BIG GAME — Madonna’s Wesley Molish and Catholic Central’s Tommy Pergi are each a big part of their teams’ offense. They’ll both look to have a big night on Saturday when the Blue Dons and Crusaders battle at Harding Stadium. - Andrew Grimm

STEUBENVILLE — The annual meeting between cross-river rivals Madonna and Catholic Central is always a big game regardless of the teams’ records.

This year, the records make it even more exciting when the Crusaders host the Blue Dons on Saturday night inside Harding Stadium.

Central enters the game 4-1 and winners of three-straight, while Madonna is 4-0. The Crusaders are No. 2 in the Ohio Division VII, Region 27 standings and received votes in the latest Ohio Associated Press poll, while the Blue Dons are ranked No. 5 in West Virginia Class A.

“This should be an awesome game,” Central head coach Eric Meek said. “If you’re looking for a good, small-school football game, Saturday night at Harding Stadium will be the place to be. It’s Madonna-Central, two small Catholic schools with the same values and ideals right across the bridge from each other, so it’s always a big game and it should be a fantastic evening of football.

“There is a lot at stake for both teams as far as post season implications.There are a lot of points on the line for both teams and whoever comes out of Harding Stadium on top with a win is going to get a ton of points.”

The Crusaders are coming off a 32-22 homecoming win over Fairport Harding last Saturday afternoon. In that game, both Tommy Pergi and Jimmy Hernon went over 100 yards rushing, while Matthew Sprochi returned a kickoff for a TD and the Central defense intercepted three passes.

“I was nervous last week, not that I didn’t have faith in our kids, they played so hard and I’m proud of them, but I was nervous about their speed,” Meek said of Fairport. “Not only their speed offensively, but in their linebackers and secondary and our offense played very, very well. Our special teams players had some big plays and defensively, I know they threw the ball (46) times but we did real good against the run. We played tough, physical, hard-nosed football and our conditioning was a factor.

“Our kids have been practicing hard and playing hard and I think we’re getting better.”

That speed is something the Crusaders will have to contend with again as Madonna comes across the river with a lot of big-play capability.

“They’re undefeated and they’re very explosive offensively,” Meek said. “They can throw the ball and have a lot of weapons and they have a very good running back (Wesley Molish), perhaps the best running back we’ve faced this year.

“I think their speed is fantastic, (Molish) runs the ball hard, he’s a big kid and they have very good skill. Their quarterback (Maddox Bowen) is very elusive and has a very quick trigger. They like to throw ball and he finds his targets. We’ve got to be physical up front and our secondary is going to be tested tremendously. “

Bowen, a freshman QB, averages 212.7 yards per game through three starts (Madonna’s Week 3 win was a forfeit) and had six touchdowns and just two interceptions. He averages nearly 19 yards per completion and has also rushed for a score, averaging over four yards per carry.

Molish averages 6.6 yards per carry and has found the end zone three times for the Dons. Bowen’s targets on the outside are Andre Crossland, who averages 23 yards per catch and three of his four grabs have gone for touchdowns, Matt Geer (22.6 yards per catch and one score), KJ Ward (22 yards per catch and two scores) and leading receiver Koleton Grishkevich who has nine catches for 172 yards and an end zone trip.

Madonna got back on the field last week with a 26-8 win over Webster County in a key Class A matchup.

“It felt really good, it really felt like more than week since we played so to get back at it at home was a plus, being in front of our home fans and not having to travel and playing good competition like Webster County was good,” first-year Madonna head coach John McCune said. “Getting the bonus points for the win and coming out of the game mostly healthy was good. It’s good to be 4-0.

“It was excellent to see the effort. We had the extra week to work with the young guys and have them ready to go into different situations we might need them to go into, and we didn’t have any flaws I felt like in terms of subbing in the young guys like maybe we did against Clay-Battelle. We used the time to rehab and get into the playbook, which is extremely important for us.”

The Crusaders will be a different kind of challenge for the Dons. They have played one common opponent so far as both teams bested Wellsville in their home opener.

“Catholic Central is no-doubt a very good football team,” McCune said. “I don’t think that we’ve seen a team of their caliber with how they run the football, their size up front and their senior leadership that they have. Coach Meek has been around a long time and I have nothing but respect for him and the way he coaches.

“We’re going to be in for a dogfight.”

While Madonna’s success has come through the air, Central’s offense is a polar opposite. The Crusaders have ran the ball on nearly 8 out of 10 snaps and scored 11 of their 14 touchdowns this season on the ground.

Hernon and Pergi are an excellent 1-2 punch in that effort. Hernon averages 6.4 yards per carry, more than 116 yards per game and has scored 10 touchdowns, while Pergi averages 5.7 yards per carry and is also the team’s leading receiver with eight catches.

“We held Webster County to less than 60 yards rushing and Clay-Battelle to 82 so our defense has had some success against the run,” McCune said. “I’m going to be asking the guys to focus in this week and be prepared to stop the running attack because they have a good one.

“It’s different to prepare for because when a team runs the football like they do, it can get demoralizing for a defense when they start getting 3, 4, 5 yard chunks. We’re trying to preach to the kids not to let one series or one drive dictate the rest of the game. We’ve got to dig in and hold our ground. We know they’re going to come flying at us, and as a defensive unit everyone’s got to fly to the football and make tackles.”

On defense, both teams have had success. Central has forced seven turnovers, has 14 sacks and allows an average of 15 points per game. The Dons have a pair of interceptions in three games and 19 tackles for loss, while allowing an average of 14.6 points.

“As good as their run game and offense is, their defense is really good, too,” McCune said. “They have two really good defensive ends in (Peyton) Rauch and (Camden Bradley), they have Pergi at safety and Hernon at linebacker and they are great players. They’re stout.

“They’re in the same situation as us where a lot of their guys on the offensive side of the ball play defense, too. I like to call it smashmouth single A football, Ironman football where guys play a lot of snaps on both sides of the ball.

“I think whatever team withstands some of the runs and doesn’t get winded or injuries is going to be the one that comes out on top.”

Catholic Central won last year’s meeting 20-0 in a downpour at Jimmy Carey Stadium, Madonna won the last meeting at Harding Stadium in 2021, 29-14, their third in a row in the series before the Crusaders win a year ago.

“I’m excited for my first opportunity to coach against Central,” McCune said. “I know how important this rivalry is. I wasn’t as lucky as some of the other guys. When I played, we played them in everything but football, but our younger coaches played in this game and it’s a friendly rivalry. The kids know each other, it’s two Catholic schools that are about seven miles apart. We’re excited for it and I hope the fans are excited for it, too, with two good football teams playing on a Saturday with a lot of attention.”