Stags Romp to 4th Straight Victory

Chroniger Accounts for 4 Touchdowns for No. 3 DeMatha

It never seemed like Tom Chroniger had to do the spectacular. All DeMatha's junior quarterback had to do was keep putting the ball in the right spots. From there, his teammates did the rest.

Surrounded by elite wide receivers in Kenny Tate and Rodney McLeod and getting plenty of protection from the offensive line, Chroniger led the way yesterday as the third-ranked Stags resoundingly showed they are the team to beat once again in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.

Chroniger threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another score as visiting DeMatha defeated eighth-ranked St. John's, 38-6, before 2,500 in Northwest Washington.

"When you have pretty good athletes, you let them make plays," DeMatha Coach Bill McGregor. "Football sometimes isn't rocket science."

It sure seemed pretty simple yesterday for the Stags (4-1, 2-0 WCAC), as they won their fourth consecutive game. Tate intercepted a pass on the third play from scrimmage, leading to a field goal. DeMatha then scored touchdowns on five of its next six possessions.

Chroniger, a junior in his first season starting on offense, threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Tate, an All-Met with plenty of college scholarship offers. After a four-yard touchdown run by Ashby Christian to start the second half, McLeod -- who has committed to play for Virginia -- ran a fade route down the left sideline and caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Chroniger. When Christian took a screen pass and weaved 78 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter, it was 38-0.

Chroniger finished 6 of 9 for 167 yards. For the season, he is 33 of 53 for 551 yards and eight touchdowns with just one interception.

As well as DeMatha played on offense, its defense was equally up to the task as the starters did not allow a score. St. John's running back Antwon Bailey, who had rushed for at least 100 yards in the Cadets' first four games, was limited to 49 yards on 13 carries. St. John's (3-2, 1-1) had beaten No. 14 Good Counsel last weekend but was unable to get much going against DeMatha.

The Stags' only loss was at Cincinnati's St. Xavier, one of the top teams in the nation.

"After losing to St. Xavier and getting knocked down in the rankings, we needed to come back and prove we still are DeMatha," Chroniger said. "We still have a good team."

No. 3 DeMatha 38 No. 8 St. John's 6 Offensive Movement: During its four-game winning streak, DeMatha is averaging 37.5 points per game and has outscored opponents 73-0 in the first half. Tough on Defense, Too: DeMatha allowed St. John's just 143 yards of total offense, and 55 of those came after quarterback Phil Hawkins recovered a teammate's fumble and raced downfield, leading to the Cadets' only score. No. 3 DeMatha 38 No. 8 St. John's 6 Offensive Movement: During its four-game winning streak, DeMatha is averaging 37.5 points per game and has outscored opponents 73-0 in the first half. Tough on Defense, Too: DeMatha allowed St. John's just 143 yards of total offense, and 55 of those came after quarterback Phil Hawkins recovered a teammate's fumble and raced downfield, leading to the Cadets' only score.