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Blue Dons must win Saturday for possible playoff implications

HEADS UP — Korey Kakascik, left, Nick Elias and their Madonna teammates are preparing for Clarksburg Notre Dame on Saturday. -- Joe Catullo

WEIRTON — Even though it is midway through the season, Madonna’s game Saturday with Clarksburg Notre Dame could have playoff implications as both teams go into the battle of West Virginia Catholic school rivals with several similarities.

It will be the second home afternoon game for the Blue Dons at Jimmy Carey Stadium with a 1 p.m. kickoff.

The teams are close in the WVSSAC weekly rankings, with Madonna holding down 16th place in a tie with Pocahontas County and the Fighting Irish ranked 18th in a three-way tie with Ravenswood and Tug Valley.

Notre Dame is coming off a bye week, but both teams absorbed lopsided losses in their last outings, Madonna taking it on the chin from Cameron, 46-0, last week and Notre Dame going down to South Harrison (1-4), 35-14, two weeks ago in its first home game of the season. With those losses, Madonna now is 3-2, while Notre Dame is 2-2.

“Notre Dame is another very good football team,” Blue Don coach Darrin Hicks said. “They have some good receivers, they will line up in two backs and tight end and run the football down hill. Defensively, they seem pretty multiple. They have a couple of big kids up front and seem to be pretty athletic. They do a good job in the kicking game as well.

“They often line up in the Pro-I and two-by-two spread. They mix some other things in, but that seems to be the bulk of what they do. They seem to be about equal with the run and pass. It appears their offensive line looks pretty good. They want to find what is working for them and go with it.”

Hicks said the Irish have a talented quarterback in Nathan Helm and a freshman running back Jaidyn West. Another concern of Hicks is tall wide receiver in senior Joel Maurer, who stands 6-feet-6. Up front, the Notre Dame line is anchored by senior Pat Snuffer.

The teams have played one common opponent in Bridgeport (2-3), and both defeated the Blue Devils. Madonna scored a 40-36 win over Bridgeport in the season opener, while the Irish defeated the Blue Devils, 27-6, two weeks later.

The Irish also have a 28-8 win over Calhoun County (1-4). In addition to the South Harrison loss, Notre Dame lost its opener by a 48-21 score to Pendleton County (3-2).

“Defensively, Notre Dame mixes it up between a 4-4 and 4-3 depending upon what they are trying do with their coverage,” Hicks said. “Their front seven is pretty solid, and they don’t make a lot of mistakes on the back side with their defensive backs. They are well-coached at understanding with what they do within their scheme. This is a big ballgame with a lot of implications, so we’re going to have to put forth a substantial effort.

“Each week it is the same for us. We have to limit turnovers and create them. We have to be strong in the kicking game. We have to run the football and stop the run. And then, we have to be efficient offensively in the red zone and have to stop them in the red zone as well.”

Hicks doesn’t believe the 1 p.m. kick will have an impact on his Blue Dons.

“We’ve talked about it with our kids,” he said. “I told them we’re going to play on a 100-yard field that is 53 yards wide. It’s got two end zones and two goal posts. It’s really no different than anything else. It’s simply a difference in time. That’s why we talked about it today. We talk about things openly inside the program, so they don’t become issues.

“Like any other game, you put your best foot forward. You try to prepare the kids as much as you can. You try to put together as solid a game plan as you can. And then, there comes a point where you turn that all over to them to go out and compete and get after it a little bit. I look forward to it either Friday or Saturday when we get the opportunity to do that.”

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