WCAC football: McNamara tops O'Connell to close in on a postseason berth About halfway through his sprint down the right sideline toward the end zone late in Saturday's game against O'Connell, the magnitude of the moment appeared to hit Jamar Watson. All season long - one that was nearly doomed by a 1-3 start before being resurrected by key wins down the stretch - he and his McNamara teammates were bent on delivering upon the vow by second-year Coach Keith Goganious that this version of the Mustangs was ripe for clinching the team's first Washington Catholic Athletic Conference playoff berth in five years. So as the junior linebacker returned an interception 73 yards for the final touchdown in a 52-28 home win in Forestville that kept the Mustangs" playoff hopes alive, Watson thrust his index finger forward, reflecting the team's refusal to let its season end prematurely. The win meant McNamara would make the WCAC playoffs if No. 8 Gonzaga beat St. John's on Saturday night. Otherwise, a draw will be needed to determine which two of the three teams will get the conference's final playoff spots. "Coach G played linebacker in the NFL, so he teaches me every day, and I told him one of these days I'm going to get a pick six," Watson said. People kept doubting us as a defense, so to be able to do that felt great. A similar return helped jump-start the Mustangs (4-6, 3-3) in all three phases of the game during the first half. After Alfonso Banks IV ran back the opening kickoff 82 yards for a score, the senior caught an 84-yard touchdown pass from Ramar Williams, which was followed four plays later by a 61-yard interception return and score by Robert Jackson Jr. "We were already pretty motivated coming in with it being senior day and us needing a win for the playoffs, so I was fortunate to be able to set the tone with that kickoff return," Banks said. Obviously that can do wonders and we were able to keep scoring from there. Williams took over as the team's catalyst in the second quarter, eluding O'Connell's pass rush to find Xavier Williams and Camari Murray for two more of his five touchdowns and extending McNamara's lead to 34-14 at halftime. O'Connell (5-5, 1-5) responded in kind. On the opening series of the second half, quarterback Michael Galvan completed passes to four receivers before running two yards for a touchdown. The senior finished off the Knights" next drive in similar fashion, leaping over multiple McNamara defenders for a four-yard touchdown run that cut the Mustangs" lead to 34-28 with 10 minutes 44 seconds to play. "We started getting a little high on ourselves because we were up, so Coach told us to play like it was 0-0 and to get our focus back on the main goal," said Mustangs senior defensive back Ashton White, who had one of the team's three interceptions. The Mustangs" defense responded, holding O'Connell to three first downs the rest of the way while recording a sack and Watson's long interception return to clinch their second victory in three games.