DeMatha reigns supreme: Stags win first WCAC title Since 2016

From Gardner’s legacy to McGregor’s historic comeback, here are 5 Key Takeaways from DeMatha’s triumphant over Good Counsel

DeMatha is celebrating its first WCAC championship since 2016 after Sunday's victory over rival Good Counsel at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. / Gary Adornato

The wait is over for DeMatha Catholic football.

For the first time since 2016, the Stags are Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champions after defeating Our Lady of Good Counsel, 16-7, in the Capital Division final at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Here’s five takeaways from Sunday’s title game.

DeMatha set the tone early

After being shutout in last year’s championship game, DeMatha’s offense was determined not to have a repeat.

On the Stags’ third offensive play, Stags senior quarterback Denzel Gardner hit Lamar Keys for a 45-yard touchdown for the lead, less than three minutes in. 

DeMatha never trailed in its six WCAC Capital matches this season, outscoring opponents, 189-36.

Alex Amaya was the biggest X-factor for the Stags

On a night DeMatha produced only one touchdown, Alex Amaya was the equalizer. 

Amaya connected on a career-best 49-yard field goal along with 3-point kicks of 22 and 20 yards.

Amaya, who also handled punting duties for the Stags this fall, spent his first three seasons at Bladensburg (Md.). Bladensburg struggled offensively during Amaya’s three seasons.

DeMatha kicker Alex Amaya kicked three field goals in Sunday's WCAC Capital Division championship game, lifting the Stags to a 16-7 win over Good Counsel and their first league championship since 2016. / Alex Amaya Instagram

“That really set me back in recruiting and getting college looks,” said Amaya. “I had zero kick attempts. It’s really hard for colleges to look at me if I have zero points.”

Amaya kicked his first field goal with DeMatha, a 27-yard chip shot, in a 26-10 loss to Archbishop Spalding on Aug. 31. On Sep. 8, during DeMatha’s 48-0 victory over Mt. Zion Prep, he completed both attempts — one from 30 yards, another from 43.

Missed opportunities cost Good Counsel

The Falcons’ hope for a second straight WCAC Capital championship took a major hit in the first half. 

After DeMatha’s touchdown, Good Counsel drove inside the Stags’ five. On fourth-and-one from 3,  Mark Martin and James Pace (both sophomores) dropped Joseph Williams for a loss. 

Good Counsel got the Stags’ 10-yard in the final minute. Falcons sophomore Jackson Rice, under duress by DeMatha, went to the ground for a loss. 

Williams, who committed to Holy Cross earlier in the week, got Good Counsel on the board with a 1-yard plunge in the third quarter. The Falcons got the ball back on a Stag fumble, but were unable to threaten again. 

Denzel Gardner secures his legacy

The third time was the charm for DeMatha and Gardner. 

After not producing a touchdown in title-game defeats in 2023 and 2022, Gardner’s first quarter strike to Keys was the ice breaker for the Stags, who claimed their 25th league title.

The only four-year starter in DeMatha’s storied history, Gardner, a Marshall commit, won his 37th game Sunday.

And, that elusive championship.

"It's definitely legendary,” said Gardner. “I’m going to come back and tell my kids I was on a hall of fame team that won a championship."

Full circle for DeMatha coach Bill McGregor

Eleven years ago, Bill McGregor stepped down as DeMatha football coach. In his second stint at the Hyattsville, Md. school, McGregor added another line to his legendary resume Sunday.

McGregor claimed his 18th WCAC title as Stags coach, 42 years after his first championship. 

Needing a change, McGregor departed DeMatha in 2013. He became an assistant coach at Gilman School under Biff Poggi, who was recently fired as Charlotte University coach. Most of Gilman’s staff moved to St. Frances after Poggi joined Michigan’s staff as a special assistant to Jim Harbaugh. 

St. Frances, a middling MIAA A Conference program, flipped into a national power in a couple of seasons. The Panthers became an independent in football in 2018 after MIAA A member schools refused to play them, citing safety concerns and competitive imbalance.

When Elijah Brooks, a former star player under McGregor and McGregor’s successor as Stags coach, stepped down to become running backs coach at the University of Maryland, McGregor reunited with the school that hired him in 1972 to coach the junior varsity baseball and football teams, oversee the weight room and teach 10th grade American literature and freshman English. 

Though his second stint included a milestone 300th career win, McGregor and the Stags had fallen short three times in the WCAC final, including a 7-0 loss to Good Counsel in the rain as McGregor coached in a mobility scooter after suffering a fractured rib and pelvis in an accident at practice a month earlier.

McGregor, in his mid-70s, is already thinking about the 2025 season.

“It’s a long process. Way back on Aug. 2 was our first day of practice, but before Aug. 2, you’re weightlifting, doing conditioning…it’s a grind,” he said. “The season is 125 days, not counting the preparation…I thought the guys did a great job and hung together.”