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By Kyle Wannen
Special to DigitalSports.com
Good Counsel proved that it was the team to beat in the WCAC when it defeated DeMatha by 21 points on the national stage earlier this season.
Friday night, against the only other undefeated team in the WCAC, Good Counsel might have proved that it is on a completely different level than its conference competition with an impressive 42-3 victory over St. John’s on Senior Night in Olney.
“It was a very emotional night and they were a great opponent so we knew we had to play big and play our hearts out,†said senior fullback and linebacker Jelani Jenkins. “We made a lot of mistakes but I think we excelled in a lot of areas.â€
Jenkins and fellow running back Caleb Porzel provided most of the scoring for the Falcons (8-0, 5-0 WCAC), as they have done all season, combining for five touchdowns. But the stellar play of quarterback Tyler Campbell has been a major reason why the Falcons have gone from an elite to a seemingly unstoppable team.
Campbell had his second perfect passing game against WCAC competition on the season, completing all nine of his passes for 197 yards, one touchdown and a two-point conversion. His other perfect game came against DeMatha, Good Counsel’s other chief rival.
“I just lead the offense and make sure Jelani and Caleb will score and have their best opportunities,†Campbell said. “I just want our team to get in the end zone. If it’s me throwing the ball or Caleb or Jelani running the ball I don’t care. We put up 42 points, that’s all I care about.â€
“He’s been here for four years and he’s one heck of a player,†Falcons Coach Bob Milloy said. “He was 10-2 last year and 8-0 this year and 4-0 his sophomore year.â€
The Falcons made good use of their first possession with a four-minute drive. After Campbell completed a 40-yard pass to receiver E.J. Scott, Porzel, who had nine carries for 27 yards, ran for a 2-yard touchdown to give the Falcons a 7-0 lead.
Campbell completed another long pass on Good Counsel’s next possession, this time a 26-yarder to receiver Mike Wallace. Jenkins, who had four carries for 45 yards, ran for a 16-yard touchdown on the next play just before the end of the first quarter.
“We’re not a real big team and we’re young up front, we start two tenth graders on the offensive line, and we’ve been getting big plays,†said Milloy. “When you have guys like Porzel and Jenkins, they’ll get big plays off. So we’ll keep giving it to them until they break it.â€
In the second quarter, the Falcons recovered a muffed punt twice and Jenkins ran for touchdowns of 14 and three yards, respectively, as a result. Good Counsel capped off the half with a 51-yard punt return for a touchdown by Porzel with just over a minute left. That increased the lead to 35-0 at halftime.
After safety Al Thompson intercepted Cadet quarterback Robert Cadle, Campbell threw a 55-yard pass to Scott for that Falcon’s final score.
On their final possession of the game, the Cadets (6-2, 4-1) were able to score with a 39-yard field goal by Matt Elsasser to avoid the shutout.
“Obviously we tried our best,†St. John’s Coach Joe Patterson said. “But it just didn’t work out.â€
BOX SCORE
Line Score 1 2 3 4 — F
St. John’s 0 0 0 3 — 3
Good Counsel 14 21 7 0 — 0
Scoring Summary:
1Q — GC — Porzel 3-yd run (Hamilton kick)
1Q — GC — Jenkins 19-yd run (Hamilton kick)
2Q — GC — Jenkins 14-yd run (kick failed)
2Q — GC — Jenkins 3-yd run (Campbell pass to Taylor)
2Q — GC — Porzel 62-yd punt return (Hamilton kick)
3Q — GC — Campbell 55-yd pass to Scott (Hamilton kick)
4Q — SJ — Elsasser 39 FG
Stat Leaders:
Rushing: SJ-Thomas 11-38 ; GC-Jenkins 4-45, 3TD
Passing: SJ-Cadle 3-8-1, 22; GC-Campbell 9-9-0, 197, TD
Receiving: SJ-Opon 2-22; GC-Scott 5-144, TD