Madonna’s offensive line deserves more credit
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WEIRTON -- As the resurgent Madonna football team continued to roll undefeated with a convincing come from behind 27-13 win over a rugged Mathews club, it has become clear that it is fueled by a prolific, workhorse running back and a workman-like offensive line.
By now, everyone knows about running back Donavan Kirby, but the linemen aren't as well known. Seniors Ryan Ekey, Max Fiedorczyk, Zak Tokash, Mac Raymond, Joey Garan and Jimmy DeMarco along with junior Garrett Cook are quickly showing they can open the holes for Kirby, who missed the single game school rushing record Friday night against the Mustangs by a single yard.
Despite the Mustangs putting 10 players in the defensive box most of the time, the line and Kirby found enough holes for him to gain 339 yards on the ground, and they found a way to come back from an early 13-point deficit to record the fifth straight win of the season.
The Blue Dons went into the game ranked seventh among all Class A teams in West Virginia.
"I'm proud of the guys," second-year Blue Don coach Darrin Hicks said. "It was a great team effort again. As long as we continue to improve and be 1-0 each week, we're going to be happy with where we're going."
The Mustangs use a wishbone offense that isn't as popular as it used to be and perhaps surprised the Blue Dons early. Dan Canter scored on touchdowns runs of 35 and 80 yards on two consecutive touches in the first quarter to take a 13-0 lead. Canter, a senior, finished with 191 yards rushing.
However, after Cantor's second run, the Blue Dons took the momentum away as the Madonna defense made a couple of adjustments, and the offense also made some tweaks to get rolling.
"We made a few adjustments, but I thought coming out we were focused. We loosened it up a little with some passing, not a lot," Hicks said.
Blue Don junior quarterback Gavin Dietrich made his debut under center this year, going 1-of-3 for 17 yards, and Kirby threw one incomplete pass. That was three more aerials than Hicks called a week ago.
One of the things that may have loosened up the Mustang defense more than the passing was a nifty fake to Kirby and Dietrich keeper around right end that went for 62 yards to set up Madonna's first touchdown in the second quarter. Dietrich ran from his own 25 to the Mustang 13, shaking off a couple of tacklers and bulling his way the last few yards.
Kirby got to the end zone on a 13-yard student body right run that cut the Mustang lead to 13-6.
"That was a great play by Dietrich," Hicks said. "He did a great job tonight. He has improved every week and played a wonderful game on both sides of the football, but did some really good things for us at quarterback."
Kirby, who was called upon to carry the ball 45 times, scored all four Blue Don touchdowns and had additional scoring bursts of 4, 7 and 15 yards.
"Kirby had another game tonight," Hicks said. "He looked determined. He had the look in his eye. Obviously, probably too many carries and that's my fault. I really didn't know what the carries were til the end of the game, but when you got a guy like that who is feeling it, we felt good just giving him the football. He had a fantastic game tonight.
"I think we saw a lot of patience from him tonight. He's another guy that didn't waver from the plan. He knew what was going on; how we were attempting to continue on with the plan. A great job by him and a great job by our offensive line."
The 339 yards gives Kirby, the leading ball carrier in the 11-school area covered by the Herald-Star and Daily times, 1,298 yards in five games, and it put him a little more than half way to the 2,150-yard school record held by Luke Myers.
"We have the best offensive line I've ever seen or played with," Kirby said after the game. "We give our all. We're the best team out there."
Canter's touchdowns were two minutes apart in the first period, but it was all Blue Dons after that.
Madonna began the comeback by marching 80 yards after Canter's second score. The drive featured 7 Kirby runs along with two penalties against Matthews, one of them a 15-yard facemask. Kirby got loose from the Mustang 27 and appeared to be ready to score, but he lost control of the football reaching for the goal line pylon and fumbled into the end zone.
The Mustangs fell on the ball for a touchback. Undaunted, the Blue Don defense forced a Mathews punt that set the stage for Dietrich's run and Kirby's first touchdown.
The Blue Dons made the score 13-12 at the half, scoring on Kirby's sweep right again from four yards out just 10 seconds before the intermission. Dietrich set up that score, too, with his only pass completion, a 17-yarder to senior Vinnie Pulice.
The Blue Dons took the lead for good on the first drive after the intermission with Kirby blasting up the middle from the 7. They tacked on an insurance TD when Kirby scored on a 15-yard run with a slant over the left side with 4:18 left in the game.
Meanwhile, the Blue Don defense held Matthews to just 45 total yards in the second half after they totaled 170 yards in the first half, most of them on Canter's two big touchdown runs.
The Blue Dons will host Parkersburg Catholic Thursday night at Jimmy Carey Stadium. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday but was changed at the request of the Parkersburg coaching staff.
Madonna 27, Mathews 13
Mathews 13-0-0-0 -- 13
Madonna 0-12-8-7 -- 27
Mathews: Da. Canter 35 run (kick failed)
Mathews: Da. Canter 80 run Strama kick
Madonna: Kirby 13 run (kick failed)
Madonna; Kirby 4 run (kick failed)
Madonna: Kirby 7 run (Kirby run)
Madonna: Kirby 15 run (Dietrich kick)
RUSHING: Mathews 39-211-2 (D. Canter 17-191-2; Hunt 3-24; Miller 3-10; Walsh 2-11; Pierce 5-(-5); Di. Canter 9 (-20)); Madonna 53-387-4 (Kirby 46-339-4; H. Baird 4-3; Dietrich 3-45).
PASSING: Mathews 1-8-4 (all by Di. Canter). Madonna 1-4-17 (Dietrich 1-3; Kirby 0-1).
RECEIVING: Mathews: (Hunt 1-4); Madonna Pulice (1-17).
FIRST DOWNS: Mathews 7; Madonna 20.
FUMBLES-LOST: Mathews 2-1; Madonna 2-1.
PENALTIES: Mathews 7-70; Madonna 8-75.
PUNTS-AVG; Mathews 4-34; Madonna 3-42.