained the lead with the first half ending, 33-25.

Lagging closely behind the Knights for most of the game, the Eagles stayed close with quick shots.

But Eismeier was hot at the top of the key down the stretch. He drained a three-pointer with less than 3 minutes left in the game, which gave O’Connell a little breathing room for the time being. O’Connell benefited from the excessive fouling, especially during the second half, in that eighteen of its points were scored from the free-throw line.  

“The guys relaxed and knew not to worry about whether they made the shots or not, since we had the lead,” O’Connell Coach Joe Wootten said. “We just needed to hold them. … We still have a lot of room for improvement.”

O’Connell will play Ireton in their next matchup, while Gonzaga takes on Mt. St. Joe’s of Baltimore. The two teams will meet again on Jan. 27.

“We’re going to work on being perfect at everything we do; rebounding, shooting, boxing out, so that there is no room for a team to beat us,” O’Connell junior Maurice Williams said.

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1.    DeMatha, 10-2
This was the year DeMatha was supposed to fall. Once again, the Stags lost to Good Counsel during the regular season. Instead, the Stags won a sixth-straight WCAC championship to set a program record. The Stags will graduate quarterback Tommy Chroniger and a host of other stalwarts, but something tells me DeMatha will be just fine next year.

2.    Good Counsel, 11-1
Another year of disappointment in Olney despite an incredibly fine season. For the fifth straight year, the Falcons fell to DeMatha in the championship game and next year they will lose their key pieces in Jelani Jenkins, Caleb Porzel and Tyler Campbell. Who will be the next crop to challenge the Stags?

3.    St. John’s, 7-4
The Cadets were masters of pulling out the close win and Coach Joe Patterson deserves some major credit for guiding this team to such a fine season. St. John’s had nail-biters against O’Connell, Paul VI and McNamara and beat Gonzaga in the Great American Rivalry Series.

4.    McNamara, 5-6
It was great to make the playoffs again, but McNamara’s goal of breaking into the championship game didn’t come true yet again. Still, this team had some huge wins this season, none bigger than beating O’Connell at their place in come-from-behind fashion to all but win a playoff spot.

5.    O’Connell, 6-4
O’Connell started the season with four straight wins but suffered some crushing defeats that caused them to miss out on the playoffs. First it was an overtime loss to St. John’s at home. The final blow was a last-minute loss to Bishop McNamara at home. The team still won more games

6.    Paul VI, 4-6
It could have been a very different season for the Panthers. They took St. John’s to overtime, nearly knocked off McNamara and only lost to DeMatha by eight points. That said, it was still a good season as the Panthers knocked off Gonzaga and increased their win total.

7.    Gonzaga, 2-8
After starting the season with four straight losses, the Eagles got off the schnide against Carroll and then notched a huge win over McNamara in Forestville. The problem was, the big boys still loomed after that. The Eagles closed the season with four straight losses, including to DeMatha, Good Counsel and St. John’s.

8.    Bishop Ireton, 4-6
The Cardinals beat one  WCAC team in Carroll in Week 1. Other than that, they struggled against WCAC foes. But outside of it they went 3-3, including a big 21-0 win over St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes, who had a 5-4 season in the IAC.

9.    Archbishop Carroll, 1-9
Carroll improved throughout the year under first-year Coach Rick Houchens. They only lost to O’Connell by six points on Oct. 18. But the Lions also struggled with injuries, which hindered the team’s hopes for a turnaround season from last year’s 0-10 campaign.

10.    St. Mary’s Ryken, 1-9
It was an extremely tough season at Ryken in the program’s first year playing at the varsity level. The Knights scored  19 points all season after defeated Annapolis Area Christian in Week 1 and were shut out in their final four games. But nobody thought this program would blossom happen overnight.

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By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com

There were big-time football recruits aplenty in the anaugrial All City Bowl Saturday evening. There were big hits on defense and bigger plays on offense.

But  in the end it all came down to Gonzaga kicker Robbie Colas, who had connected on just two of three field goal opportunities all season, and was now facing a snowy field and a foreign snapper.

With two seconds left in regulation, Colas snuck a 20-yard field goal just over the upright to give the West private and charter schools a 23-22 win over the East DCIAA public schools at a snowy Eastern High School.

