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You could practically have penciled in the DeMatha and Good Counsel high school football teams for a date in the 2009 Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship game before the season even began.

The two teams will meet in the WCAC final for the sixth consecutive year at 2 p.m. Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis. To say the least, the Stags and Falcons have become familiar with one another.

"I guess one advantage you have, and it goes the other way as well, is that we know each other so well," said DeMatha coach Bill McGregor. "I could tell you off the top of my head who their favorite players are and what they're favorite plays are to run. The hard part comes also in playing each other again and again, even though some of those games were classic football."

Indeed, Good Counsel and DeMatha have a history of high drama in the WCAC final over the past five years. Last year's game — a 34-7 DeMatha win — is the only one of the five contests decided by more than six points. The Stags won the 2004 and 2005 games by one point, and won the 2006 game in overtime.

The Stags are trying to win their seventh consecutive WCAC title. DeMatha hasn't lost since a 42-21 drubbing at Good Counsel on Oct. 2, 2008. The Stags are riding an 18-game winning streak that includes a come-from-behind 24-21 victory against the Falcons on Oct. 9.

DeMatha had a sluggish start to the Oct. 9 game and trailed 21-3 in the fourth quarter before senior running back Marcus Coker ran for three touchdowns.

"They're a real athletic team, and they have a team full of athletes good players," Stags' defensive tackle Darian Cooper said of Good Counsel. "I feel we play more as a unit. Sometimes they ride off of one or two playmakers on the team, while we play as a unit and know what our role is."

The Stags got defensive in last week's WCAC semifinal against Gonzaga (D.C.), winning 35-0. The DeMatha defense held Eagles' quarterback Kevin Hogan in check after Hogan tossed three touchdown passes against the Stags in a regular season game on Oct. 2 — a 48-21 DeMatha victory.

Coker, who has committed to the University of Iowa, missed two and a half games with a pulled groin muscle, but has played in the Stags' last two games. He ran for 154 yards and two touchdowns last week against Gonzaga. DeMatha quarterback Daniel Tapscott also was effective against Gonzaga, completing 10 of 16 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown.

"As seniors we want to be one of the greatest DeMatha teams to ever play here and it's going to be hard," Tapscott said. "It's a friendly rivalry within the program because people from previous years stop by and we always try to compare [graduating] classes. I wouldn't say there's added pressure, just as seniors and as a team we just don't want to lose."

WCAC Title Game

DeMatha vs. Good Counsel

When/Where: 2 p.m. Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium, Annapolis

DeMatha (11-0)

Leading rusher: Marcus Coker 157 carries, 1,583 yards, 20 TD

Leading passer: Daniel Tapscott 77 for 136, 1,293 yards, 11 TD, 2 Int

Leading receiver: Ryan Burbrink 21 catches, 405 yards, 4 TD

Good Counsel (10-1)

Leading rusher: Wes Brown 154 carries, 1,238 yards, 17 TD

Leading passer: Zach Dancel 66 for 112, 1,097 yards, 9 TD, 3 Int

Leading receiver: Louis Young 25 catches, 434 yards, 3 TD

E-mail Terron Hampton at thampton@gazette.net.