When many think of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC), sports that come to mind are usually basketball or football. However, recently, tennis has shed a little more light. This year, three teams headlined the WCAC Championship for tennis: DeMatha, Bishop Ireton, and Paul IV. Within the past three seasons, DeMatha has secured two WCAC championships, falling short in 2024. DeMatha head coach Mark Dalzell began coaching within the program around 2012, alongside coaching their sister school, Elizabeth Seton. “When I started, we were just trying to get kids interested in high school tennis,” he stated. “Most were focused on junior tournaments.” Dalzell became the head coach of the program in 2019, and during his tenure, he has helped elevate the tennis program. Within the past three seasons, DeMatha has captured its 11th and 12th WCAC titles in the sport of tennis. The year that DeMatha fell short, 2024, is when Bishop Ireton took home the championship, beating DeMatha by 13 points. This season, the Cardinals finished second within the WCAC standings. In the 2025 WCAC Championship, DeMatha won three of six singles matches and two of three doubles matches, totaling 36 points. Paul VI came in second with 23 points. This season, the Panthers fell to both Bishop Ireton and DeMatha in the regular season, before facing them in the WCAC championship. Paul VI placed third within the WCAC standings and second within the WCAC Championship. As these schools continue to expand their programs, some are realizing that the sport of tennis is often overlooked. When asked how tennis can get more recognition across the country, Dalzell stated, “They need to have more national tournaments, or as an individual representing the schools.”
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It had been 16 years since DeMatha Catholic High School got to hoist the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) lacrosse championship trophy. But the 2025 season changed that. 16 seniors and a new head coach led this team to a 15-7 win over St. Mary’s Ryken, and the WCAC title. “It was such a good feeling to do it with all of my brothers that I’ve been working with for four years,” stated senior attack Matthew Beachley. Beachley, one of the 16 seniors, has been a part of DeMatha lacrosse since his first year. But he and his senior class had not always had it easy. During his time as a Stag, Beachley has experienced coaches coming and going every year. But despite this, he was still committed to staying his senior year because of the bonds he had built with his teammates. “We built such a good relationship from the first day I stepped on campus that I just didn’t want to leave it,” he said. Coach Justin Messersmith arrived to DeMatha after serving as an assistant coach at Broadneck High School, hoping to make a lasting impact in his first season. However, DeMatha's season did not start off as ideal. They began with a 1-3 record, with losses to The Bullis School, St. Mary's Annapolis High School, and Ryken. But after that stretch, things began to turn around for the Stags. "After we lost, we were like, we've got to change something," Beachley explained. "So we all met after the game. Then, the next day at school, we met with the coaches. We knew we had to make a change fast." DeMatha lost just one more game the rest of the season and closed on a dominant nine-game win streak to win the title. The Stags had allowed the fewest goals of any WCAC team. When asked about DeMatha's historic season, Messermith credited the group, touching on the fact that he achieved this milestone with a special group. "The things we accomplished together in just one year are incredibly special and will be remembered at DeMatha for a very long time," stated Messersmith.
𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐘𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐬 – 𝐑𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤, 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐎𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 High School: Parkside High School College: University of Delaware NFL Status: Signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft. 𝐂𝐨𝐳𝐢𝐚𝐡 𝐈𝐳𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝 – 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞, 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐬 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐬 High School: DeMatha Catholic High School College: Penn State University NFL Status: Signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent after the 2025 NFL Draft. 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞 𝐎𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐬 – 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲, 𝐁𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐨 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 High School: Glenelg High School College: Yale and the University of New Hampshire NFL Status: Signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent after the 2025 NFL Draft. 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 – 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐬 High School: Charles H. Flowers High School College: Old Dominion University NFL Status: Signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent after the 2025 NFL Draft.
𝐊𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐉𝐫. – 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 High School: DeMatha Catholic College: Penn State NFL Team: Tennessee Titans (3rd Round, 82nd overall) 𝐊𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐧 – 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞 High School: Georgetown Preparatory School College: Rutgers NFL Team: Houston Texans (7th Round, 224th overall) 𝐃𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 – 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 High School: Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School College: Virginia Tech NFL Team: Buffalo Bills (6th Round, 177th overall) 𝐊𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 – 𝐖𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 High School: Northwest High School College: Maryland NFL Team: Buffalo Bills (7th Round, 240th overall) 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐲 𝐀𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐭𝐞 – 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞 High School: Charles Herbert Flowers High School College: Maryland NFL Team: Dallas Cowboys (7th Round, 247th overall) 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐉𝐫. – 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 High School: McDonogh School College: Maryland NFL Team: Miami Dolphins (5th Round, 155th overall)
Ace Meeks Led the way with 13 points total and 9 in the second half as Dematha clamps up against SoCal academy to go 2-0 at the Governors Challenge
https://twitter.com/ColbyGHoops/status/1873173796024443255/photo/1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWfBHTP4BpQ&t=513s
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