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Girard bounces back, wallops Kennedy, 47-0

GIRARD — The most prolific passer in the history of Trumbull County added to his impressive resume in a 47-0 victory over John F. Kennedy Friday night.

Indians senior quarterback Mark Waid completed 20 of 22 passes for 414 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for 32 yards and a score as the Indians (2-1) bounced back from a 48-32 loss last week to Hubbard.

“What matters is what’s on that scoreboard,” Waid said. “We got back to Girard football after a tough loss last week. We stuck together. That’s what Girard is about.

“I consider myself a dual-threat quarterback. I take what the defense gives me. I try to emulate Tim Tebow. The way he leads, especially the type of person he is off the field is truly incredible.”

What appeared to be good luck early on turned into misfortune for the Eagles 20 seconds into the game. Girard junior running back Morgan Clardy fumbled the ball away. The Eagles recovered, but starting receiver, junior Savone Williamson, severely injured his leg on the play.

“I’m praying, the entire Girard team is praying for Savone. We hope he gets well,” Waid said.

When play resumed, the Eagles (1-2) punted away and Waid got to work. With 8:41 left in the first, he found a streaking Terrance Davis across the middle. Davis turned a 20-yard pass into a 70-yard touchdown with outstanding speed.

Three minutes later, Waid hooked up with junior Jimmy Jones for a 42-yard score. Jones did most of the work on the play, breaking tackles, and bulling his way into the end zone to make it 14-0.

On Girard’s next possession, Waid hit Clardy on a 45 yard pitch and catch, before finishing the drive with a 1 yard TD pass to senior fullback Marco Donatelli.

The Indians wasted no time in the second quarter, scoring 30 seconds in on a 12 yard run by Waid to go up 28-0.

“I’m really proud of our kids,” Girard coach Pat Pearson said. “They came out and played hard tonight. That’s a young JFK team, but they’re going to be really good. I’ve got a lot of respect for coach Bayuk and that program.

“It was a great night for football. Our fans were awesome tonight. We’re taking it step by step, game by game. We’re trying to get better every day.”

JFK managed to slow down the Indian offense in the second quarter by holding on to the ball for the next seven minutes. The Eagles drove to Girard’s 25-yard line. A quarterback sack on third-and-12 pushed JFK back to the 40 where they had to punt again.

After a huge 56 yard connection between Waid and Jones, Clardy rumbled in from 29 yards out. The point after was no good making it 34-0 with 2:25 left in the half.

Clardy was the leading rusher for the game with 8 carries for 84 yards. Jones was the top receiver with four catches for 113 yards.

The game slowed down considerably in the second half. Clardy caught Waid’s fourth TD pass, a 26-yarder with 11:21 remaining in the fourth. Sophomore running back Jared Koch finished off the scoring for Girard with a 7-yard touchdown run up the gut with 6:54 left.

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