Brown Back In Action, Leads Good Counsel
By Elton Hayes:
WASHINGTON, DC - In his first full game of the season, Good Counsel running back, Wes Brown, showed little, if any, residual effects of the leg injury he suffered against St. Xavier (OH) on August 29. Post game, Brown said, "it really felt good." In a remarkable display of power and speed, the junior from Columbia, MD, gashed the Gonzaga defense for 149 yards and 3 touchdowns in Good Counsel's 50-38 victory over host Gonzaga. Despite the final score, the Gonzaga Eagles fought hard for three quarters, on a day that honored the 25 members of its senior class.
The visiting Good Counsel Falcons got off to a shaky start. On the second play of the game, QB Zach Dancel fumbled a routine center to quarterback exchange. Fortunately, the Falcons recovered the loose ball. On the same possession, Dancel overthrew a wide open Stefon Diggs, failing to convert on third down.
The Falcon defense had an equally shaky start, committing three penalties during Gonzaga's first offensive possession, which resulted in Gonzaga QB, Kevin Hogan, punching it in on the ground from three yards out. Good Counsel quickly answered back as offensive linemen Michael Madaras's, and Ryan Watson's blocking paved the way for Brown's 72 yard touchdown run. Good Counsel then converted a 2 pt. attempt as backup QB Ryan Yamada ran it in.
Hogan displayed his versatility by connecting with Davon Graves for a 20 yard touchdown toss. Determined to disrupt Hogan, Falcon DE, Carson Ingle, picked him off, returning it 15 yards for the touchdown. Good Counsel pulled ahead 15-14. The Falcons would score again, this time, with Dancel hitting Diggs for a 25 yard strike. Gonzaga would put three more points on the board as time expired in the first half.
Gonzaga dominated the third quarter with 15 unanswered points. Senior RB D'Lante Martino and RB Duane McKelvin each contributed with touchdown runs of 2 and 28 yards. The Eagle defense was stout, forcing a fumble, and shutting down the Falcon rushing attack. At the end of the third quarter, Gonzaga led by a score of32-22.
Momentum on their side, Gonzaga entered the fourth quarter 12 minutes away from the WCAC regular season title. On Good Counsel's first possession of the final quarter, the Gonzaga defense held strong and forced the Falcons to a seemingly three and out. However, Gonzaga was caught off-guard as the Falcons converted on a fake punt, brining the ball deep into Gonzaga territory. One play later, Brown ran it in from one yard for the score.
Gonzaga WR Miles Green fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which Good Counsel recovered at the Gonzaga 20 yard line. The Falcons would score on the drive with Brown netting his second touchdown of the quarter. Brown was happy to have returned from injury recently and said "picking my team up in practice and making them work harder, hopefully I brought a bunch of joy back to them."
Certainly, his three touchdown effort contributed significantly in the game's outcome. Good Counsel would score 14 more unanswered points, making the score 50-32, by the two minute mark in the final quarter.
With the Good Counsel win, things in the WCAC have become much more interesting. Rather than Gonzaga being the sole winner of the regular season title, there is now a three way tie between Good Counsel, Gonzaga, and Dematha.
Good Counsel Head Coach Bob Milloy was pleased with the outcomes of today's win: "I'm just happy to win and now we have a chance of getting a home game in the playoffs."
Next week, Good Counsel travels to Carroll (6-3), while Gonzaga will travel to St. John's (4-5).
