DeMatha Football Looks To Rebound With Robust Junior Class

Written by

Kevin Jones

By Malcolm Johnson, Special to dc.highschoolsports.net

WASHINGTON (WUSA) -- When you think about DeMatha, a 6-4 record on the football field is not exactly what first comes to mind.

The 2011 season was the Stags' first under newly appointed head coach Elijah Brooks and was described as a bit bumpy by offensive coordinator Tim Breslin.

"There's a natural period where you're going to go through a transition. I think this year we've got good kids, we've got good talent, so we'll be as competitive as we want to be," explained Breslin.

Spend five minutes watching DeMatha during their offseason 7-on-7 drills and you'll understand coach Breslin's statement about the talent on the roster. The team's 2014 junior class is expecting to have a minimum of 15 Division-1 recruits. Attending a practice with this much athleticism would have any college scout in the country drooling.

Headlining the junior class is wide receiver Cam Phillips. The 6-foot-1 speedster is garnering interest from Ohio State, Southern California and already has an offer from Virginia. Phillips recently was named an MVP at a Nike football camp in Charlotte, NC.

                                        His fellow receiver, Chris Jones, has nationwide attention spanning from Rutgers      
                                        to Oregon and an offer from the Terps. And the list goes on. And on. And on.

Running back Taiwan Deal (UMD, PSU), running back Mark Allen (UMD, WVU), tight end Austin Petty (UVA, UMD), 6-foot-9 offensive lineman Brock Ruble (UNC, UVA), and 6-foot-3 offensive lineman Kyle Jones (UVA,UMD) bolster the rest of the 2014 prospects on offense. While none of these guys have firm offers, yet, gaining buzz from these prominent colleges before a junior season is as promising as it gets for DeMatha.

The defense doesn't fail to disappoint either. Standing like an oak tree at 6-foot-4 is defensive end Deonte Holden (UMD, UVA) who will tandem on the outside with Juwhaun Bentley -- recruited by Tennessee, Georgia Tech among others.

The linebacker position arguably boasts the team's most important player in Spencer Kleinrichert, who owns offers from Massachusetts and Maryland as well as interest from Stanford, Notre Dame and Boston College. The secondary will be tested in the pass heavy WCAC, but features two ball-hawking defensive backs in Jamal Robinson and Jarriel Jordan (Rutgers, UMD).

It's clear from the seriousness of June workouts that DeMatha is ready to put the underachieving 2011 season behind them. The junior class will make or break the 2012 football season.

(Photo caption: Four 2012 DeMatha scholarship players during the 2012 national signing day).

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