High school is defined by competition in nearly every area. While music, acting, and academics all require competing, sports are by far the most competitive aspect of student life. Sports foster competition both within teams and against opponents, leading to intense rivalries.
Gonzaga College High School was founded in 1821, and sports were introduced at the school in the late 1800s. DeMatha was founded in 1946, and sports were introduced in 1949. Both teams are members of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, meaning they compete against each other in almost every sport year-round.
The rivalry between the two schools grew quickly because of the outstanding athletics of both schools, especially in basketball and football. Both schools see athletes rise through the college ranks to join professional organizations every year. Recent pros from Gonzaga include Caleb Williams and Olu Fashanu, football players drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. Chase Young of DeMatha was a Heisman finalist in 2019 and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020. Further back, Brian Westbrook had a 9-year NFL career, mostly with the Philadelphia Eagles, and was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2023.
The DeMatha-Gonzaga rivalry is extremely important to the teachers and students. Mr. Cory Puffett ’10 was a cross country runner at DeMatha and the University of Maryland and is now an English teacher and the head coach of DeMatha’s cross country team. When asked what the rivalry means as a coach and teacher, he said, “I think the rivalry is important because of its historic significance. If you go back and look at any sport, the games have been very close and competitive.”
He continued, “I think now it still means a lot, but there are some other schools like St. John’s who have stepped up and kind of created a 3-way rivalry, where all three teams hate each other equally.”
Sophomore Benjamin Banks says, “The rivalry means a lot to me as an athlete, but I feel like it might mean a little bit more to someone like me since I have relatives who attended DeMatha.” A lot of current DeMatha students have relatives who are DeMatha alumni. “Growing up, my family always told me about how much people at DeMatha hated people at Gonzaga,” Ben said.
Mr. Puffett says the rivalry, while still meaningful, is not as bitter as a teacher and coach. “As you get older and come back to DeMatha as a teacher or a coach, it still means a lot, but you gain a lot of respect for those guys over there. While I was a student, I was always focused on what Gonzaga was doing because I wanted to beat them.”
