Minus a dozen players, GW still wins

The snow that arrived just before kickoff was a surprise. So, too, was the number of regulars George Washington was missing for the renewal of its Thanksgiving Day rivalry with Far Northeast neighbor Archbishop Ryan.

Twelve Eagles, including leading rusher Hakeem Sillman and multipurpose standout Nate Smith, were held out for skipping a team meeting Tuesday and blowing off practice Wednesday.

Washington, though, refused to let a smaller-than-normal roster keep it from finishing on a winning note. With stellar play from its usual senior leaders, the Eagles pinned a 20-7 defeat Thursday on the Raiders at Mickey Young Memorial Stadium.

Of the multiple benchings, Washington coach Ron Cohen said, "I did what I had to do, and it's something I've done before. That's not Washington football. No one is bigger than the team."

Ryan's advantage in the holiday series was trimmed to 24-9-1. Overall, the Raiders are ahead by 26-9-1.

In addition to the dozen who were benched, the Eagles were without two-way back English Peay (knee injury) and two-way end Claudy Mathieu, serving a one-game suspension for being ejected from the loss to Northeast in the Public League Class AAAA final.

Quarterback Tony Smith, wideout-cornerback Daquan Cooper, and two-way lineman Brandon Chudnoff carried the load as Washington snapped Ryan's three-game series win streak.

Despite a sloppy field, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Smith, a transfer from Father Judge, completed 9 of 15 throws for 132 yards and two touchdowns. He closed the year with 1,231 passing yards and 18 TDs.

Cooper made four catches for 75 yards and a clinching fourth-quarter score, and Chudnoff shined as an offensive guard and defensive end. Both are headed for Temple.

Midway through the fourth quarter, with the Eagles nursing a 14-7 lead, Cooper ran a right-side slant pattern and hauled in a 15-yard TD toss from Smith. "We've been working on that play a lot," Cooper said. "[Washington coordinator Frank McFillin] called it, and we executed it."

In the second quarter, aided by a flurry of Washington penalties, the Raiders (2-9) put together a 15-play, 70-yard scoring drive. Tailback Marcus Allen's 6-yard burst made it 14-7 just before intermission.

"We had our chances, but we didn't make enough plays to win," Ryan second-year coach Frank McArdle said. "We needed to tackle a little better."

The Eagles (8-3) used six running backs. One of senior Eugene Moten's two carries went for a 25-yard score. In the second half, junior Aaron White picked up 46 yards on eight rushes.

Besides Cooper (three solo stops) and Chudnoff, Washington's defense was spurred by linebacker Mike Moronese (two sacks), cornerback Donovan Morris (five tackles, one sack), and tackle Mike McGlashen (five stops).

Archbishop Ryan   0 7 0 0 – 7

George Washington   14 0 0 6 – 20

GW: Morris 12 pass from T. Smith (Wright kick)

GW: Moten 25 run (Wright kick)

AR: Allen 6 run (Rendon kick)

GW: Cooper 15 pass from T. Smith (kick failed)