ALL MADONNA — Madonna’s Garrett Cook tackles a Pendleton County rusher while Mac Raymond (76), Zak Tokash (61) and Jacob Bonner (50) watch on Friday. (Photo by Michael D. McElwain)

WEIRTON — Madonna is on a roll for the first time in four years, and if it is to keep the undefeated beat going, it’ll have to find a way to stop the run game of the Mathews Mustangs of Vienna.

The Mustangs invade Jimmy Carey Stadium Friday with a 3-2 record and plans to do what they did last year — beat the Blue Dons and spoil the 2017 homecoming festivities. The opening kick is at 7 p.m.

Mathews will bring a different type of offense than most teams play any more. They use the wishbone formation and feature a lot of running the football as does the Blue Dons.

“They want to run the football; there is no doubt about that,” Madonna head coach Darrin Hicks said. “They have a talented quarterback who can run with the football and a good fullback. They don’t throw too much, but when they do they make plays.”

Hicks said the Mathews offensive line features a couple of big tackles that are 285 and 220 pounds but overall believes the Blue Dons might be a bit bigger. The Mustangs also have a couple of “scatbacks” that can do some damage if they get loose.

“They definitely want to grind it out and come right at you,” Hicks said. “They want long drives with clock control.”

Defensively, the Mustangs play with four down lineman and four linebackers with the defensive backs playing mostly zone coverage.

“Mathews is fairly solid overall with good tacklers on defense and athletic skill people,” Hicks said. “They are well-coached with sound fundamentals. This will be a good challenge for us.”

The Mathews rushing offense will run head on into a strong Blue Don defense that ranks first among area teams, yielding 650 total yards in four games including a stingy 206 yards on the ground.

That defense combined with the spectacular running of junior Donavan Kirby have made the Blue Dons one of the top teams in the Ohio Valley.

Kirby is only 41 yards shy of 1,000 in Madonna’s four straight wins. He continued his torrid pace on a hot night last Friday with 41 carries for 254 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Blue Dons to a 28-7 win over Pendleton County. That gives him 12 scores thus far, which, along with a two-point conversion, totals 74 points, that also tops all area football players.

“Donavan embraces the condition aspect of the game as is the case with most of our guys,” Hicks said. “They know that to get to the places we want to get to, they have to be in top shape. He is having a strong season so far and he, along with all of our players, knows that as long as they continue to work, our team will continue to improve each week.”

Like Mathews, the Blue Dons haven’t passed very much. Quarterback Gavin Dietrich passed the ball only once last week against Pendleton, which was a 45-yard scoring strike to senior Vinnie Pulice. Dietrich, a junior in his first season as the starting quarterback, has been called upon to pass only seven times in the four games. He has completed four of them.

“We work on our passing game a good amount of time in practices each week,” Hicks said. “I feel we all are comfortable with it. We want to pick and choose when we break out the pass.”

Hicks said he doesn’t feel that homecoming will be a distraction.

“We have 11 seniors in the locker room, and they provide great leadership,” he said. “I think the guys understand the importance of playing the football game first. Homecoming is a great time for the Madonna community, our fan base and the alumni, but I think the team knows they have to get the job done on the field before getting into all the festivities of homecoming.”