The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) is a major high school athletic league for boys, girls, and co-ed Catholic high schools of the Archdiocese of Washington & Diocese of Arlington located in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The WCAC is widely regarded as the nation's best boys and girls basketball and football conference, with several teams in the conference ranked nationally in any given year. History

The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference was formed from the merger of two established Washington-area Catholic school athletic leagues. In November 1992, the all-boys Metro Conference and the Catholic Girls Athletic Association (CGAA) voted to merge and create a coeducational league beginning with the 1993–94 school year. Twelve schools were involved in the merger, and the new league was initially expected to be called the Mid-Atlantic Catholic Athletic Association.

By the fall of 1993, the league was operating as the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. Contemporary coverage of a 1993 football game between DeMatha and St. John's described the WCAC as having a new name and alignment and noted that the schools' previous conference meetings had been played as members of the Metro Conference. Members The conference includes Basketball, Football, Lacrosse, Track and Field, Wrestling, Soccer, Volleyball and Baseball programs.It has produced numerous professional athletes in the NFL, NBA, MLS, MLB and PLL. SchoolArchdiocese- DioceseColorsTeam nameLocationFoundedEnrollmentArchbishop Carroll High SchoolArchdiocese of WashingtonLionsWashington, DC1951400Bishop Ireton High SchoolDiocese of ArlingtonCardinalsAlexandria, VA1964800Bishop McNamara High SchoolArchdiocese of WashingtonMustangsForestville, MD1964870Bishop O'Connell High SchoolDiocese of ArlingtonKnightsArlington, VA19571,170DeMatha Catholic High SchoolArchdiocese of WashingtonStagsHyattsville, MD1946800Elizabeth Seton High SchoolArchdiocese of WashingtonRoadrunnersBladensburg, MD1959570Gonzaga College High SchoolArchdiocese of WashingtonEaglesWashington, DC1821970Our Lady of Good Counsel High SchoolArchdiocese of Washington FalconsOlney, MD19581,200Academy of the Holy CrossArchdiocese of WashingtonTartansKensington, MD1868530St. Paul VI Catholic High SchoolDiocese of ArlingtonPanthersChantilly, VA1983957St. John's College High SchoolArchdiocese of WashingtonCadetsWashington, DC18511,200St. Mary's Ryken High SchoolArchdiocese of WashingtonKnightsLeonardtown, MD1885700The Heights SchoolArchdiocese of WashingtonCavaliersPotomac, MD1969280 Holy Cross and Elizabeth Seton are girls only, while Gonzaga, DeMatha and the Heights are all boys.

Sports The WCAC sponsors competitions in the following sports:

Baseball Basketball Cross Country Field Hockey Football Golf Ice Hockey Lacrosse Soccer Softball Swimming Tennis Track & Field Volleyball Wrestling

Football

Football championship records associated with the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference extend through its predecessor conferences. The Metro Conference was organized in 1969 and became the primary boys' athletic conference for many of the Catholic schools that later formed the WCAC. In 1993, the Metro Conference was reorganized into the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. DeMatha won the first football championship under the WCAC name that season after having won the final two Metro Conference championships in 1991 and 1992.

Beginning with the 2018 season, WCAC football was divided into the Capital and Metro divisions, with each division conducting its own postseason and awarding a championship. St. Mary's Ryken won the inaugural Metro Division championship, while Gonzaga won the inaugural Capital Division championship.

Champions

The championship history below includes championships recognized through the WCAC's predecessor football leagues as well as championships won after the WCAC name was adopted.

Pre-Metro era

1960 – Archbishop Carroll 1961 – St. John's 1962 – St. John's 1963 – DeMatha 1964 – St. John's 1965 – Archbishop Carroll 1966 – DeMatha 1967 – DeMatha 1968 – St. John's

Metro Conference era

1969 – Archbishop Carroll 1970 – Archbishop Carroll 1971 – Archbishop Carroll 1972 – St. John's 1973 – Bishop McNamara 1974 – St. John's 1975 – St. John's 1976 – St. John's 1977 – Archbishop Carroll 1978 – Archbishop Carroll 1979 – Archbishop Carroll 1980 – Archbishop Carroll 1981 – Bishop McNamara 1982 – DeMatha 1983 – Archbishop Carroll 1984 – DeMatha 1985 – Archbishop Carroll 1986 – DeMatha 1987 – Archbishop Carroll 1988 – Archbishop Carroll 1989 – St. John's 1990 – Bishop McNamara 1991 – DeMatha 1992 – DeMatha

The 1991 season marked the first Metro Conference football playoff tournament. DeMatha defeated St. John's, 7–0, in the championship game. In 1992, DeMatha defeated regular-season champion Carroll, 28–7, to win the final Metro Conference football championship before the creation of the WCAC.

