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WEIRTON -- Showing improvement with each game, the Madonna Blue Dons play only their second home game this week, and first-year head coach Dan Rovira is hoping his crew can continue to ride the momentum of a two-game winning streak, especially for a homecoming crowd.
They will host winless Hundred Saturday inside Jimmy Carey Stadium with a 7 p.m. start.
The Blue Dons (3-2) capitalized on an improving run game that last week had a season-high 213 yards in the 44-12 victory over Morgantown Trinity.
"I've said since the beginning that we have to be able to run the football," Rovira said. "Our offensive line has really turned it around, and I want to give a shout out to them because they don't get a lot of credit. We moved Tyler Starvaggi from tight end to tackle, and that has helped, but the other guys have been working really hard, too. We have Nathan Smith at the other tackle, Nick Elias, Jacob Bonner and Joe Soos rotate at the guards, and Nate Elias at center. Those guys opened some nice holes for our backs last week."
Rovira said Madonna and Hundred went against each other already once this year when they met in a preseason scrimmage.
"We both needed a scrimmage, so we said, 'What the heck, let's play,'" he said.
Rovira added that the Hornets are struggling this year and have lost all five games by lopsided scores.
"I watched their films, and even though they were behind by huge numbers, they play hard," Rovira said. "They are big, and coach D. J. Byrd does a good job with that team. They like to use the spread offense, but when that doesn't work for them, they go into a double tight end formation with an I back and try to run power plays."
Sophomore Everett Johnson is the quarterback, and senior Cody Poe is the running back.
The two teams first played in 1998 and have met on the gridiron 11 times, with the Blue Dons winning all of them. The last time they met was in 2008, a 42-13 Blue Don victory.
Senior Thomas Sessi led the Madonna running game against Trinity, covering 137 stripes in 23 trips with two touchdowns. It was his first significant workload at running back since he rushed for 699 yards as a sophomore in 2018. Last year, returning from a broken leg sustained in a basketball game, Sessi got only 26 carries for 70 yards but was a major contributor as a wide receiver. The big night gives him 209 rushing yards thus far in 2020.
Junior Santino Arlia passed the ball 24 times, completing 11 of them for 124 yards and two touchdowns and still ranks second among area quarterbacks, completing 61 of 128 tosses overall for 1,049 yards and 12 scores.
"This is my first year dealing with homecoming as a head coach, but I don't think it will be a distraction for these kids," Rovira said. "They are mature enough. I keep telling them that the homecoming activities are a lot of more fun when the football team wins."
Madonna and Hundred have one common opponent this year. The Blue Dons downed Wahama, 50-20, in the season opener, while the Hornets lost to the White Falcons, 67-22, last week.