This Friday, DeMatha’s varsity football team will take on the Life Christian Academy Eagles in a rematch from last year’s game. Coach Charles Scott from Life Christian will be seeking revenge after their 14-0 loss against DeMatha in last year’s matchup. Both teams are currently sitting at 3-1 in non-league play and are looking to pick up another win. The Stags are currently 2-0 on their home field, so Coach Scott and the Eagles are looking to steal one here.

The Stags offense is led by sophomore quarterback Denzel Gardner who can throw but also loves to tuck it and run, which has led him to two touchdowns runs this year. They have a great running back core led by junior Georgia commit Tovani Mizell along with senior running back Brendon Wyatt. Behind them, Bud Coombs and Joshua Jefferson can also get yards in bunches.

The offensive line is very talented, led by Tosin Babalade, a South Carolina commit, and Boston College commit Michael Crounse. The two of them are going to look to give the running backs big holes to run through. When the ball has been in the air, they have been targeting Kristian Tate, who is averaging 14 yards a catch, and Gerald Campbell, who is a big deep threat for the Stags.

Coach Scott and the Eagles are going to be looking to shut down the Stag’s offense with his lethal secondary core. They are led by senior defensive backs Antonio Cotman, a Boston College commit, Kaleb Spencer, an Oklahoma commit, and 3-star corner Kenneth Lowery II. Their defensive front will look to impose their will and stop the Stags’ run game. That unit is led by their 6 -3 235 lbs. sophomore defensive end Samuel Cohen and freshman linebacker/running back Markel Dabney who holds offers already from many D1 schools.

The Eagles offense is led by their seniors, offensive lineman Joshua Miller, a Georgia commit, and their do-it-all wide receiver Dorian Fleming, who is committed to Georgia State. The man under center is junior quarterback Cody Shelton, who has a great arm.

Fleming and junior receiver Jaevon Branch are Shelton’s go-to guys in the air and he will look to get them the ball early. DeMatha’s defense is going to look to shut down the Eagles’ deep threats with a lot of press on the quarterback. Ohio State commit Jason Moore, along with Emmett Law and Cortez Harris, are going to look to get in the backfield early. Their linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, who holds offers from many D1 schools, will look to insert himself early along with Luke Hackett and Chris Koffi.

The Stags’ defensive backs are going to have a big task to handle this week but are very capable of doing so. Corner and Virginia Tech commit Dante Lovett along with safety Tawfiq Byard lead the secondary and are looking to play big games this week. Strong safety Robert Stevens III is looking to do it all for the Stags along with senior cornerback DeAndre Ricks. Overall this should be a high scoring game with many weapons on the field.