“I was ready for it,” Colas said. “I was ready for the slipperiness. It fell off the tee but I managed to get it in somehow.”

The players have been waiting for a long time to get a shot at proving which schools own Washington DC. Archbishop Carroll linebacker Dionte Holland said he heard trash talk from his public school friends all week. Holland, who had nine tackles and a fumble recovery, was named the West’s Defensive Most Valuable Player.

“They’ve got a lot of speed, but I think we’re more disciplined and we came ready to play,” Holland said.

St. John’s quarterback Ed Thomas was named the West team’s Offensive Most Valuable Player after completing six passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. He and Friendship Collegiate wide receiver Kevin Gadsen connected on two big plays on the game’s final drive to set up the field goal, including one on fourth-and-16.

“They’ve definitely got a lot of dudes on the other side of the ball,” Thomas said. “We just wanted to prove we’ve got some ballers too.”

West got on the board first as Thomas hit Gadsen for a 19-yard touchdown. The drive was extended after Colas was roughed after making a 38-yard field goal, giving the West more points than it would have gotten.

East had a surefire chance at a touchdown at the start of the second quarter when Colas was tackled while trying to get off a punt. East took over on the 1-yard line but was stuffed on its first crack at the end zone and fumbled on its second attempt.

West got the same opportunity near the end of the half when a snap went over the punter’s head, setting up the West on the 1-yard line. But the West punched it in on its first try on a 1-yard run by Maret’s Brian Pourciau.

Each team struggled to get its offense going, but with just 49 seconds left in the half, East tried for one more shot at the endzone. On its first play of the drive Coolidge quarterback Emmanuel Yeager tossed a perfect 43-yard touchdown pass to H.D. Woodson’s Nigel Rios and Woodson’s Joelil Thrash ran in the conversion to make the score 14-8 at the half.

East got the ball first in the second half and, set up by back-to-back 25-yard runs by Offensive MVP Kayvonne Spriggs of Woodson, scored on a 1-yard sneak by Yeager to give East a 16-14 lead.

West responded with one minute, two seconds left in the third quarter on a four-yard plunge by Pourciau, giving them a 20-16 lead.

That’s when Spriggs, who finished with 26 carries and 163 yards, took over. He ran the ball 11 times on the next drive, all but one of the East’s plays, and scored on a four-yard touchdown run to give East a 22-20 lead with 7:59 remaining.

After a pair of three-and-outs, West had one last chance with 4:15
remaining. After a loss of five yards on a reverse, West stared at a
fourth-and-16 with 2:58 remaining. It went for it and Thomas found
Gadsen down the right sideline for a leaping catch of 20 yards. Two
plays later, Thomas hit Gadsen over the middle for 28 yards, setting up
Colas’ eventual field goal.

“They were made-up plays,” Gadsen said. “He said, ‘Go out’ and he threw it to me. I just had to make the catch.”

In
the snowy conditions, even a chip-shot field goal seemed risky at best.
But after the East stuffed the West on the goal line three straight
times, out trotted Colas.

Colas made a 47-yard field goal
against Carroll and another field goal against Paul VI this season. He
missed his only other opportunity. The snap was low and the ball
slipped off Colas’ one-inch tee.

“I didn’t really know where it
was going,” Colas said. “I saw it taking off and I just held my breath
and watched it. … Honestly, I thought it was going to hit the bar or
barely skim over the bar.”

In conclusion, St. Albans defensive
tackle said, “I enjoyed being here. Even though it was cold and I
couldn’t feel my fingers, we loved the game.”

