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Football Beats St. John's and Will Host Good Counsel in WCAC Semifinal
In the 105th edition of one of the oldest catholic high school football rivalries in the nation, Gonzaga beat St. John's in front of a sold out crowd, 24-21 on Saturday, November 8. It was the first full game on played at the newly dedicated Buchanan Field at Reyda Stadium and the atmosphere was outstanding. With perfect fall weather, and a spot in the WCAC playoffs on the line, the Eagles came away with a tightly contested and well-played win over the Cadets. It was senior day for the Class of 2026. The pregame ceremony and the game were livestreamed by 1st Amendment Sports - click here to watch the full broadcast.
St. John's took an early lead by driving 62 yards on their opening possession for a touchdown. The point after was blocked, however, by senior defensive lineman Rocco Williams. Late in the first quarter, on a drive that was aided by a roughing the punter penalty on the Cadets, Gonzaga moved into St. John's territory. And early in the second quarter, quarterback Jason Lindsay '27 found tight end Brayden Marko '26 on a 14-yard pass for Gonzaga's first touchdown of the day. Coleman Hammond '29 made his first of three extra points on the day to make the score 7-6 Eagles.
On the next Cadet drive, linebacker Will Day '26 led the way to force a three and out. And on Gonzaga's next offensive play, Lindsay found Jerry Harrison '26 for 69-yard touchdown to make it 14-6. Late in the second quarter, Williams made another big play for the Gonzaga defense as his came up with his second interception on the season deep in St. John's territory. The takeaway set up sophomore kicker Quinn Maguire's 34 yard field goal just before halftime to make it 17-6 at the break.
The third quarter started strong for the visitors, as the Cadets stopped the Eagles offense and then drove 65 yards for a touchdown. St. John's also converted their 2-point conversion to make the score 17-14. Gonzaga responded with a scoring drive of their own capped off by Lindsay's third touchdown pass of the day, this time to junior running back Asheton Burton. The 12-yard touchdown was the final play of the third quarter, as the Eagles led 24-14 with 12 minutes to play.
The final quarter was hard fought with St. John's scoring to make it 24-21 with 4:41 left on the clock. But Gonzaga's offense executed down the stretch to run the clock out and secure the victory. The celebration ensued as the final seconds ticked off, as the win earned the #2 seed and a home playoff game for the first time since 2016. Click here to read a great article from the Washington Post, and slide to the right in the post below to see video of the post game celebration.
Coach Trivers and the Eagles will host #3 seed Good Counsel on Saturday, November 15 at 2pm. Click here to purchase tickets. Click here for the gameday program. And click here to watch live (fee required). Saturday's winner will face the winner of #1 DeMatha / #4 St. John's which will take place on Friday, November 14 at the PG Sports & Learning Complex.
Follow the WCAC on Instagram here, and Gonzaga Football on Instagram here.
Eagles fly high!
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St. John's took an early lead by driving 62 yards on their opening possession for a touchdown. The point after was blocked, however, by senior defensive lineman Rocco Williams. Late in the first quarter, on a drive that was aided by a roughing the punter penalty on the Cadets, Gonzaga moved into St. John's territory. And early in the second quarter, quarterback Jason Lindsay '27 found tight end Brayden Marko '26 on a 14-yard pass for Gonzaga's first touchdown of the day. Coleman Hammond '29 made his first of three extra points on the day to make the score 7-6 Eagles.
On the next Cadet drive, linebacker Will Day '26 led the way to force a three and out. And on Gonzaga's next offensive play, Lindsay found Jerry Harrison '26 for 69-yard touchdown to make it 14-6. Late in the second quarter, Williams made another big play for the Gonzaga defense as his came up with his second interception on the season deep in St. John's territory. The takeaway set up sophomore kicker Quinn Maguire's 34 yard field goal just before halftime to make it 17-6 at the break.
The third quarter started strong for the visitors, as the Cadets stopped the Eagles offense and then drove 65 yards for a touchdown. St. John's also converted their 2-point conversion to make the score 17-14. Gonzaga responded with a scoring drive of their own capped off by Lindsay's third touchdown pass of the day, this time to junior running back Asheton Burton. The 12-yard touchdown was the final play of the third quarter, as the Eagles led 24-14 with 12 minutes to play.
The final quarter was hard fought with St. John's scoring to make it 24-21 with 4:41 left on the clock. But Gonzaga's offense executed down the stretch to run the clock out and secure the victory. The celebration ensued as the final seconds ticked off, as the win earned the #2 seed and a home playoff game for the first time since 2016. Click here to read a great article from the Washington Post, and slide to the right in the post below to see video of the post game celebration.
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Coach Trivers and the Eagles will host #3 seed Good Counsel on Saturday, November 15 at 2pm. Click here to purchase tickets. Click here for the gameday program. And click here to watch live (fee required). Saturday's winner will face the winner of #1 DeMatha / #4 St. John's which will take place on Friday, November 14 at the PG Sports & Learning Complex.
Follow the WCAC on Instagram here, and Gonzaga Football on Instagram here.
Eagles fly high!
Celebrating 200 Years of Jesuit Education in the Nation's Capital
