DeMatha vs. St. John’s WCAC Playoffs RD1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The DeMatha Stags reached their second consecutive WCAC Championship game with a win over the St. John's Cadets on Friday night. Let's now analyze the performances of the game's standout playmakers!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 5'10 185 RB - Bud Coombs - DeMatha</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For his spectacular performance over the weekend, Bud Coombs unanimously earned my vote for the Player of the Game Award. Coombs played one of the best games of his career in a crucial playoff game versus St. John's, and that fact simply must not be ignored. He scored 3 touchdowns on the day, and he made each and every single one of them look easy against a very tough and resilient STJ Cadets' defense. Bud Coombs will be one of the key players for the Stags in the WCAC Championship this weekend, and, if he can get going early then DeMatha has a very strong chance of taking home the title!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Highlights: <a href="https://x.com/RealChadRicardo/status/1724224919519588503?s=20">https://x.com/RealChadRicardo/status/1724224919519588503?s=20</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 6'0 190 QB - [player_tooltip player_id='250315' first='Denzel' last='Gardner'] - DeMatha</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='250315' first='Denzel' last='Gardner'] managed Friday night's game extremely well for the DeMatha Stags, and he took tremendous care of the football with minimal turnovers. Gardner's elite rushing ability was on full display in this playoff contest, and his efficiency out of the Read-Option formation makes all of his teammates more productive as well. In light of his dynamic performance, [player_tooltip player_id='250315' first='Denzel' last='Gardner'] was recently named a 3 star prospect. He is absolutely a top two quarterback in the WCAC, and his performance this upcoming weekend in the championship game could secure his spot as the 1st Team All-WCAC QB.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Highlights: <a href="https://t.co/8BvXOHKrA4">https://t.co/8BvXOHKrA4</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 6'2 265 DL - [player_tooltip player_id='249993' first='Emmett' last='Laws'] - DeMatha - Virginia Tech</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nobody played better defense in this football game than [player_tooltip player_id='249993' first='Emmett' last='Laws'] of DeMatha. The future Virginia Tech Hokie dominated from start to finish, and he made one of the most crucial plays of the game for his team on a forced muffed punt and recovery at the 1 yard line. “We had a great week of practice. Coach McGregor trained us for this and we really worked hard for this. We got it done in the end, and we all pushed through hard. Let's go to the Ship and win it all!”, said Laws during a postgame interview. It's clear that he's one of the fundamental leaders of this team both on and off the field, and you can guarantee that [player_tooltip player_id='249993' first='Emmett' last='Laws'] will put forth a tremendous effort for the Stags during Championship weekend. All eyes must be on the future Hokie during the upcoming WCAC title game!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Highlights: <a href="https://x.com/RealChadRicardo/status/1724224919519588503?s=20">https://x.com/RealChadRicardo/status/1724224919519588503?s=20</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 5'10 200 RB - [player_tooltip player_id='212257' first='Breyon' last='Williams'] - St. John's</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='212257' first='Breyon' last='Williams'] took full control of the backfield for St. John's with Da'Juan Riggs out for the game. While he faced a difficult task versus the DeMatha defense, Williams ran the ball effectively for St. John's, and he did not shy away from contact. [player_tooltip player_id='212257' first='Breyon' last='Williams'] delivered a tremendous season for the Cadets, and the entire St. John's program should be very excited about next Fall. With Williams as the RB1, the St. John's Cadets will yet again be a force to be reckoned with in the WCAC!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Highlights: <a href="https://t.co/JZ3l2bOxEw">https://t.co/JZ3l2bOxEw</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 6'0 170 DB - [player_tooltip player_id='273398' first='Tariq' last='Hayer'] - St. John's</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='273398' first='Tariq' last='Hayer'] played lockdown defense in this game against DeMatha, and his activity in the secondary was a big reason why the DeMatha passing game struggled to get going in this contest. Hayer also involved himself heavily in defending the run from the secondary position, and this threw off DeMatha's balanced attack throughout the game. Hayer is a 4 star recruit with a very high ceiling, and it's essential that scouts across the DMV recognize him as a top tier DB in the area. The St. John's defense will be back and better than ever next Fall with [player_tooltip player_id='273398' first='Tariq' last='Hayer'] leading the charge! He should most definitely receiver All-WCAC honors of some kind at the end of the current season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Highlights: <a href="https://www.maxpreps.com/local/career/videos.aspx?careerid=b53e5403-a2b1-eb11-80ce-a444a33a3a97&amp;videoid=9b9dccfc-e6a2-4892-a137-b0589e4a893e">https://www.maxpreps.com/local/career/videos.aspx?careerid=b53e5403-a2b1-eb11-80ce-a444a33a3a97&amp;videoid=9b9dccfc-e6a2-4892-a137-b0589e4a893e</a> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->