Video: Recap - DeMatha vs. St. John's College, 2015
See clips from when these teams did battle last season.It wasn't easy, but ninth-ranked
DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) continued its domination of the Washington Catholic
Athletic Conference by edging No. 23
St. John's (Washington, D.C.), 14-13, in the eagerly awaited D.C.-area showdown Friday night at the Prince George's Sports & Learning Complex in Landover, Md.
DeMatha (6-0, 2-0) stuffed a St. John's 2-point conversion attempt with 3:12 left in the fourth quarter to preserve the win. A DeMatha illegal substitution penalty had moved the ball to the 1-yard line on the conversion, tempting St. John's to go for the win rather than tie the game at 14 and possibly force overtime.
Khory Spruill, DeMatha
File photo by Catalina Fragoso
DeMatha is aiming for its fourth-straight
WCAC title and has not lost to upstart St. John's (4-2, 1-1) since 1994. The WCAC is generally ruled by DeMatha, Gonzaga and Good Counsel, the latter a team St. John's had already beaten earlier in the season.
St. John's also had previous impressive wins against Pittsburgh Central Catholic, American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) and St. Joseph Regional (N.J.) but fell to DeMatha for an 18th-consecutive time before a rain-soaked crowd of over 5,000.
With the score tied at seven entering the final period,
Khory Spruill scored on a 1-yard run to give DeMatha the lead, 14-7. The 25-yard drive was set up by a low snap on an attempted punt by St. John's from its own 38.
Kwincy Hall caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from
Kasim Hill with 3:12 left, pulling the Cadets to within 14-
13 before the ill-fated conversion attempt. St. John's had the ball one more time in the final minute but Hill was intercepted by DeMatha's
Myles Canton.
DeMatha took the initial lead early in the second quarter on
Beau English's fourth-and-goal quarterback sneak from the 1-yard line, capping an 89-yard drive. St. John's came right back to tie the score at seven on Hill's 3-yard TD pass to Keilan Robinson with 3:04 left in the first half.
Spruilled finished with 21 carries for 104 yards and one touchdown.
DeMatha continues its quest for an undefeated season and Top 5 national finish next week against WCAC member Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.). St. John's faces St. Mary's Ryken (Leonardtown, Md.).