WCAC era

1993 – DeMatha 1994 – DeMatha 1995 – DeMatha 1996 – Gonzaga 1997 – Gonzaga 1998 – DeMatha 1999 – Paul VI 2000 – DeMatha 2001 – DeMatha 2002 – Gonzaga 2003 – DeMatha 2004 – DeMatha 2005 – DeMatha 2006 – DeMatha 2007 – DeMatha 2008 – DeMatha 2009 – Good Counsel 2010 – Good Counsel 2011 – Good Counsel 2012 – Good Counsel 2013 – DeMatha 2014 – DeMatha 2015 – DeMatha 2016 – DeMatha 2017 – St. John's

When the WCAC was created, football initially operated with Division I and Division II classifications. Bishop Ireton won the 1993 Division II championship, Bishop O'Connell won the 1994 Division II championship, and Good Counsel won the 1995 Division II championship. For the 1996 season, the conference replaced the two-division football structure with one division and two separate postseason tournaments on a two-year trial basis.

Capital and Metro Division era

Beginning in 2018, the conference began awarding separate Capital and Metro Division championships.

Year Capital Division champion Metro Division champion 2018 Gonzaga St. Mary's Ryken 2019 Good Counsel St. Mary's Ryken 2020 No championship due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021 St. John's St. Mary's Ryken 2022 St. John's Archbishop Carroll 2023 Good Counsel St. Mary's Ryken 2024 DeMatha Paul VI 2025 DeMatha St. Mary's Ryken

DeMatha's 2024 championship was its 25th conference football title and its first since 2016. The Stags repeated in 2025, defeating Gonzaga 20–13 to win their 26th championship. St. Mary's Ryken's 2025 Metro championship was its fifth Metro title in seven seasons.

Championships by school

The totals below count championships in the primary historical championship lineage through 2017 and both Capital and Metro Division championships beginning in 2018. The separate Division II championships awarded from 1993 through 1995 and other secondary postseason tournaments are not included in these totals.

School Championships DeMatha 26 Archbishop Carroll 14 St. John's 12 Good Counsel 6 St. Mary's Ryken 5 Gonzaga 4 Bishop McNamara 3 Paul VI 2

Boys Basketball Champions

1961-DeMatha 1962-DeMatha 1963-DeMatha 1964-DeMatha 1965-DeMatha 1966-DeMatha 1967-Mackin (Carroll) 1968-DeMatha 1969-DeMatha 1970-DeMatha 1971-DeMatha 1972-DeMatha 1973-DeMatha 1974-DeMatha 1975-DeMatha 1976-DeMatha 1977-St. John's 1978-DeMatha 1979-DeMatha 1980-DeMatha 1981-DeMatha 1982-DeMatha 1983-DeMatha 1984-DeMatha 1985-DeMatha 1986-Gonzaga 1987-DeMatha 1988-DeMatha 1989-Carroll 1990-DeMatha 1991-DeMatha 1992-DeMatha 1993-Carroll 1994-DeMatha 1995-McNamara 1996-DeMatha 1997-Gonzaga 1998-DeMatha 1999-Gonzaga 2000-St. John's 2001-DeMatha 2002-DeMatha 2003-Gonzaga 2004-O'Connell 2005-DeMatha 2006-DeMatha 2007-DeMatha 2008-Gonzaga 2009-DeMatha 2010-DeMatha 2011-DeMatha 2012-St. Paul VI 2013-O'Connell 2014-St. Paul VI 2015-Gonzaga 2016-St. John's 2017-Gonzaga 2018-DeMatha 2019-Gonzaga 2020-DeMatha 2022-St. Paul VI 2023-St. John’s 2024-St. Paul VI 2025-St. Paul VI 2026-St. Paul IV

+ Champions School Championships DeMatha 41 Gonzaga 8 St. John's 4St. Paul VI 6 Carroll 3 O'Connell 2 McNamara 1

Girls Basketball Champions 1994-O'Connell 1995-Good Counsel 1996-Elizabeth Seton 1997-Elizabeth Seton 1998-St. John's 1999-St. John's 2000-St. John's 2001-Elizabeth Seton 2002-St. John's 2003-McNamara 2004-St. John's 2005-Good Counsel 2006-Good Counsel 2007-Holy Cross 2008-McNamara 2009-Good Counsel 2010-Elizabeth Seton 2011-St. John's 2012-Good Counsel 2013-St. John's 2014-St. Paul VI 2015-St. Paul VI 2016-St. Paul VI 2017-St. John's 2018-St. John's 2019-St. John's 2020-McNamara 2022-St. John's 2023-St. John’s 2024-St. John's 2025-McNamara 2026-McNamara

+ Champions School Championships St. John's 13 Good Counsel 5 Elizabeth Seton 4 St. Paul VI 3 Bishop McNamara 5 O'Connell 1 Holy Cross 1

