MACEDONIA — The seventh time proved the charm for McDonald.
After six prior postseason losses to Mogadore, the Blue Devils got their first tournament win over the Wildcats in a Division VII, Region 25 championship game Nov. 21. McDonald set the tone by scoring on its opening drives of the first and second halves and never trailed en route to a 42-21 victory.
“We’d have had to have scored almost every time we possessed the ball,” Mogadore coach Matt Adorni said. “They were really hard to get off the field.”
McDonald advanced to face Hillsdale in a state semifinal, and Mogadore (11-2) ended its season as the regional runner-up for the sixth time in the last eight years.
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“They stepped up,” Wildcats senior Dylan Benedum said. “They played great football, and those guys, I hope they go on. I hope they win next week, too. They were really good throughout the whole thing, helping us up, being great guys and [I] got nothing but respect for them and I hope they go and make a far run.”
The Blue Devils (13-0) were as balanced as advertised with four different players accounting for their six touchdowns. Casey Miller (21 carries, 171 yards) and Josh Krumpak (eight carries, 22 yards) each ran for two touchdown, with Krumpak also tallying five catches for 55 yards. Drew Zajack (23 carries, 98 yards) also ran for a touchdown and Kyle Puckett (8-of-12 passing, 110 yards, TD) found Jordan Perry on an inside slant for another score.
McDonald was especially good on third and fourth downs. The Blue Devils converted 7 of 13 third downs. On three of the six third downs they failed to convert, they converted the subsequent fourth down. It was easy to see why they were so good on third and fourth down given their bevy of options. For many high school teams, you know exactly where the ball is going on third-and-3. Not with McDonald.
“For them being so run-heavy and powered up in the line, they can really air it out really well,” Benedum said. “Krumpak] and [Miller], their cuts are amazing. [Zajack] is really downhill. They have the perfect three guys back there, and those receivers, they made big plays when they needed to.”
On their opening touchdown drive, the Blue Devils converted third-and-1 on a Zajack plunge, third-and-7 on a Miller draw and third-and-3 on a Miller end-around.
After Benedum tied the score with a 58-yard run, McDonald retook the lead on its second drive, converting a fourth-and-2 on a pitch to Miller before Puckett found Perry on a slant for a 14-7 lead.
The Wildcats tied it when junior quarterback Maddox Smith dashed 51 yards to the end zone on a direct snap midway through the second quarter.
Again, the Blue Devils answered right away. Again, they delivered in a short-yardage situation.
On fourth-and-goal, McDonald gave the ball to Miller on yet another in a seemingly endless series of end-arounds, but this time Miller tossed it back to Krumpak cycling behind him for the 3-yard score and the 21-14 halftime lead.
“When they ran the reverse, [it] was a great call and pretty much everything they dialed up was working,” Adorni said. “Credit to them, they were well organized, as we knew they would be.”
Down 21-14 with the ball coming out of halftime, the Wildcats seemed in decent enough shape. But three second-half turnovers and four second-half penalties proved costly.
On Mogadore’s opening drive of the second half, it drove with relative ease to the McDonald 31. But facing third-and-1, the Wildcats had a false start, then an illegal procedure to set them up with a much trickier third-and-11. Forced to pass, Mogadore fumbled, with McDonald junior Amari Carayol pouncing on the loose ball.
On their subsequent drive, the Blue Devils maintained their third- and fourth-down magic. On third-and-6, Puckett felt back-side pressure and scrambled the opposite way for a gain of 19. On a later third-and-4, Puckett found Krumpak on a hook one yard shy of the marker, and the physical Zajack converted the ensuing fourth-and-1 with a plunge.
A few plays later, on third-and-3, Zajack worked his way out of a leg tackle to set up first-and-goal, and Miller scored when he took a pitch right for a 6-yard touchdown and a 28-14 lead.
As Mogadore senior running back and linebacker Conner Lehner put it, “They just had a ton of weapons everywhere, from receivers to a big fullback and a fast running back that could do a lot, too.”
Mogadore punched back one last time with one last big play as Smith threw a beautiful pass deep down the right side to fellow junior Kade Thomas, who caught the ball on the right tip of the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown.
With its lead down to 28-21, McDonald needed just four plays to respond, capped by another Miller touchdown on a pitch.
Miller ensured that lead held up with a pick on Mogadore’s subsequent possession — as the senior speedster raced across the field toward what looked to be an open receiver and cut the pass off for the dagger of an interception.
Krumpak scored on the Blue Devils’ subsequent possession and the game was in hand.
“[They] had a big horse, a state discus champion [Zajack] running between the tackles,” Adorni said. “You got those wings that were real quick and cut it up real well, and then [the] quarterback threw really well, so it wasn’t like you could sit or try to take away one thing.”
Lehner, the Northeast Inland District Co-Offensive Player of the Year in Division VII, finished his high school football career with yet another big performance, gaining a team-high 102 yards on 15 carries. Benedum and Smith also topped 65 rushing yards for the Wildcats.
“Getting back off the mat from a .500 season last year and being able to make a run, this is really important to our program, kind of reestablishing it,” Adorni said. “[I’m] super proud of everything that got us to this point.”