ROSTERS

West

1 Jaron Gillespie, Friendship Collegiate, DB
2 Ed Thomas, St. John’s, QB/DB
3 Antwan Capies, Ceasar Chavez, DB
4 Blair Ruthledge, Carroll, LB
5 Sean Harden, Model, WR
6 Anthony Palmer, Model, QB
7 Chris Mason, Friendship Collegiate, DB
8 Kevin Gadsen, Friendship Collegiate, WR
9 Donald Quarles, St. John’s, DB
12 Lawrenn Lee, Hyde, RB
18 Josh Sandoval, Model, LB
22 Alan Elder, Gonzaga, RB
24 Brian Pourciau, Maret, RB
25 Kaleem Washington, St Albans, DB
28 Marcus Johnson, Hyde, RB
30 Gabriel Smith, Friendship Collegiate, DL
33 Josh Better, Cesar Chavez, DB
41 Alec Regulinski, Sidwell Friends, LB
42 DeAngelo Williams, St. John’s, LB
52 Lawrence Lucas, Gonzaga, DL
53 Sam Oyekoya, Gonzaga, DL
54 Dionte Holland, Carroll, LB
56 Steven Brooks, Friendship Collegiate, OL
58 Taylor Hanley, Gonzaga, DB
62 Seck Barry, St. Albans, DL
63 Dominic McIntosh, St. John’s, DL
66 Alfonso Beale, Carroll, OL
72 Jeff Bruno, Gonzaga, LB
73 Richard Washington, Friendship Collegiate, OL
74 Robbie Colas, Gonzaga, P/K
75 Josh Tobin, Sidwell Friends, OL
77 Mark Rehbein, Gonzaga, OL
78 Nate Luongo, St. John’s, OL
80 Chris Speros, Gonzaga, WR
81 Max Johnston, Gonzaga, WR
88 Anthony Elliot, Friendship Collegiate, DB

Coaches
Gary Schnell, St. Albans (Head Coach)
Rashod Gillespie, St. John’s
Joe Reyda, Gonzaga
Mike Engelberg, Maret
Aazaar Rahim, Friendship Collegiate
Mark Burke, Model
John Simon, Sidwell Friends

East

1 Chris Washington, Anacostia, DB
2 Nigel Rios, Woodson, DB
3 Drake Anthony, Dunbar, DB
4 Marcus Thornton, Spingarn, DB
5 Milton Scott, Cardozo, WR
6 Marcus McNeal, Cardozo, RB
7 Tyree White, Dunbar, QB
8 Kris Kornegay, McKinley, K
9 Emmanuel Yeager, Coolidge, QB
12 Kayvonne Spriggs, Woodson, RB
18 Joelil Thrash, Woodson, DB/WR
22 Terry Turner, McKinley, RB
24 Charles Siler, Dunbar, RB
25 James Brown, Anacostia, DB
28 Sidney Balman, Wilson, DB
30 Michael Cunningham, Spingarn, DB
33 James Hooks, Woodson, LB
41 Julian Lowden, McKinley, DB
42 Marcus Phelps, Woodson, LB
52 Dominic Goodson, Anacostia, OL
53 Irvin Proctor, Coolidge, OL
56 Kevin Burgess, Dunbar, LB
58 Elijah Harris, Cardozo, DL
62 James Lewter, Ballou, OL
63 Tim Sumpkins, Coolidge, OL
66 David Smith, Roosevelt, OL
71 Carlton Whisonant, Wilson, DL
72 Tarvon Hardy, Spingarn, DL
73 Aaron Wallace, Coolidge, DL
76 Davon Hungerford, Dunbar, OL
77 David Gatlin, McKinley, DL
78 Dominique Jackson, Dunbar, OL
79 Clarence Cousar, Woodson, OL
80 Deon Long, Dunbar, WR
81 Lawrence West, Ballou, DB
88 Jarrard Hunter, Woodson, WR
90 Dominic Lyons, Wilson, LB

Coaches
Willie Stawart, Anacostia (Head Coach)
Horace Fleming, Wilson
Greg Fuller, Woodson
Burnell Irby, Eastern
Bobby Richards, Cardozo
Troy Stewart, Anacostia
Tyrone Stewart, Anacostia

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By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com

The WCAC is always stocked with talent, but this year may be even more special than others. Not only are there blue-chip recruits, but there are several teams that could challenge for a conference crown and a handful more that won’t make it easy for anybody.

As evidence, three WCAC teams are nationally ranked in the ESPN Rise Fab 50 Preseason Boys Basketball Rankings.

DeMatha leads the group at the No. 13 with Bishop McNamara at No. 30 and defending WCAC champion Gonzaga at No. 48.

“This year probably has more depth in the league than any year in the past 10 or 15 years,” Good Counsel Coach Mike Hibbs said.

