WILMINGTON, Delaware, Aug. 30 — The DeMatha [Hyattsville, MD] Stags have defeated the St. Joseph's Prep [Philadelphia, PA] Hawks, 45-17, after trailing 10-3 at the half.
The Hawks led No. 9 American Heritage of Plantation, Florida, 28-0, late in the third quarter last week before collapsing and letting the Patriots back into the game. Led by 5-star quarterback Dia Bell, American Heritage eventually tied the contest with about a minute and a half to play. Following a fourth-down stop, St. Joseph's punted, but the ball hit one of their own players in the back, and the Patriots pounced on it deep in Hawks' territory.
Moments later, American Heritage lined up for a game-winning 40-yard field goal to complete the comeback and win the game, 31-28. The loss sent the No. 20 Hawks tumbling out of the Top 25 and kept American Heritage's national championship hopes alive.
St. Joseph's will try to hit the reset button against an always-tough DeMatha [Hyattsville, MD] Stags' program that will be playing its first game of 2025.
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STREAM: Listen to St. Joseph's Prep vs. DeMatha on YouTube
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FINAL — DEMATHA 45, ST. JOSEPH'S PREP 17
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|| FOURTH QUARTER ||
And, now DeMatha is turning this into a blowout. The Stags trailed 10-3 at the half, and they've now outscored St. Joseph's 42-7 in the second half after blocking a punt for a touchdowns. It's the second straight second-half collapse for the Hawks after last week's disaster in Florida against American Heritage.
4th Qtr — DEMATHA 45, ST. JOSEPH'S PREP 17
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St. Joseph's comeback attempt is short-lived as DeMatha answers with a touchdown of their own.
4th Qtr — DEMATHA 38, ST. JOSEPH'S PREP 17
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St. Joseph's Prep isn't done yet. The Hawks drive the field and cut into DeMatha's lead.
4th Qtr — DEMATHA 31, ST. JOSEPH'S PREP 17
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And that might be enough to put this one on ice. DeMatha intercepts a pass and takes it back for a touchdown.
4th Qtr — DEMATHA 31, ST. JOSEPH'S PREP
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DeMatha is starting to pull away. They've added a touchdown at the 7:36 mark of the fourth quarter to double their lead.
4th Qtr — DEMATHA 24, ST. JOSEPH'S PREP 10
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|| THIRD QUARTER ||
DeMatha adds a touchdown in the late third quarter to take the lead in Wilmington.
3rd Qtr — DEMATHA 17, ST. JOSEPH'S PREP 10
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DeMatha scores a touchdown early in the third quarter to pull even with St. Joseph's Prep.
3rd Qtr — DEMATHA 10, ST. JOSEPH'S PREP 10
|| SECOND QUARTER ||
And that's where your first half ends.
Halftime — ST. JOSEPH'S PREP 10, DEMATHA 3
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St. Joseph's adds a field goal to pad their lead.
2nd Qtr — ST JOSEPH'S PREP 10, DEMATHA 3
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The second quarter is under way!
|| FIRST QUARTER ||
And after trading a couple of scores, we head to the second quarter with St. Joseph's Prep holding the lead.
End of 1st Qtr — ST. JOSEPH'S PREP 7, DEMATHA 3
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St. Joseph's Prep responds with a score of their own to take the lead.
1st Qtr — ST. JOSEPH'S PREP 7, DEMATHA 3
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DeMatha kicks a field goal to take the lead over St. Joseph's Prep.
1st Qtr — DEMATHA 3, ST. JOSEPH'S PREP 0
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We're under way in Wilmington, Delaware!
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OUR PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAMS ...
Finally, don't miss out on The Sporting News Preseason All-American Teams that just debuted today!
The Sporting News High School Preseason All-American Offense 2025
The Sporting News High School Preseason All-American Defense 2025
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We'll check back in here in a while with a look at some more storylines and an update on the weather.
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