Check out our in-game updates from Macedonia:
How the game unfolded (drive chart)
Unofficial stats
Mogadore Wildcats (11-2)
Rush (25-241): Conner Lehner 15-102, Maddox Smith 7-72, Dylan Benedum 3-67
Pass: Maddox Smith 3-6-63-0-2
Receiving: Kade Thomas 2-37, Conner Lehner 1-26
McDonald Blue Devils (13-0)
Rush (53-310): Casey Miller 21-171, Drew Zajack 23-98, Josh Krumpak 8-22, Kyle Puckett 1-19
Pass: Kyle Puckett 8-12-110-1-0
Receiving: Josh Krumpak 5-55, Jordan Perry 3-55
McDonald wins first regional title since 1994
The seventh time is the charm for the Blue Devils as they top the Wildcats 42-21. Mogadore had won its first six postseason matchups against McDonald. Tonight, the Blue Devils get their revenge. They were excellent in short yardage on third and fourth downs. They won the turnover battle 4-0. And a balanced offense found the end zone in four different ways. Josh Krumpak, Casey Miller and Drew Zajack all had rushing touchdowns for McDonald. Kyle Puckett also found Jordan Perry on an inside slant for a score. Again, a very balanced offense that proved very difficult to stop.
It was 21-14 McDonald at the half with Mogadore getting the ball out of halftime so again the Wildcats had their chances. But penalties and turnovers doomed their shot at a second-half comeback.
Casey Miller, Josh Krumpak provide insurance for McDonald
Casey Miller able to surge in and catch up on a pass to the other side of the field for a critical interception.
Then, McDonald rumbles down the field, capped by a Josh Krumpak end-around from eight yards out to put the Blue Devils up 42-21 with 4:51 remaining.
Casey Miller gives McDonald a two-score lead again
On third-and-1 from the 44, Drew Zajack plunges up the middle for a gain of eight and then Casey Miller on the pitch right able to cut back to the middle of the field for a 36-yard touchdown run and a 35-21 lead.
There’s 11:30 left in the fourth quarter.
Mogadore’s Maddox Smith answers with deep ball to Kade Thomas
Just what the doctor ordered for the Wildcats. A quick touchdown in response as Maddox Smith just a beautiful deep ball to Kade Thomas on the right tip of the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown pass.
It’s 28-21 McDonald with 1:05 left in the third.
McDonald expands lead
A big blow for the Blue Devils as Casey Miller the excellent cutback en route to the 6-yard touchdown run on first-and-goal. It’s 28-14 McDonald with 2:29 left in the third quarter.
Halftime in Macedonia
It’s 21-14 McDonald at the half.
McDonald takes the lead
The Blue Devils have been excellent in short yardage all game long. There, on fourth-and-goal from the Wildcats’ 3, they dial up a gorgeous play. The handoff to Casey Miller sweeping in as he has done all game. And then Miller the flip to Josh Krumpak cycling behind him on the reverse. A beautiful trick play touchdown for a 21-14 lead with two minutes remaining in the first half.
Mogadore’s Maddox Smith rebounds
Great response by Maddox Smith and the Wildcats after a red-zone fumble. It was Smith with the fumble and it was the junior quarterback bouncing back with a 51-yard direct snap dash to the end zone on third-and-7. It’s 14-14 with 6:25 left in the half.
McDonald jumps back in front
The run sets up the pass as always. Kyle Puckett finds a wide-open Jordan Perry on the inside slant for a 29-yard touchdown connection and a 14-7 lead with 11:54 left in the second quarter.
Casey Miller converts on fourth
On fourth-and-2, it’s a pitch left to Casey Miller. Miller darts toward the sideline, then cuts back to get the first down. McDonald will start the second quarter at the Mogadore 29, tied at seven.
Big fourth down for McDonald
We have fourth and two for the Blue Devils at the Wildcats’ 33 coming out of a McDonald timeout. Nice stop by Mogadore’s Chris Wunder on third-and-3 to set up fourth down.
We’re still tied at seven with 28 seconds left in the first quarter.
Mogadore, Dylan Benedum answer
What an answer as Dylan Benedum, the powerful fullback takes his first carry 58 yards to the end zone.
It’s 7-7 with 4:22 left in the first quarter.
McDonald authors impressive opening drive
A 13-play, 67-yard opening touchdown drive for the Blue Devils. Very impressive. Nothing fancy. Just a series of strong inside running. McDonald converts three out of three third downs and Drew Zajack caps the marathon drive with a one-yard TD plunge.
It’s 7-0 McDonald with 5:15 left in the first quarter.
Approaching kickoff
If you thought the long drive was going to stop the McDonald fans from coming out, you were wrong!
They are pumped about the Blue Devils’ longest postseason run in years!
Tale of the tape between Mogadore and McDonald football
About the Mogadore Wildcats football team
The Wildcats last lost in Week 3, falling by nine points at Dalton, always a top small-school program. Since then, Mogadore has recorded nine straight wins — a remarkable turnaround after last year’s 6-6 finish. Maddox Smith has certainly impressed in his first year starting at quarterback, topping 1,400 yards of offense in the regular season, while fellow junior Kade Thomas approached 600 receiving yards. Both are also star defensive backs while Dylan Benedum, Aiden Boylen and Shayne Thomas have all played leadership roles in the trenches.
About the McDonald Blue Devils football team
The Blue Devils are undefeated for a reason. They have tremendous balance with two 1,000-yard running backs (Drew Zajack and Casey Miller) along with a 1,750-yard quarterback (Kyle Puckett). Puckett has completed more than two-thirds of his passes for 1,766 yards and 25 touchdowns against just five interceptions. Both Josh Krumpak (26 catches, 843 yards, 13 TDs) and Jordan Perry (36 catches, 566 yards, seven TDs) have been leading beneficiaries. McDonald is also yielding just 13.25 points per game.
Contact Jonah L. Rosenblum at jrosenblum@recordpub.com and follow him on Twitter at @JLRSports.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: OHSAA football playoffs scores, Mogadore vs McDonald recap, highlights
Reporting by Jonah Rosenblum, Ravenna Record-Courier / Record-Courier
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