Hack leads Mineral Ridge to 48-7 rout of McDonald

He rushed for 211 yards and scored four touchdowns in the win.
By GREG GULAS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
McDONALD -- John Hack, a tight end a season ago for the Mineral Ridge High football team, might just be the offensive weapon the Rams have been looking for if they expect to make some noise come playoff time.
All Hack did was rush for 211 yards and four touchdowns as Mineral Ridge defeated McDonald, 48-7, in a key Inter-County League contest Friday.
The Rams (6-2, 4-1), who were on the short end of a 28-7 score last week against league-leading South Range, built a 28-0 halftime lead and never looked back.
The Blue Devils (5-3, 2-3) dropped below the .500 mark in conference play.
Most complete game
"This is the most complete game that we have played all season and it couldn't have come at a better time," Rams coach Shawn Brown said. "We suffered a tough loss to South Range last week, had an excellent week of practice and then did what we had to do tonight to get back on the winning track.
"Our defense came up big for us early and we capitalized on two critical miscues by McDonald," Brown said. "Had we not been able to do that then the outcome might have been a little different tonight.
"[John] Hack and [Micah] Hall are a dangerous one-two punch," Browns said. "When we're on, like tonight, we can be pretty dangerous."
Keirsey hits all six passes
Add quarterback Vance Keirsey's numbers (he completed all six of his aerial attempts for 158 yards and two touchdowns) to that of Hack's and Hall's (16 carries for 91 yards) and you see that the Rams' offense was clicking on all cylinders.
Hack scored on runs of 6, 5 and 28 yards as the Rams built a 21-0 lead.
After Nick Diana picked off Blue Devils quarterback Matt Krumpak's errant throw on the ensuing series, Keirsey engineered a five-play, 91-yard drive that culminated in his 33-yard scoring strike to Wade Campbell for a 28-0 halftime lead.
"Our linemen opened the holes for me tonight so give them all of the credit," Hack said. "I never imagined a 200-yard game rushing, yet alone four touchdowns and the outcome as well.
"I feel like I am clicking right now at running back," Hack said. "I am comfortable. Our goal now is the playoffs and this game did a lot for our confidence."
Hack's fourth touchdown of the night, a 55-yard scamper just 1:59 into the second half, extended the Rams' lead to 35-0.
McCormick scores twice
Tim McCormick added two more touchdowns (a 1-yard run and a 26-yard pass from Keirsey).
McDonald's Joe Witkoski scored from 6 yards out to avoid the shutout.
"We got off to a slow start and while we moved the ball at the outset, we made two critical mistakes in the red-zone and it cost us," McDonald coach Dan Williams said. "Things just snowballed for us after that."
The Rams had 493 total yards offensively, 335 coming on the ground while the defense held the Blue Devils to just 224 yards offensively, all but 57 coming on the ground.
David Dugan had a team high 72 yards rushing on 14 carries for the Blue Devils.