ESPN RISE

BALTIMORE -- Marcus Coker to the left -- it appeared to be the only play DeMatha needed to defeat Gilman.

Single-game rushing

Marcus Coker's performance puts him in the top 5 all-time for single-game rushing yards.

• 446, Sam Hess, Hancock vs. St. James, 1998
• 418, Darnell Dennis, Camb.-S.D. vs. Kent, 1996
• 411, Ryan Davis, Catonsville vs. Towson, 1996
• 391, Marcus Coker, DeMatha vs. Gilman, 2009
• 384, Jeff Smiley, James M. Bennett vs. Easton, 2000

Coker rushed for 391 yards and five touchdowns as No. 1 DeMatha ran to a 56-35 victory over No. 4 Gilman on Saturday afternoon.

DeMatha (2-0) used a 42-point second half to unknot a 14-all game and Coker's performance places him fourth on the list for most rushing yards in a game.

"We went into the game knowing we had to control the ball," DeMatha head coach Bill McGregor said. "What I was most proud about was the second half. It was gut-check, 14-14. Somebody has to step up and try and get things done and fortunately today we did."

Key play: With 3:26 left in the third quarter, Gilman (2-1) scored on one play -- an 80-yard touchdown pass from Darius Jennings to Cyrus Jones to bring the score to 28-21.

Less than a minute later, Coker rushed around the left side for a 78-yard touchdown to push the lead up to 13. Gilman went three-and-out on the next series, and within four plays on DeMatha's next possession, Coker ran for another touchdown to push the lead to 19. While Gilman never quit, they never seemed to get their feet back under them.

Record day: Coker's 391 rushing yards places him fourth all-time for most rushing yards in a game. His final carry of the game, a nine-yard rush, catapulted him past Jason Boyd (383) and Jeff Smiley (384).

"I gave it my all on every play and my line did a great job and the wide receivers blocking down field sprung me for the touchdowns," the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Coker said. "I was seeing huge gaps -- just open field. That's all I saw."

"I've been at DeMatha for 28 years and I've never seen a back have the kind of game [Coker] had," McGregor said of Coker. "He fits into the mold of some of the great ones we've had in the past. He's going to be another outstanding tailback for us."

Behind the mask: Over the summer, Coker broke his nose and fractured an orbital bone under his eye. He has been fitted for a plastic mask to wear under his helmet as a precautionary method to help alleviate any pressure from impact.

"It's hard to breathe and kind of hard to see because it's so close [to his football helmet]," Coker said.

"I was dying [after his long touchdown runs]," Coker added with a laugh.

To the left: Four of Coker's five touchdowns were over the left side of DeMatha's line that boasts future FBS athletes, Arie Kouandjie and Shane Johnson.

"We just tried as hard as we can. I don't even know what happened out there - I just saw whatever was in front of me and I tried to dominate," Kouandjie said. "I really hoping for him [Coker] to come to the left. They got a play on the right side -- I was mad. My brother [Cyrus] got that touchdown, and I wanted it. But at least we kept it in the family."

"I don't think [the offensive line] could have done a better job," McGregor said. "We knew we had to put the game in their hands, run the football, eat the clock and keep Gilman's offense off the field as much as possible."

Getting offensive: Gilman (2-1) and DeMatha were tied at 14 at the end of the first half, but the two teams combined to score 56 points in the last two quarters.

Coker's performance will get the headlines, but Gilman proved to be just as tough to handle for DeMatha's defense. Quarterback Darius Jennings rushed for 238 yards and two touchdowns and added 126 yards passing and three more touchdowns in the loss.

"I think he's a great back. Any time he touched the ball he scored -- he's outstanding," McGregor said of Jennings performance. "He's just so elusive. He makes himself skinny when he has to and he doesn't miss a step and keeps on going."

In addition to Coker, DeMatha's Michael Meriwether rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.

Getting defensive: Gilman has allowed 106 point through three games, something head coach Biff Poggi knows they need to fix.

"Right now, defensively, we're not very good," Poggi said. "We gave up a lot of yards against Bear Creek [Colo.] in more of a West Coast [offense], but then today this was just Football 101 -- they did nothing fancy. The jury is out on how good we're going to be. We're exciting offensively, but that doesn't win games. We're going to have to figure out how to stop people or we're not going to be very good."

What this means: The road ahead gets no easier for the Greyhounds. Gilman travels to Good Counsel for a Thursday night game. Good Counsel is coming off its own thumping of a MIAA A conference team -- a 42-0 win over Mount St. Joseph.

The loss could help Gilman in the long run. According to Poggi, the defense has been exposed and knows what it needs to work on to improve. The Greyhounds will begin their conference schedule after the Good Counsel game and are still expected to be the favorite to win the conference title.

For DeMatha, this win leaves little doubt that they are the best team in Maryland and should move them up in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 national rankings. And just in case you are curious, DeMatha hosts Good Counsel on Oct. 9.

They said it: "It was a beating. I don't think the game was as close as the score. When you give up 390-some yards to a tailback, you did not play that game well," Gilman head coach Biff Poggi said. "We were outmatched. They beat us up, and we couldn't stop them."

After one of Coker's touchdown runs, Kouandjie could be seen, behind the play, doing a little dance -- "I like to dance a little bit. When I get happy, I dance.

Hello, Iowa: The University of Iowa had three committed recruits playing in this game.

Gilman's Jim Poggi and Anthony Ferguson and DeMatha's Marcus Coker have all committed to play in Iowa City next season.

"It was definitely motivation," Coker said of playing against two future teammates. "That's bragging rights for the next couple years."

GAME SUMMARY

1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total
DeMatha 7 7 21 21 56
Gilman 0 14 7 14 35

First Quarter
D - Coker 4 run (Michael Branthover kick good), 6:51

Second Quarter
G - Linn Worthington 18 pass from Darius Jennings (Kick good), 11:52
G - Bryan Willis 8 pass from Jennings (Kick good), 2:55
D - Coker 80 run (Branthover kick good), 2:40

Third Quarter
D - Michael Coley 59 pass from Daniel Tapscott (Branthover kick good), 9:17
D - Michael Meriwether 20 run (Branthover kick good), 3:42
G - Cyrus Jones 80 pass from Jennings (kick good), 3:26
D - Coker 78 run (kick blocked), 2:18

Fourth Quarter
D - Coker 2 run (Branthover kick good), 11:56
G - Jennings 9 run (kick good), 10:07
D - Coker 3 run (Branthover kick good), 6:35
G - Jennings 73 run (kick good), 5:16
D - Meriwether 26 run (Branthover kick good), 2:31

ESPN RISE encourages comments from its users. Leave a comment below. Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com.