McDonald serves notice about being a force

By Tom Williams

williams@vindy.com

BERLIN CENTER

The Mahoning Valley’s least-heralded undefeated team was looking to make a statement.

Against undefeated Western Reserve, the legs of Caleb Dimery and the arms of Matthew Howard cried out the loudest for the McDonald High School football team.

Dimery scored a touchdown on a 78-yard run and returned an interception 21 yards Friday as McDonald snapped Western Reserve’s 23-game regular-season winning streak with a 14-12 triumph.

“This is a huge win for us,” said Dimery, who rushed 17 times for 138 yards. “We lost three years in a row [to them]. It [moves us closer] to an ITCL championship that we desperately want.”

In the fourth quarter, Howard batted down John Clegg’s conversion pass to preserve the two-point lead, stopped Clegg on his last run and knocked down another pass on Western Reserve’s final possession.

“He’s a good quarterback — he’s quick, he can throw the ball,” Howard said. “So to stop him, it felt good.”

McDonald (6-0, 3-0 Inter Tri-County League, Tier Two) winning is not a surprise. However, the way McDonald overcame obstacles was impressive.

Senior running back/linebacker Cameron Ifft injured his ankle on the game’s first offensive play. Late in the second quarter, punter Zack Conley attempted a fake and did not return.

McDonald head coach Dan Williams credited Joe Perry, Christian Plant and Dylan Portolese for doing well filling in for their teammates.

On McDonald’s third possession, Dimery broke free for a 78-yard touchdown.

“They were bringing eight or nine people, blitzing on almost every play,” Dimery said. “They overloaded my side, so I cut back [left]. I saw behind the center and I went behind him and I took off.”

Early in the second quarter, Western Reserve (5-1, 2-1) was deep in its own territory when Dimery stole Clegg’s pass and returned it for a 14-0 lead.

“I was pretty shocked,” the linebacker said. “No one was even around me and the ball just came straight to me.”

Williams said Dimery has speed.

“Caleb played hard, he made some great tackles and some great hits,” Williams said. “I think people underestimate the type of speed he has.”

Midway through the second quarter, Clegg intercepted McDonald quarterback Ben Carkido and returned the ball to the 23. Two plays later, Clegg scored from the 18. Western Reserve’s point-after kick attempt failed.

Although neither team scored in the third quarter, momentum swung in Western Reserve’s favor. With 10:39 remaining, Evan Nesbitt picked up a Clegg fumble and scored a 2-yard touchdown to slice McDonald’s lead to 14-12.

A holding penalty gave McDonald second life. Forced to pass for the conversion, Howard batted it down.

“Matt Howard did a great job,” Williams said. “That holding call was big and Matt Howard — our 6-4 defensive end — bats it down. He came up big.”

So did McDonald’s defense, which limited Western Reserve to 179 yards. Clegg completed four of 20 passes for 50 yards. Nesbitt was the leading rusher with 48 yards on 10 carries.

“They played really well tonight,” Western Reserve head coach Andy Hake said of McDonald. “Guys got banged up for them, they rose up. They deserve all the credit.

“We didn’t play well. We didn’t play our brand of football.”

With 2:45 remaining on third-and-3, McDonald’s Jake Reckard rushed for a first down, allowing McDonald to gobble all but the final 35 seconds.

After an incomplete pass, Howard caught Clegg scambling for a 1-yard gain. After a spike, Howard deflected the final throw.

Of Williams’ 104 career victories at McDonald, he ranked this one high.

“One of the biggest in my career, seriously,” Williams said. “We’ve had big wins, but this is ... top three.”