Girls Ice Hockey Champions 2019-St. John's 2020-St. John's 2022-St. John's 2023-St. John’s 2024-St. John's 2025-St. John's 2026-St. John's

+ Champions School Championships St. John's 7

Baseball 1968-DeMatha 1969-St. John's 1970-DeMatha 1971-St. John's 1972-Good Counsel 1973-Carroll 1974-Carroll 1975-DeMatha 1976-St. John's 1977-St. John's 1978-DeMatha 1979-DeMatha 1980-DeMatha 1981-DeMatha 1982-O'Connell 1983-DeMatha 1984-DeMatha 1985-DeMatha 1986-Good Counsel 1987-DeMatha 1988-DeMatha 1989-O'Connell 1990-Good Counsel 1991-DeMatha 1992-DeMatha 1993-St. Paul VI 1994-DeMatha 1995-DeMatha 1996-DeMatha 1997-DeMatha 1998-DeMatha 1999-St. John's 2000-Gonzaga 2001-O'Connell 2002-DeMatha 2003-DeMatha 2004-DeMatha 2005-St. John's 2006-Good Counsel 2007-St. Paul VI 2008-DeMatha 2009-St. Paul VI 2010-Good Counsel 2011-St. John's 2012-St. Paul VI 2013-DeMatha 2014-St. John's 2015-St. John's 2016-St. John's 2017-St. John's 2018-St. John's 2019-St. John's 2021-St. John’s 2022-Gonzaga 2023-St. John’s 2024-St. John's 2025-St. John's 2026-Bishop O'Connell High School

+ Champions School Championships DeMatha 24 St. John's 17 Good Counsel 5 O'Connell 3 St. Paul VI 4 Carroll 2 Gonzaga 2

Softball Champions 1994-O'Connell 1995-O'Connell 1996-O'Connell 1997-O'Connell 1998-O'Connell 1999-O'Connell 2000-Holy Cross 2001-Good Counsel 2002-Bishop Ireton 2003-O'Connell 2004-O'Connell 2005-O'Connell 2006-O'Connell 2007-O'Connell 2008-O'Connell 2009-O'Connell 2010-O'Connell 2011-O'Connell 2012-O'Connell 2013-O'Connell 2014-St. Mary's Ryken 2015-St. Mary's Ryken 2016-O'Connell 2017-O'Connell 2018-O'Connell 2019-St. Mary's Ryken 2021-O'Connell 2022-O'Connell 2023-O'Connell 2024-O'Connell 2025-O'Connell

+ Champions School Championships O'Connell 25 St. Mary's Ryken 3 Holy Cross 1 Good Counsel 1 Bishop Ireton 1

Boys soccer champions 1974-DeMatha 1975-Carroll 1976-Good Counsel 1977-Carroll 1978-Good Counsel 1979-Good Counsel 1980-O'Connell 1981-O'Connell 1982-O'Connell 1983-O'Connell 1984-O'Connell 1985-Bishop Ireton 1986-St. John's 1987-DeMatha 1988-Good Counsel 1989-St. Paul VI 1990-Bishop Ireton 1991-O'Connell 1992-Gonzaga/St. Paul VI 1993-McNamara 1994-Bishop Ireton 1995-St. Paul VI 1996-O'Connell 1997-St. Paul VI 1998-O'Connell 1999-DeMatha 2000-Gonzaga 2001-Gonzaga 2002-Gonzaga 2003-DeMatha 2004-DeMatha 2005-DeMatha 2006-Gonzaga 2007-Gonzaga 2008-Gonzaga 2009-Gonzaga 2010-DeMatha 2011-DeMatha 2012-Gonzaga 2013-DeMatha 2014-DeMatha 2015-DeMatha 2016-Gonzaga 2017-Gonzaga 2018-The Heights (1st year in league) 2019-Gonzaga 2021-Good Counsel 2022-Gonzaga 2023-The Heights 2024-Gonzaga 2025-Gonzaga

+ Champions School Championships Gonzaga 15 DeMatha 11 O'Connell 8 Good Counsel 5 St. Paul VI 4 Ireton 3 Carroll 2The Heights 2 St. John's 1 McNamara 1

Boys Lacrosse

1987-Bishop Ireton 1988-Dematha 1989-Dematha 1990-Dematha 1991-Dematha 1992-Gonzaga 1993-Gonzaga 1994-Dematha 1995-Dematha 1996-Dematha 1997-Gonzaga 1998-Gonzaga 1999-Dematha 2000-Dematha 2001-Dematha 2002-Dematha 2003-Dematha 2004-Dematha 2005-Dematha 2006-Dematha 2007-St. Mary's Ryken 2008-Dematha 2009-Dematha 2010-Gonzaga 2011-Gonzaga 2012-Gonzaga 2013-Gonzaga 2014-Gonzaga 2015-Gonzaga