Good Counsel quarterback Tyler Campbell was perfect throwing the ball, going 9-for-9 with 177 yards passing.
Porzel has each of his calves massaged by trainers on the sideline.
From the time Good Counsel senior Caleb Porzel first stepped onto his home field, under the bright lights of ESPN and in the eyes of a sold-out crowd, to when he last stepped off it, through a line of high-kicking cheerleaders that waited for 30 or so minutes just for him to end his interviews, Porzel felt like a celebrity.
Porzel had three of his future college football coaches gleefully watching his three first-quarter touchdowns. He had America watching his replays and ESPN sideline reporters crowding the sidelines for injury reports. When he had cramps in his calves, he had two trainers massage each as he sipped on Vitamin water.
Porzel played like a star as well Thursday night, leading Good Counsel to a 42-21 victory over DeMatha with three first-quarter touchdowns and 124 total rushing yards on 16 carries. Afterwards, he was asked as he walked amongst strangers slapping his shoulder pads whether he felt like a superstar.
“Yeah, just a little bit,” he said with a toothy, wide grin.
The Maryland-bound diminutive runner played with a nagging ankle injury that left him cautious about further injury coming into the game and then played through cramps that plagued him for most of the second half.
But by the time Porzel cramped up and DeMatha adjusted to contain him, Porzel had already given the undefeated Falcons (5-0) enough of a cushion to hold off a second-half DeMatha (3-2) resurgence. Porzel ran five times for 121 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter alone.
“He’s fast as lightning,” DeMatha defensive back Emmanuel McPhearson said.
Good Counsel has lost to DeMatha in the WCAC championship game each of the past four years and were yet again looking for a bit of payback. As if that wasn’t enough intrigue, the sidelines buzzed with college coaches and media personalities and the stadium rocked with more than 4,500 fans.
“Usually when we come out on the field there’s a fair amount of people in the stands,” Porzel said. “When we came out [tonight] it was like the game was already happening and the stands were packed. That gave me butterflies to be honest.”
It didn’t show as Porzel rumbled in seven yards for the game’s first touchdown on Good Counsel’s first drive. After holding DeMatha to a three-and-out on its next drive, Porzel took the third play from scrimmage 38 yards to give the Falcons a 14-0 lead.
Only three plays later, Good Counsel senior Tim Anderson caused a fumble when he blindsided Stags quarterback Tommy Chroniger and Good Counsel senior linebacker Jelani Jenkins returned it 19 yards for a touchdown. The Falcons held the Stags to another three-and-out and on Good Counsel’s first resulting offensive possession, Porzel scampered 66 yards for a touchdown with 24.2 seconds left in the first.
Just like that, Good Counsel was ahead, 28-0.
“I was surprised we scored 28 because of DeMatha’s defense and we usually haven’t scored 20 points in all the games we played,” said Good Counsel quarterback Tyler Campbell, who was a perfect 9-for-9 with 177 yards passing.
Slowly, DeMatha started to find an answer to slowing Porzel. Then Chroniger found McPhearson for a 61-yard touchdown pass on the Stag’s first play of a critical possession to bring the score to 28-7.
The Stags drew to 28-14 on a 15-yard run by Chroniger on their first possession of the second half but Good Counsel responded on its next possession with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Campbell to Louis Young. DeMatha again came to within two touchdowns, this time on a fourth-and-10 touchdown pass from Chroniger to McPhearson just before the end of the third quarter.
With Good Counsel looking at a punt from its own zone on its next possession, Falcons punter Mark Hamilton faked the kick and scampered 20 yards up field to extend the drive. The Falcons later scored on a one-yard plunge by Jenkins to all but seal the game.
“I know I’ve got that speed. It was fun to use it,” Hamilton said.
While this game certainly had as much hype as one could imagine, it logistically doesn’t do all that much for Good Counsel in regards to getting over its playoff Stags stumbling block. Good Counsel also beat DeMatha during last year’s regular season before falling in the championship game.
“Last year we did the same thing,” Jenkins said. “We’re trying to not do that this year.”
Still, Good Counsel’s dominant offensive showing will certainly give them the confidence edge heading into any potential future matchup. And even if a WCAC title again eludes the Falcons this year, Thursday night will still be one to remember when the Falcons were all stars.
They’ll be talking about this game probably long after I’m gone,” Good Counsel Coach Bob Milloy said. “I’m just glad I was a small part of it.”