This Saturday, the Blue Devils will battle the Germantown Academy Patriots at Maguire Stadium in an intense homecoming matchup. The Devils have beaten GA the past two seasons, but blew a lead against the Patriots the last time they played for homecoming: three years ago.
Germantown creates an interesting matchup for the Devils thanks to their incredibly loaded offense. The man behind the controls for the Patriots is senior QB Xavier Stearn. Stearn, a 6’6 three-star QB has been electric so far. In a game against Lincoln, Stearn threw for 408 yards. Stearn also holds the all-time passing yards record for the Patriots.
His favorite target, receiver Mick McKee, is another big threat for the Patriots. In that same Lincoln game, McKee had 11 catches, 300+ total yards, and 4 total touchdowns. It’s that offense that’s kept the Patriots competitive, and that offense that SCH will need to stop.
But SCH is more than capable of doing such. In their last matchup, where GA had even more weapons on offense, the Devils handled the Patriots 36-20, sacking Stearn four times. In this game, the Devils will be relying on senior cornerback Charlie McFadden and junior cornerback Isiaiah Moore to shut down the Patriots’ passing attack.
The Devils struggled slightly against the pass this year, specifically in their battle against Hun, where the Raiders seemed to throw all over SCH en route to a huge victory, and in their most recent loss to Episcopal. If the Devils can really clamp down on the passing attack, then they have a good shot of winning this matchup.
But the real secret lies in the Devils’ offensive attack. Last time the Patriots played the Devils, it was senior quarterback and Holy Cross commit Liam Zelman who dominated, posting 264 yards rushing and 133 yards passing, alongside five total touchdowns.
Zelman will need to bounce back from an off game against EA last week, where he went 7-13 for 30 yards and a single interception, adding on 21 rushing yards on nine carries. If Zelman can return to form against the Patriots, expect the freight train of a quarterback to dominate the Patriots.
The Patriots also struggle to keep up with teams defensively. In that game against Lincoln, the Patriots fell 43-34 despite that offensive showing. That’s the vulnerability the Devils desperately need to exploit. It’s just the team that SCH needs after falling short offensively to EA.
Expect sophomore running back William Howard to see a lot of action, as Howard has put up phenomenal performances against some incredible teams, including a night with 121 yards against Roman Catholic and even a night with 259 yards against Lincoln.
Howard should see a lot of opportunities and openings, thanks to the offensive line of the Devils as well. With four seniors and a single junior, the offensive line is experienced and also talented. Senior lineman Kyle Cameron has been immensely impressive and will look to continue his dominance this week.
Another player to look out for is senior wideout and Buffalo commit Aaron Clark. Clark has yet to replicate the absurd numbers he posted last season, but that trend won’t last for long. He’s been connecting with Zelman more and more each week and is primed for an offensive explosion.
Furthermore, the Devils are getting a shot of intensity with the return of senior defensive lineman and team captain Sadiek Willis. Willis has been the main source of energy for the Devils, a loud and vocal player who leads by example. He’s been battling injuries this season, but should be good to go for tomorrow.
Alongside all these factors, one more thing to note is that the majority of the Devils’ roster is made up of seniors. Not only are these players experienced, but those seniors were there for the Devils’ loss on homecoming to the Patriots during their freshman year, and will be playing with intensity in order to avoid the repeat.
With the intense setting before them, and so much on the line, SCH looks to avoid falling out of Inter-Ac title contention and secure another homecoming victory.