“We were talking over the summer and said, ‘Imagine, one of these teams is going to be in sixth place in our league,'” Hibbs continued. “It seems almost unfair for that to happen because they’re going to be a very good team.’”

DEMATHA FUELED BY FAILURE

As if dropping a massive lead over O’Connell and lose in the WCAC playoffs last season wasn’t bad enough, DeMatha wasn’t invited to the Alhambra Tournament for the first time in 34 years.

“That definitely hit home for us,” Coach Mike Jones said. “To win three [WCAC titles] in a row and then a couple guys that weren’t part of the last one, they were disappointed. Then also not getting invited to Alhambra last year. … Our season ended awfully early as far as what we’re used to.”

Thus, this year’s squad is motivated by the shortcomings of last year to prove that DeMatha is still the dominant program people have come to count on. And this year’s Stags may just be one of the most talented team, top to bottom, to ever step onto the court.

The team is led by junior Tennessee recruit Josh Selby, who scored 31 points in DeMatha’s season opener against Archbishop Spalding Tuesday night.

“This year we’re just more motivated and more enthusiastic about the championship and everybody want it,” Selby said.

Selby, a 6-foot-2 guard, averaged 13 ppg last year but will likely increase that this year as he continues to improve his overall game. He also showed the knack for scoring dramatic points when he put DeMatha on his shoulders late in the finals against McNamara, leading the Stags to the Rock Summer League title.

“I haven’t been bashful in saying Josh Selby is a pro,” Jones said. “I know what pros are and he’s definitely one of them.”

The rest of DeMatha’s roster is deep and extremely talented at every position. Jones said it’s as talented as he’s had while at DeMatha. His only complaint is that his team isn’t that big. But what it lacks in size it makes up for in athleticism.

Texas A&M recruit Naji Hibbert will be one of the team’s main scoring threats while senior Marcus Rouse has become a skilled distributor who can also score. Junior Jerian Grant, sophomore Quinn Cook and junior Victor Oladipo can all do multiple things on the court.

Oladipo showed off his athleticism by slamming down a one-handed alley-oop from Cook right overtop a leaping Spalding defender. The gym burst into screams as Oladipo shouted with excitement. (CHECK BACK FOR VIDEO)

“Everybody is so athletic,” Oladipo said. “It’s way better than last year. It’s like everybody grew and everybody just transformed into something better than they were before.”

Oladipo said that he’s heard the Stags are favorites to reclaim the WCAC title, and those whispers certainly are justified. But he said the Stags will always play like underdogs, especially considering what happened last year.

“We’re going to play like we usually play at DeMatha, like we’re down 100 all the time,” Oladipo said.

McNAMARA MAKES A STATEMENT

In reaching the Rock Summer League championship game and nearly knocking off the fully-loaded Stags, Bishop McNamara vaulted itself into WCAC title contention status. McNamara fell to DeMatha, 56-52, in the Rock finals.

“These guys are ready to go for their senior year,” McNamara Coach Marty Keithline said this summer. “I’m very encouraged by their effort on both ends of the floor and their enthusiasm and their work ethic this summer. … We’re learning how to win and how to solidify ourselves for next season.”

The Mustangs return Pittsburgh commit Talib Zanna and also bring back 6-foot-2 guards Rashad Whack and Trask Ivey as well as 6-foot-4 forward Lawrence Smith. Zanna proved he may be the best big man in the conference during the summer.

“This is a big confidence booster because we know next year we’re going to be unstoppable,” Zanna said after the summer loss to DeMatha. “We’re going to be like the Celtics.”

McNamara made another statement to open the season by defeating defending IAC champion Georgetown Prep, 64-62, in Rockville.

“We’re feeling great, feeling good. We’ve just got to keep up the intensity,” Whack said Tuesday before talking about the team’s expectations. “To get to the championship and take it game-by-game and do what we’ve got to do to get the win.”

EAGLES DEFEND

And of course, who can forget the defending conference, city and Alhambra champions?

Replicating that success will be difficult considering Gonzaga graduated much of last year’s title team’s scoring in point guard Rodney Gould, wing/forward Cameron Johnson and guard Max Kenyi. But it’s not impossible by any means as the Eagles still return plenty of firepower.

