DeMatha (MD) began the 2017 season nationally ranked, and the Stags looked the part early on, winning four straight after dropping their season-opener in admirable fashion, 35-23 at powerhouse Bishop Gorman (NV).

Things took a turn for head coach Elijah Brooks’ bunch around the midway point of the season. DeMatha dropped three consecutive games to in-state opponents — first, with a pair of six-point heart-breakers vs. Gonzaga and Our Lady of Good Counsel, followed by a 38-22 loss at St. John’s.

Of course, as it happens, the Stags will have an opportunity to avenge that three-game swoon, as the three teams that defeated DeMatha comprise the rest of the WCAC semifinals. Back-to-back blowout victories over Bishop McNamara and Archbishop Carroll ensured DeMatha’s inclusion.

The Stags are extremely talented, with a depth chart full of guys who will play for Power Five programs on Saturdays. More specifically, the concentration of talent in DeMatha's secondary and defensive line make life extremely difficult on opposing passing games.

Junior DeMarcco Hellams is arguably the top wide receiver in Maryland, but he’s also an outstanding safety with elite ball skills. 

When he’s on the back end of the DeMatha defense, quarterbacks would be well served to avoid him. But there’s a problem with that: His name is Nick Cross.

At 6-foot-1, 203 pounds, Cross has the size and strength to play well in run support. But the junior has also proven outstanding at defending the pass. He has the speed to run with wide receivers, and he brings the hammer when he can’t beat the throw.

With Hellams and Cross both at safety, there’s no winning — a fact that’s exacerbated by the Stags’ cornerbacks: three-star prospects Naim Muhammed and Judson Tallandier.

Tallandier, who’s committed to Pittsburgh, has an offer list that includes Georgia, Arizona, and NC State — which speaks volumes. But you don’t need to see a list of Tallandier’s suitors to know he can ball. The tape tells the tale.

So, if you’re following along, we’re telling opposing passers to avoid both safeties and Tallandier. Got it? Good. Well, except for one small issue…

Naim Muhammed is manning the opposite corner — and he’s no step down in danger.

Muhammed may be committed to play for Purdue next season, but, for now, he’s busy leaving DeMatha’s opponents with zero good options for attacking the secondary.

Of course, pass protection is a quarterback’s best friend, as even the best defensive backs can’t cover forever. But — you knew this was coming — it’s not easy for opponents to keep their passers upright against the Stags defensive front.

Maryland commit Austin Fontaine is among the very best defensive tackles in the country (he grades out at a .9529 according to 247Sports) and he’s not just a run-plugger.

Fontaine demands a double team in most cases — which, you know, would be easier if he wasn’t joined on the interior by three-start prospect Jalen Brown.

At likely a hair below 6-foot tall, Brown may not have prototypical stature, but that didn’t stop Rutgers from offering him a spot on their defensive line — and it doesn’t stop Brown from wreaking havoc.

Stepping up in the pocket may be difficult — and there’s rarely a receiver winning on the outside — but at least opposing quarterbacks can roll out and buy some time, right?

Well, not so much.

Another Pitt commit, defensive end John Morgan is a problem. The 6-foot-2, 236-pound rush end is built like a linebacker — and he moves like one, too.

Morgan holds up in run support, but he dominates against the pass, leaving little time for opposing receivers to shake free from the grips of the DeMatha secondary.

All of that will make you wonder how the Stags dropped three straight. The answer, at least in part, is that their competition in the WCAC is just that good. But, be that as it may, it’s hard to beat a team twice — something anyone standing in DeMatha’s way at this point will have to do.