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With safety in mind, Gonzaga, St. John’s will not compete in DCSAA football playoffs

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Joey Freeman (36) and Gonzaga rolled past H.D. Woodson for the second straight year in the 2015 DCSAA Class AA final despite featuring a number of backup players. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

St. John's and Gonzaga of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference will not be included in this year's D.C. State Athletic Association Class AA football playoffs due to player safety concerns, DCSAA executive director Clark Ray confirmed Friday.

Gonzaga won the previous two DCSAA Class AA championship games, beatingthree-time defending Turkey Bowl champion H.D. Woodson by a combined score of 70-12, including a 45-8 victory in 2015. Though the Warriors were competitive in the first half last year, they could not keep up while using many key players on both sides of the ball.

“It came down to just a safety issue for us,” Ray said. “When we compared the schools and the number of student-athletes that are on their rosters, there just wasn’t the number of kids that were able to go full strength. . . . It’s a safety issue for me personally, and I always want to err on the side of caution.”

The DCSAA began holding postseason events in 2012 as a way to incorporate all of the city’s public, private and charter schools in championship events. Initially, WCAC and other private schools in the District did not take part in the football tournament. But the past two years every city school has been eligible to earn a playoff berth, with teams separated by two classes based on enrollment and competitiveness.

Carroll, which also plays in the WCAC, will still be eligible to compete in the DCSAA Class AA football playoffs. Maret, Sidwell Friends and St. Albans also remain part of the Class A playoffs.

“I understand where they’re coming from,” Gonzaga Athletic Director Joe Reyda said. “One positive thing is our season isn’t going to be extended into December, but to have the opportunity to play in that, it was a great thing for us and hopefully we can do something here in the future.”

Ray said St. John’s and Gonzaga will still be involved with DCSAA championship events for other sports. St. John’s Athletic Director Brian Griffin added that his school was also comfortable with the decision and remains “supportive” of the DCSAA’s efforts going forward.

“In basketball and some other sports, it works really well,” Griffin said. “But in football, at this time, from a public vs. private standpoint, there are different levels, and from a private standpoint, there’s even some levels. Football is something that you want to have the right levels of competition competing on field and I think it got to a point where there were those within the city that said we really can’t compete with the WCAC schools like St. John’s and Gonzaga.”