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The Bishop McNamara High School football team produced plenty of offense in 2009, averaging more than 25 points per game. Though the Mustangs' attack was held in check in a 35-6 loss to Good Counsel in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference semifinals on Friday, the Mustangs take a positive outlook into the offseason.

"When you're on the outside looking in, it was a great year," McNamara coach Bryce Bevill said shortly after Friday's loss. "When you look at the things that we've accomplished this season, going 8-3 on the year and your only losses of the season come against the two best teams in the league, that's great."

McNamara suffered a 21-7 loss to Good Counsel during the regular season and surrendered a late touchdown in a 10-7 loss to DeMatha two weeks ago. Good Counsel and DeMatha will meet Saturday in the WCAC final for the sixth year in a row.

Bevill has lived the building process with the rest of his coaching staff and players. In 2004, his first year, the Mustangs won only one game. They won just three times in 2005. In 2006, McNamara made the four-team WCAC playoffs, and has been there every year since.

Much of the team's success was due to big-play threats on the offense. Senior Brandon Coleman, who has multiple Division I scholarship offers, had 34 catches for 737 yards and a county-high 10 touchdown receptions.

Coleman's senior partner at wide receiver and defensive back Matthew Goldsmith had 29 catches for 673 yards and five touchdowns. Mustangs' senior quarterback James Joseph led the county in passing with 1,983 yards and 17 touchdowns.  Meanwhile, junior tailback Hannibal Robinson had 1,154 yards rushing.

"I feel we set a big standard here at McNamara," Coleman said of the Mustangs' seniors. "It was our goal to take this program to another level, and we have set a high standard for future players."

In addition to Robinson, McNamara will have several other key players returning next fall, including junior tight end/middle linebacker Jonathan Harris, junior middle linebacker Jalen Neal and junior wide receiver/strong safety Nicholas Law.

The Mustangs must now find replacements at quarterback and along the offensive line, where they will lose Crishon Rose and Dwayne Summerville.

"I feel like the program is definitely going to continue building," Rose said. "We had a good second unit on this team, and seeing how they played this year, I think they have a lot of up-and-coming guys who are going to be good."

E-mail Terron Hampton at

thampton@gazette.net.