Eagles dominate late to advance

MONROEVILLE — Brycen Dunlap knew he wasn't going to get back points. But the Monroeville senior's mindset as an All-Ohio wrestler continued to pave the way for the Eagles. In a tie game after three quarters against visiting Malvern, the Eagles scored three touchdowns in a six-minute span in the fourth quarter of a 34-14 win in a Division VII second-round playoff game at Marsh Field. With the win, the No. 4-seeded Eagles (9-2) will head two hours to No. 1 McDonald (11-0) next week in a Region 25 semifinal. Early in the fourth quarter, Dunlap pulled left on a block and pinned a Malvern defender to the ground and rolled him over for good measure. The crushing block helped spring Cooper Cleary for a 29-yard touchdown run with 10:51 left in the game. It marked the first time the Eagles led in the game. "Absolutely, we live for those kinds of blocks," Dunlap said. "I think it was just mostly the mindset that we have. "We started slow, and we knew it. We knew Malvern was good, too. We just kept going 100 percent every play. "It was tied in the fourth quarter, and any game can be our last game," he added. "There is nothing to chance, and anything can happen. We just have to go, go, and play that way nonstop." After Malvern (7-5) pinned the Eagles deep on a punt attempt to the Monroeville 6 with 8:50 left in the third quarter, it appeared the Eagles were going to drive 94 yards for the lead. But a sack that pushed them back 10 yards forced the Eagles into a fourth-and-goal at the Malvern 6, and a Colt Clark pass to the end zone fell incomplete. Then the Hornets tried to go 94 yards the other way, but their ensuing drive stalled at their own 39 and forced another punt. That's when senior Connor Bores was able to field the punt, and he returned it 35 yards to the Malvern 29. Then came Dunlap's huge block to help spring Cleary for the 29-yard TD run on the very next play. Isaac Kreuger's third of four extra points gave Monroeville a 21-14 lead with 10:51 left. Monroeville then forced a three-and-out on the ensuing Malvern drive, and after a 15-yard penalty, the Eagles had a short field at the Hornets' 27. A holding penalty pushed the Eagles back, only for Cleary to bust through the line again on third-and-9 for a 23-yard TD run and a 27-14 lead with 7:55 remaining. Monroeville senior Thomas Platte then intercepted Malvern's Jaxon Jones near midfield and returned the turnover to the Malvern 15. Three plays later, Bores pushed across from the 1 with 4:56 left for the 34-14 lead to close out the scoring. "We had to refocus for the second half and play our brand of football, and we had some technique things that needed adjusting," Monroeville head coach Tylor Nester said of the huge fourth quarter. "But it was really just mental focus. We had to collect ourselves." Malvern set an early tone with its opening drive. The Hornets covered 80 yards over 14 plays and used up 7:14 of the 12-minute first quarter in the process. They were also aided by two 15-yard penalties against the Monroeville defense. The biggest play came on a fourth-and-5 from the Monroeville 11-yard line. Jones found Josh Untch for a 10-yard gain to the Monroeville 1. However, it took another four plays for the Hornets to cover the three feet, as the Eagles dug in to force a fourth-and-goal. Malvern standout Julius Gore finally pushed across from the 1, and the Hornets threw the 2-point conversion for an 8-0 lead at the 1:44 mark of the first quarter. But for as long as the first Malvern drive took, the Eagles needed just 21 seconds to answer. Fullback Cleary took the next offensive snap, broke one tackle, then cut back just past midfield and beat four Malvern defenders to the right corner of the end zone for a 75-yard scoring run. Isaac Krueger's extra point made it 8-7 with 1:23 left in the first. After forcing a stop, the Eagles were driving inside the Malvern 30, but the drive stalled to set up a fourth-and-12 from the Hornets' 28. Monroeville QB Colt Clark faked a throw to his right, then threw a screen pass to his left. But Darnell Jackson stepped in front of the pass for Malvern, and the 220-pound senior defensive lineman was off to the races for a 65-yard interception return for a TD. The try for two failed, putting the Hornets up 14-7 with 9:27 left in the first half. The Eagles then answered with a strong 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive that took 4:46 off the second quarter clock. The key play came when Clark kept a play alive with his feet, scrambled to his right, and threw on the run up the right sideline, where Colton Koch made a leaping catch for 24 yards to the Malvern 4. Two plays later, Clark scored on a 2-yard run, and the Krueger PAT tied the game with 4:41 left in the half. Malvern then threatened to score just before halftime as it drove inside the Eagles' 20. But a key sack with 21 seconds left pushed them back from the Monroeville 16 to the 21. Reid Wasserman then intercepted a Jones pass in the end zone with 14 seconds left in the half to prevent any further points. "We shot ourselves in the foot on both sides of the ball with penalties and discipline," Nester said. "We had to focus on doing our job each and every play, so it just came back to focus and execution. "Defensively, we closed in and mixed up our schemes a little bit there," he added. "But really our kids just settled in on things we had talked and prepared for." Cleary finished with 248 yards and the 3 TDs on 18 carries for the Eagles. Bores added 45 yards and a TD on 10 attempts, while Clark was 3-of-7 passing for 45 yards and ran six times for 47 yards and a TD. Monroeville had a first-round bye last week and started a touch sluggish, but dominated late. "I don't think it impacted us too much, but it was nice to get it so we could get some guys some recovery time for this game," Dunlap said of the week off. "But I don't think it slowed us down. I think that's normal for us. We tend to start a little slow but finish the game strong." As for the long pending road trip to the Youngstown area to face McDonald, Nester said his team is excited. "We'll go anywhere to keep playing, so were excited to continue on this journey," he said. "It's another week of the playoffs, so it doesn't matter where we're going. This is what we've worked for, to be in this position, especially this senior class."