With their spot in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference playoffs already penciled in, the DeMatha Stags were simply looking for a little preparation to get them tuned up for a rematch against Gonzaga Eagles a week later.
That tune-up came against Bishop McNamara, and sophomore running back Taiwan Deal ran for four touchdowns to help the Stags cruise in 47-12 demolition of the McNamara Mustangs on Nov. 2 at Landover Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, Md.
Deal scored three touchdowns in the first half as DeMatha ran over and through the Mustangs all night.
“I think I did good. The offensive line helped me out. I just kept my feet running and I was just breaking a lot of runs and scoring,” Deal said.
When DeMatha’s defense wasn’t punishing McNamara, it was Deal doing the work, as the 6-foot, 2-inch, 226-lb tailback simply wore down the defenders on a chilly night.
“We needed that from him,” DeMatha coach Elijah Brooks said. “He’s our go-to guy right now on the ground.”
The Mustangs simply couldn’t get anything going against a fast-moving Stags defense. DeMatha took a 26-6 lead at the top of the third after junior defensive back Greyson Torain returned an interception 40 yards. It was all about bouncing back for DeMatha, as they rebound from a loss to the Eagles the on Oct. 27.
The runaway victory sets up a rematch date with the Gonzaga Eagles. At their recent faceoff, the Eagles surprised the Stags, 27-10, behind a fired up home crowd, but DeMatha has been buzzing ever since.
“I’m looking forward to having the same game I had this week,” Deal said. “We lost to Gonzaga we know what our mistakes were. We’ve been working hard in practice so we’re going to go back and show them.”
