DeMatha Football Rallies For School-record 23rd-Straight Victory

GERMANTOWN, PA. - Perhaps it was fitting that Josh Taylor, No. 23, played a key role in DeMatha’s school-record 23rd-straight victory.

The senior defensive lineman had plenty of help in the Stags’ 21-20 rally past Imhotep Charter at Johnston Memorial Stadium on Saturday night.

It was Taylor who blocked Imhotep’s extra point attempt late in the first half to open daylight on DeMatha’s opportunity to eclipse the 2001-02 Stags’ team that won 22 in a row.

Trailing 20-7 with 2:44 left in the third quarter, DeMatha cut the deficit to six points on its ensuing drive and then forced the Panthers to punt before getting the ball back on its 6-yard line with 5:16 to play.

Running back T.J. Grant got the winning drive started with an 8-yard gain. Fellow senior Tristan Sabb followed with a 33-yard run before Grant got loose for a pickup of 16 to put the ball on the Panthers’ 37.

After three plays netted just 3 yards, the Stags faced a fourth-down-and-seven with the outcome of the game in the balance. Sabb, from the shotgun formation, dropped back and connected with junior Chase Irvin on a down-and-out just past the defender’s outstretched arms.

Sabb recalled that he and Irvin had worked on that play to the left sideline for 10-15 minutes Friday.

“We worked on our timing and precision and then went out and executed it during the game,” said Sabb, who accounted for 61 of the 94 yards that stood between DeMatha (2-0) and victory.

A Grant run of 6 yards and a 12-yard completion from Sabb to Irvin advanced the ball to the 3. Grant, who played sparingly last year at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas because of injuries, bulled his way into the end zone. A Maryland recruit, he rushed four times on the 10-play drive and has scored five touchdowns in two games for the Stags.

Braxton Thornburgh kicked the extra point through the uprights to put DeMatha on top, 21-20, with 1:21 remaining. A senior transfer from Walter Johnson in Bethesda. Thornburgh then drilled his third kickoff into the end zone.

Sabb said he firmly believed the Stags would march down the field and into the history books: “I couldn’t have been more confident. I thought there was no way they were going to keep us from scoring.”

It was now time for the DeMatha defense to step up. Defensive coordinator Deno Campbell’s unit bent, but did not break.

A defensive pass interference call and 11-yard run minus two 5-yard penalties put the ball on Imhotep’s 36. Senior linebacker Kenny Walker broke up a pass but senior quarterback Joey McLeish connected on passes of 23 and 7 yards to move the ball to the DeMatha 38.

Employing a four-man rush with 23 seconds left, Taylor recorded his second big play of the game by sacking McLeish (Morgan State) for a 2-yard loss. “I knew we had to get a stop,” Taylor said, “and that sack is exactly what we needed.”

Senior cornerback Logan Brown broke up the next pass when the ball deflected off his back. On fourth down, the Panthers tested Brown again, who got help over the top from senior safety Knyair Crumb (Auburn).

The duo didn’t let the receiver get past them, and Brown salted the triumph with an end-zone interception and no time left on the clock.

“On that last play, everything really happened in slow motion,” Brown said. “I knew they had to go deep since there was only 10 seconds left and it was fourth down. I was guarding the receiver who had most of their catches, so I knew the ball was coming that way.

“I played his top shoulder and, as the ball was in the air, I already beat him to his spot so I knew I could make a great play on the ball. I ended up getting the pick, and when I got up and saw my teammates celebrating, it felt amazing.”

Taylor, who checks in at 6-foot-4, 255 pounds, praised Brown for his work ethic and how it helped him make the game-sealing pick over his shoulder.

“Seeing Logan’s interception not only showed how hardworking he is,” Taylor said, “it shows what he’s been working for and how much of a crucial piece he is to this team.”

What Brown Can Do For You

Logan Brown transferred to DeMatha last season from St. Mary’s Ryken. As a freshman, he played on the Knights’ 2023 WCAC Metro Division Championship team. St. Mary’s advanced to the title game the following year. The Stags (2-0) have not lost since he began studying in Hyattsville.

He became a starter last year midway through DeMatha’s march to its second-straight WCAC Capital Division Championship. Two of his three interceptions this season have been in the end zone.

Brown commutes to school each day from Brandywine in southern Prince George’s County. He embraces the academic, athletic and spiritual opportunities he receives at DeMatha.

The school commemorated its September 9, 1946 opening on Wednesday. Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, who as papal nuncio is Pope Leo XIV’s ambassador to the United States, celebrated Mass in the Looney Convocation Center.

Brown enjoyed participating in the opening event of DeMatha’s 80^th anniversary school year. “The first Mass was great,” he said.

Forty-seven Minutes and 52 Seconds

The Stags didn’t run a play to end the second quarter after senior right tackle Kevin Nesbitt went down with a dislocated left ankle. Rather than play the final eight seconds from the DeMatha 42 as athletic trainers tended to Nesbitt before an ambulance took him away, both teams went into halftime.

Josh Taylor was asked how his team was able to concentrate on the game after seeing their second starting tackle (junior Diaris Shakir) go down for the year.

“We were all able to refocus,” Taylor said, “because the reality of seeing someone close to us getting hurt motivated us to win even more.”

Logan Brown said “the win was for our teammate, Kevin,” and will pay dividends down the road.

“It will definitely prepare us for games later on because this is not going to be our last close game,” he said. “I feel like it will prepare us for tougher opponents.”

Roman Catholic Comes to Town

DeMatha hosts Roman Catholic (0-2) of Philadelphia at Wilson Stadium in Landover on Friday night at 7. The Cahillites won their first state championship last season when they captured the PIAA Class 5 title with a 28-6 victory over Bishop McDevitt.

Chris McManes (mick-maynz) is in his 12^th year covering Stags football. He has coached baseball and basketball at DeMatha. You can reach him at miamichris58@gmail.com.