Injuries are inevitable in football, and DeMatha fell victim one week before the regular season when prized running back Anthony McFarland suffered a broken fibula. McFarland, a 4-star running back set to pick between Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland and Tennessee as his college destination, is near impossible to replace.
Seniors like quarterback Beau English have stepped up in the absence of McFarland to carry on DeMatha’s nationally renowned status.
“Losing a player like our running back, Anthony, everybody had to step up,” said senior quarterback Beau English. “Everybody had to carry more weight. The whole senior class has took it upon themselves to bring the team along and make sure everybody is playing at the level they need to be.”
With boasting depth, DeMatha has taken care of their opponents through the first three weeks of the season without their blue-chip workhorse. In their opening contest, the Stags downed Virginia power, Oscar Smith, 42-7. Avalon then gave DeMatha a surprising run in Week 2 that kept the game within single-digits up until the third quarter. DeMatha ended up winning by 35. Fresh off their 28-point victory over Bishop McDevitt (Pa.), DeMatha (3-0) travels to McDonogh on Friday night to slug it out with their latest challenge.
“We are where we want to be,” English said. “We definitely have a long way to go before we can try to win a WCAC championship or accomplishing our ultimate goal of going 12-0. We definitely need to keep improving and keep working and getting better.”
DeMatha returns three of their five offensive linemen from the 2015 WCAC title campaign, highlighted by Maryland commit Marcus Minor. Overall, five of 11 starters on offense are back in 2016, leaving six new faces starting for the first time in the national spotlight.
“They’re doing a great job so far,” English said of the newcomers. “They just have to keep getting better.”
A large part of DeMatha’s depth year after year is head coach Elijah Brooks, who consistently churns out Power-5 and Division-1 prospects on a national level.
“He really pushes us hard,” English said of Brooks. “That’s the main thing, he expects a lot out of us. That’s what gets us better and it prepares us for the next level.”
English, an Air Force commit, takes great pride in following his family’s heritage and serving the country. His father was an outside linebacker at Air Force, and his grandfather also attended the service academy as well. English’s military upbringing has translated to discipline and leadership on the football field, which has sharpened the Stags focus level heading into Friday night’s heavyweight slugfest.
“That’s one of my favorite parts about this team … we’re focused,” English said.
English doesn’t have a flashy supporting cast like last year, but the weapons flanking him are more than capable of making plays against some of the nation’s elite programs. Delante Hellams, who sports an offer from Morgan State and is drawing interest from Maryland and Penn State, sets up as the Stags top receiving threat.
Khory Spruill, who has five Division-1 offers including East Carolina and Temple, is the lead running back and brands a gritty, downhill running style.
The defense is led by relentless 5-star edge rusher, Ohio State commit Chase Young and Air Force commit, linebacker Grant Donaldson.
McDonogh, on the other hand, targets a dramatic upset though being right behind DeMatha in the MSA power rankings and two spots after the Stags in the state media poll. The Eagles offense is led by dual-threat quarterback DeJuan Ellis, a Virginia Tech commit with a home run repertoire that could very well lift McDonogh to victory on Friday night.
Mylique McGriff and Jabriel Johnson, both stocky running backs, will split carries out of the backfield. The offensive line is anchored by Maryland commit, Jordan McNair. The defense is backed by 4-star defensive tackle, P.J. Mustipher, who has 16 offers including Alabama, Maryland, Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
If DeMatha exploits their game plan and executes without any blemishes, they should ride to their fourth win on Friday night and continue to leap through the national rankings. McDonogh will go in as eight point underdogs. In order to hand DeMatha a rare loss, they’ll need to ride on the big play ability of Ellis, win the trenches, and get a couple of turnovers to fall their way.
“We have to stay focused,” English said. “On the road, we can’t let the environment get to us. We’ve been there before, we’ve been in some tough road environments. If we execute, I think we’ll be fine.”
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