Fourth-down stop keys Devils over Brookfield
Tribune Chronicle / Joe Simon McDonald’s Cameron Tucker, left, runs to the outside while the Blue Devils’ Greg Merdich (51) puts a block on Brookfield’s Hayden O’Brien.
McDonald’s Alex Cintron (31) catches a 22-yard pass from Ryan Scala (not pictured), while Brookfield’s Ryan Logan (21) pursues the ball. McDonald’s Tyrese Johnson (83) and Brookfield’s Dionte Colwell (1) follow the play during McDonald’s 27-14 victory over the Warriors.
Tribune Chronicle / Joe Simon Brookfield players celebrate a touchdown late in the first half of their 27-14 loss at McDonald Friday night.
Tribune Chronicle / Joe Simon McDonald’s Cameron Tucker, left, runs to the outside while the Blue Devils’ Greg Merdich (51) puts a block on Brookfield’s Hayden O’Brien.
McDonald’s Alex Cintron (31) catches a 22-yard pass from Ryan Scala (not pictured), while Brookfield’s Ryan Logan (21) pursues the ball. McDonald’s Tyrese Johnson (83) and Brookfield’s Dionte Colwell (1) follow the play during McDonald’s 27-14 victory over the Warriors.
Tribune Chronicle / Joe Simon Brookfield players celebrate a touchdown late in the first half of their 27-14 loss at McDonald Friday night.
Trending
McDONALD -- Finally starting to look the part of a big, bad Brookfield team, loaded with a monstrous offensive line and a powerful running back, the Warriors were on the verge of taking over a season-opening matchup with McDonald.
Brookfield was in the midst of rallying from a 13-point deficit, now leading by a point and facing fourth-and-1 at the Blue Devils' 3-yard line. The Warriors turned to their fullback, 5-foot-9, 230-pound Tyler Briggs, but the burly back was stuffed at the line of scrimmage.
McDonald took over on downs, and then the Blue Devils took over the game.
McDonald scored the final 14 points and won the inaugural matchup between the schools, 27-14, at A.A. Burkey Memorial Stadium.
"I told the kids after, that was the biggest play of the game," said McDonald coach Dan Williams of the fourth-down stop. "They could go up two scores there, and instead we stone them … and then we ended up going 97 yards (on a touchdown drive)."
The Blue Devils (1-0) appeared to be in trouble after the big stop. Trailing 14-13, they faced third-and-17 from their own 9-yard line, but a little misdirection play caught Brookfield off-guard, and Alex Cintron raced through a huge hole for a 50-yard gain (with 15 more yards tacked on for a facemask). Cintron, who ran for 144 yards and three TDs on 14 carries, capped the drive with a 7-yard TD run with 11 minutes, 41 seconds left in the fourth quarter. He added the two-point conversion for a 21-14 edge.
"It was big because they came out and smacked us in the mouth in the second half," Cintron said. "Coach talked about how we had to keep going, keep pushing, keep giving 100-percent effort. We did that, and we got a big stop on the goal line."
The ensuing drive was critical for a few reasons.
McDonald led 13-0 with 10 seconds left in the first half, but the Blue Devils fell for a halfback pass that resulted in 34-yard touchdown pass from Alex Clark to Gage Emery. Brookfield kept the momentum and ran the ball 12 straight times to open the second half, scoring on a 1-yard run by Briggs that eventually gave them a 14-13 lead.
McDonald quarterback Ryan Scala then had his arm hit while attempting to throw a pass, and Brookfield's Alex Bell picked it off and returned it 32 yards to the Blue Devils' 24. The Warriors eventually drove to the 3, setting up the big stop.
"Once we got the momentum back, our kids got confidence and we took the lead," Williams said. "Our kids worked hard in the offseason to get in shape, and in these types of games, coming down to the end, I think we had more gas left in the tank."
Brookfield still had a few chances.
The Warriors fielded the kickoff after Cintron's score, but the returner's momentum took him out of bounds at their own 3. After creating some breathing room, Brookfield tried a fake punt on fourth-and-5 from its own 19-yard line, but Dakota Feezle was stopped after just one yard.
"I made a decision, and we lost by it," Brookfield coach Randy Clark said. "But we're going to move forward. It's Week 1, and we have nine more weeks. We're going to regroup, rebound and do what we need to do to get better."
McDonald couldn't capitalize on the field position following the fake punt, with two penalties pushing them back after a first-and-goal from the 5. They eventually failed to convert on fourth down from the 4.
The Warriors took over with 4:05 left in the game, and quarterback Noah Harnett completed three consecutive passes to move them to the 40-yard line, but that's where the drive ended as Harnett followed with four straight incompletions. The Blue Devils put the game away with a familiar play.
Facing third-and-20 from the 50, McDonald went back to its misdirection play, and Cintron burst through another gaping hole, racing 50 yards untouched to seal the win. He and Josh Celli, who finished with 127 yards and one TD on 17 carries, ran for 271 of the Blue Devils' 291 rushing yards. The defense also played well despite facing a much bigger front line.
"Our kids had a couple of choices," said Williams of facing adversity midway through the game. "They either lay down, or they keep battling, and our kids kept battling. I have to give them credit. They grew up tonight.
"We've got an inexperienced football team, but they grew up in a hurry on game night."