The Stags Head coach Elijah Brooks overcame a bumpy start and rallied the program back to greatness
Watch the trailer as it gives a behind-the-scenes look at DeMatha Football and Elijah Brooks, as he passionately teaches and develops his young athletes. (Video via YouTube)
September 1, 2015, 3:38 p.m. — When Head coach Elijah Brooks took over the highly touted DeMatha program in 2011, he faced a great deal of skepticism. Although Brooks was a graduate of DeMatha and played both football and basketball for the Stags during his time on campus, many felt he couldn’t replace legendary coach Bill McGregor. Brooks was written off by many pundits and alumni alike for being too young and too inexperienced.
After going just 6-4 in his first season with the team, the fewest win total for the program in many years, the doubters were given a voice. In his second season, the Stags reached the WCAC championship game, but came up short of winning the title. Winning banners is a necessity for an institution like DeMatha, and his critics remained.
The program was also jolted in February of 2012 by the sudden death of senior Rico Webb, known in the community as the “Gentle Giant.”
“It was tough,” Brooks admitted, “I always had confidence that we would turn things around, but while you’re going through it, there are many tough days. It’s hard to hear criticism, it’s hard to have people not believe in you, but we just stayed the course and good things have happened.”
Using the tragedy of Webb’s death and the doubters as inspiration, Brooks rallied his crew and truly created a brotherhood among his players and coaches, altering the path of the organization.
The documentary begins during the epic playoff run in 2013 in which the Stags would “Return to Glory.” They would go on to win the WCAC championship by defeating fellow powerhouse Good Counsel in the semi-final by one point in overtime and then rival St. John’s in the championship game.
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According to Brooks, DeMatha’s Director of Development, Thomas Ponton, was the primary catalyst for the documentary. Ponton is a graduate of the school and in his 28th year working for the program.
“I think it was a collective decision internally here at DeMatha,” Ponton said, “that, as we entered the playoffs in 2013, that this was just a compelling story that needed to be documented. Now, we had no idea that we were going to win the championship, but we reached out to a lot of alumni to help document those last two games of the season.”
As an encore to the captivating run of 2013, the Stags would bring home another title in 2014, capturing the whole season for the documentary and providing the perfect conclusion for the 26-minute film.
According to Ponton, the documentary was filmed and produced from within the DeMatha organization. Although it briefly looks ahead to the 2015 squad, it primarily covers the 2013 and 2014 teams. They have completed the project and are currently trying to find a broadcast outlet for it, with the hopes that ESPN will claim it.
Having just defeated the No. 2 team in the nation, Miami Central, in the season opener this past Friday in a game televised by ESPN, it seems the Stags are well on their way to a three-peat.
“It shows that we have turned the corner as a program,” Brooks said. “We’ve done well regionally, but this game showed we can compete at the highest level and that if we can continue to improve, we can be one of the best in the country, if not the best.”
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