By Brandy L. Simms

Sentinel Sports

OLNEY - The spotlight shone brightly on Good Counsel senior running back Caleb Porzel last Thursday night at Kline Stadium.

In front of a sellout crowd and a national television audience, the Maryland recruit rushed for a game-high 139 yards on 15 carries and scored three touchdowns to lead Good Counsel past DeMatha, 42-21, in a game broadcast live on ESPN2.

"He was outstanding," DeMatha Head Coach Bill McGregor said afterward.

Good Counsel senior quarterback Tyler Campbell connected with Porzel on a 24-yard pass play to set up the Falcons' first score, a 7-yard run by the Good Counsel speedster.

"Caleb's very fast," said Good Counsel Head Coach Bob Milloy. "He's done it all year long."

Porzel also scored on runs of 39 and 56-yards while senior linebacker Jelani Jenkins scooped up a DeMatha fumble and raced 19 yards for a touchdown to help the Falcons build a 28-0 lead in the first quarter.

Campbell had a perfect game, completing nine of nine passes for 174 yards including a 32-yard touchdown pass to junior Louis Young in the third quarter. His counterpart, Tommy Chroniger, led DeMatha's second quarter rally from a four-touchdown deficit.

Chroniger, who completed 13 of 24 passes for 213 yards, connected with senior Emmanuel McPhearson on a 61-yard touchdown in the second quarter and then scored himself on a 20-yard run in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 28-14. Chroniger connected with McPhearson again on a 10-yard touchdown in the third quarter, making the score 35-21 but Good Counsel put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run by Jenkins.

Jenkins, a three-year starter and one of the nation's most heavily recruited players, managed to score on both offense and defense, and registered 11 tackles.

"He's a great player," said McGregor, whose team suffered its most lopsided loss ever against league rival Good Counsel.

Good Counsel (5-0) sits atop the league standings midway through the regular season and appears to be in the driver's seat for the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title, while DeMatha (3-2) suffered its first conference loss this season.

"It was our night tonight," said Milloy, who earned his third victory against the Stags since becoming the Falcons' head coach eight years ago. "I'm very happy for these guys. I'm just happy for them."

Photo by George Smith