The Gonzaga Eagles hosted the Archbishop Carroll Lions for a thrilling Washington Catholic Athletic Association (WCAC) matchup Friday night at Buchanan Field in Northwest D.C. The Eagles came away with a 47-27 victory over the Lions.
“I just feel like [the victory] just came from the preparation in practice,” said Gonzaga Eagles quarterback Nick Ferrante. “On how hard we work in practice and the urgency we have to move with in practice. It makes it easy in the game… I just feel like all of my teammates around me uplifted each other on encouragement and I feel like it just led to a great game tonight.”
Gonzaga entered the game ranked No. 2 in D.C. and No. 1 in the WCAC’s Capital Division. The Eagles improved to 4-0 on the season after previously defeating Calvert Hall of Baltimore, Coolidge, and Eastern of D.C. With Friday’s win, Gonzaga extended its winning streak to four games.
Archbishop Carroll entered the contest at 1-1, ranked No. 7 in D.C. and No. 2 in the WCAC’s Metro Division behind Bishop O’Connell. The Lions opened the season with a 24-6 loss to Friendship Collegiate before responding with a victory over KIPP DC Legacy Prep.
Friday’s contest served as the first WCAC matchup of the season for both teams. Gonzaga controlled the game at home, securing a victory that moved the program to 4-0 on the season, while Carroll fell to 1-2.
“[Archbishop Carroll] does a very nice job,” said Gonzaga Eagles head coach Kevin Holmes. “We always praise our opponent and we respect our opponent. They have very good athletes and that they are a well-coached football team. So, we knew that [Archbishop Carroll]… [would] be ready to play us. And they challenged us for sure. At no point in a four-quarter game can you relax and [think] that you’ve got it in the bag, playing against a team that wants the same thing you want.”
