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Although they enter Saturday night's Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Championship game as the five-time defending league champions, many members of the DeMatha High School football team will have redemption on their minds when they face perennial arch-rival Good Counsel.

DeMatha (9-2) is a decided underdog against an 11-0 Good Counsel team that handed the Stags a 42-21 beating in a nationally televised game on Oct. 2. While the Falcons have been hitting on all cylinders all season, the Stags regrouped after that setback and have won six straight contests. To have a chance in the rematch, they'll have to avoid the mistakes that allowed Good Counsel to seize a 28-0 lead in the first quarter of last month's game.

"At this time of year, it's all about execution," said DeMatha senior quarterback Tom Chroniger, who completed only 2 of 7 passes but ran for two touchdowns in the Stags' 20-0 victory over St. John's in a WCAC semifinal last Friday. "We have to a better job of executing when we play them. We can't spot them a big lead. After they scored the first three touchdowns, both teams scored three touchdowns so it was 21-21 the last three quarters. We just have to do a better job at the start."

Longtime DeMatha coach Bill McGregor said his team is much healthier now than it was eight weeks ago when the Stags were handed two losses in a three-week span, including a 21-14 setback against non-league foe Gilman. The biggest difference has been in the defensive unit, where the once-spongy group has become far stingier in recent victories over St. John's and McNamara.

"We have a lot of guys now that we didn't have the first four, five weeks," McGregor said. "That's really made a big difference, because we're healthy now and we have more depth than we had earlier in the season. We're able to rotate more guys into the game now and guys are not getting tired in the fourth quarter. Of course, when you play a great team like Good Counsel you have to start off strong and not put yourself in a big hole."

DeMatha has won five straight WCAC championships since suffering a 12-7 setback in the 2002 title game against Gonzaga. In two of the previous five seasons since, DeMatha lost the regular season meeting with Good Counsel only to avenge that setback in the title game.

The Falcons arrive with few weaknesses on either side of the ball, leading the conference in scoring offense and scoring defense. They made quick work of McNamara last Friday in the other WCAC semifinal, 45-6, and outscored the Mustangs 21-0 in the second half. Star running back Caleb Porzel had a 76-yard punt return and a 62-yard touchdown run against McNamara. Linebacker standout Jelani Jenkins also scored twice, on a 32-yard interception return and a two-yard run.

Good Counsel coach Bob Milloy said his team knows what it's facing as it takes on DeMatha.

"I would say I would bet on DeMatha," Milloy said. "You know how hard it is to beat somebody two times in a row and DeMatha is very, very good. They had guys injured [in the first meeting]. Everything is in their favor. They have the revenge factor and they're the defending champions. I think all that stuff definitely becomes important."

WCAC championship game

DeMatha (9-2) vs. Good Counsel (11-0)

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.

Where: Naval Academy, Annapolis

Players to watch: Good Counsel RB Caleb Porzel (123 carries, 1,091 yards, 15 TDs); Good Counsel QB Tyler Campbell (74 of 105, 1,294 yards, 14 TDs); Good Counsel LB Jelani Jenkins (57 tackles, 7.5 TFL); DeMatha RB Marcus Coker (90 carries, 1,109 yards, 16 TDs); DeMatha QB Tom Chroniger (83 of 140 for 1,259 yards, 14 TDs, 30 total TDs); DeMatha WR Emmanuel McPhearson (22 catches for 404 yards, 8 TDs)

Staff writer James Peters contributed to this report

E-mail Ted Black at tblack@gazette.net.