Dons, Central set for Saturday showdown
Trending
STEUBENVILLE -- Catholic Central will celebrate homecoming Saturday when it welcomes cross-river rival Madonna to Harding Stadium.
The kick for the 23rd all-time meeting between the programs is set for 7 p.m. Central leads the series 13-8-1 but since the rivalry was resumed in 2009, Madonna leads 7-6 and has won two in a row.
"As a coach, I have always embraced homecoming," said Central's Erick Meek. "It's a tradition at every high school across America.
"We want to make our fans proud, play hard, play with class and hopefully get a win. Continued improvement this week and a win over Madonna would be very nice for our program."
Madonna, led by first-year coach Mauro Monz, stands at 2-1 following last week's tough 16-13 loss on the road to Mathews. The Blue Dons held a 13-6 lead at the half before the Mustangs scored 10 unanswered points and won the game on a late field goal.
The Blue Dons opened the season with huge wins over Hancock, Md. (52-0) and Bridgeport (40-6).
"It was a tough loss but our kids played hard," Monz said. "They blocked a punt and tied the game then kicked a field goal late.
"We just couldn't finish it out but that happens at times with a young football team."
The Crusaders are 1-4 following their Week 5 loss to unbeaten Edison.
"At this point, we feel we are improving as a team, especially on defense and special teams," said Meek. "Offensively, we haven't improved at the pace I would expect.
"We are going to continue to try to do some new things offensively. We'll be looking to get the right combinations on the field. We need to start scoring points and move the ball in order to win games."
In five games, Central has scored just 31 points.
Meek had the opportunity to watch Madonna play Mathews, which defeated Central 38-7 in the season opener, and he was impressed by what he saw.
"I was very impressed," he said. "Madonna is very athletic and get to the football well. They are a very good team and took Mathews right to the wire.
"They will spread you out defensively and they like to throw the ball. They'll throw it deep and also use intermediate routes. They have very good receivers and a very good sophomore quarterback. They do some things really well offensively. They are solid on defense and I was very impressed with their defensive ends. They are extremely athletic."
Lucas McAllister directs the Blue Don offensive attack. He connected with Chase Littleton for a touchdown in the loss to Mathews. In the win over Bridgeport, McAllister passed for 274 yards and three scores, completing 15 of his 21 passes. Littleton, Jonah McKay and Shawn McFarland are his favorite targets. McKay had five catches against Bridgeport for 87 yards and two scores.
"Lucas is a great kid and has made some great decisions for us so far this season," Monz said. "I am pleased with the way he is playing and developing.
"We are coming together. I think our defense is playing great -- not that the offense isn't. It always take a little time to get your offense going. Offensively, we got stalled in the second half of last week's game. We have to make some corrections based on the Mathews game and go from there."
Luca Muzzi ran for the other Madonna score against Mathews.
Meek said the task at hand for his Crusaders is pretty straightforward.
"We need to contain their speed," he said. "They are going to spread you out and we have to be
able to contain their speed through the air and on the ground.
"Offensively, we have to move the ball and score points."
Central's offense did show some signs of life in the loss to Edison. The Crusaders had one
potential scoring drive stall deep in Wildcat territory and saw a second one end with a fumble.
Andrew Dorsey threw for 78 yards, connecting four times with Tommy Pergi and completing three passes to Tyler Ialenti. Pergi also was Central's leading ground gainer.
"Central has a really a good defense," Monz said. "They play hard and are well-coached. They have some good wide receivers and I think their offensive line is solid. They have played a tough
schedule and this should be a good matchup.
"Rivalry weeks are great for both communities. Our kids are already talking about it and I am sure Central's kids are excited about it as well. We can't wait for Saturday -- rivalry games are always awesome. We expect them to come ready to play and hopefully we will come ready to play."