“We’re coming off a big season and I think we can contend for a championship again this season,” Coach Steve Turner said. “It’s a new group and they’re excited about doing new things.”

First there’s 6-foot-7 forward Ian Hummer, a Princeton commit who averaged more than 14 ppg and 9.5 rebounds last year. Hummer will look to continue his strong inside play this season.

“You’re going to see the same player you saw last year,” Turner said of Hummer. “He’s a warrior down in the paint.”

Gonzaga also has Duke recruit and junior point guard Tyler Thornton, who will likely step into more of a scoring role this year after averaging 8 ppg last season.

Senior 6-foot-8 center Connor Ford and last year’s sixth-man Cedrick Lindsay step into the starting lineup after being role players on last year’s team. Lindsay could be one of Gonzaga’s main scoring threats with his outside shooting.

“I think he’s emerged as one of the top guards in the city,” Turner said.

CAN THE FALCONS MAKE A RUN?

Good Counsel has many banners from many different sports in its gym. But there’s one sport missing: boys basketball.

This year, with a deep, experienced roster, Good Counsel has a chance to change that.

“Every time I look up there I get mad,” senior guard Recardo Gaddy said. “We’re still the underdogs in the league. Nobody really respects us. … We’ve got to earn our respect.”

The Falcons return nine players and four starters from last year’s team that went 21-8. This is Coach Mike Hibbs’ fourth season and he purposefully put many of the players on varsity their freshman year to slowly prepare them for a championship run this season.

“The kids like each other, they’re working hard, they’re playing hard,” Hibbs said. “So we do have that opportunity. Like I told them, that opportunity doesn’t come around every year here at Good Counsel.”

Gaddy is one of the team’s best all-around players, but he has plenty of other weapons around him. The Falcons have two adept point guards in 5-foot-8 Rodney Glasgow and 6-foot-0 Stanford football recruit Louis Young. Ben Hazel, a three-year starter and sharpshooter, gives the Falcons four high-caliber guards.

Down low the Falcons have 6-foot-11 Southern Methodist recruit Julius Omoniurhie, who gives Good Counsel a defensive presence in the paint. Omoniurhie has worked to improve his offensive game. Also watch for 6-foot-7 forward Sean Wright.

Devin Wright-Nelson is the newcomer to what would be called the typical starting five, although he may be one of the Falcons’ top threats this season. He steps in for last year’s top scorer Jordan Clarke, but showed his rebounding and scoring touch this past summer as Good Counsel reached the Rock League semifinals.

“I don’t think anyone can key on one player this year,” Hibbs said. “We’re very well balanced. I think we play different styles. So I do think we have the possibility to be there in the end.”

DANGEROUS FROM THE OUTSIDE

St. John’s has the parts to challenge the upper-echelon. The Cadets are led by sophomore Chris Martin, who was named to the third-team WCAC squad last year as just a freshman. But look out for senior 6-foot-3 New York City transfer Derrick Thomas, who announced his WCAC arrival this past summer at the Rock Summer League after playing junior varsity last year.

O’Connell won’t be the same without last year’s star Jason Clark, who is now at Georgetown. Clark averaged more than 20 points per game in leading the Knights to the WCAC and Virginia private school tournament finals. The Knights have three seniors this season and will now lean on returning 6-foot-4 junior North Carolina recruit Kendall Marshall.

Paul VI welcomes Millbrook transfer Erick Green with open arms.
The Virginia Tech recruit lead Millbrook to the Virginia AA title last
year. The Panthers have a rather young roster but could still be
dangerous on any given night. The Panthers are already 2-0 after a
68-42 win over Cesar Chaves Tuesday night.

NEWS AND NOTES

Carroll has to fill the place of Kris Joseph, the 6-foot-7 Syracuse freshman, and Rodney McGruder, the do-it-all Kansas State recruit who transferred out of Carroll to play in Florida.

St. Mary’s Ryken has a pair of transfers from Turkey in 6-foot-9
forward Gokham Sirin and 6-foot-5 forward Gorkeem Sonmez, which will
help the typically undersized Knights. St. Mary’s Ryken went 13-15 last
year under then first-year coach Dave Tallman but could surprise some
people this season.

Ireton started it’s season with a win over Christ Chapel, 87-25.

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