Eagles seek first title game in 21 years

The progression was obvious. Whether one points to earlier this season or even the past four years, the growth of the Monroeville football program was shown in a six-minute span last week. The Eagles were in a 14-14 tie as the third quarter closed in a second-round playoff game against Malvern on Nov. 7 at Marsh Field. The visiting Hornets had multiple opportunities to take the lead in the Division VII Region 25 game. Instead, it was the Eagles exploding for three touchdowns in a six-minute stretch in the fourth quarter of the 34-14 win. The No. 4 seed in the region, Monroeville (9-2), travels to No. 1 McDonald (11-0) at 7 p.m. Friday for a third round matchup with a chance to reach the regional championship game for the first time since 2004. The sequence and success of the season to date might not have been viewed the same in early September. After routing McComb in the season opener, the Eagles were outscored 49-23 by Tiffin Calvert and Seneca East to fall to 1-2. But Monroeville hasn't lost since, including winning three tight games against Western Reserve, Crestview, and St. Paul to win the Firelands Conference title outright for the first time since 2002. Further, the Eagles were 0-10 in 2022 but have won 27 games since. "It showed a lot of growth not only this season, but this senior class and their entire careers here," Monroeville head coach Tylor Nester said. "They went through adversity over the years, and this year, they were able to step back from two tough losses and go on to win those three games that went down to the wire." Nester said that meant his team had the experience on their side to be in position to pull away in the win over Malvern (7-5). "So being able to turn it on and make some adjustments and technique changes just says a lot about our captains and leaders on this team," he said. "And the same can be said for our coaching staff, who do a tremendous job during the week and on Friday nights." The Eagles will need that momentum this week. After traveling 118 miles to Trumbull County on Friday, waiting for them are the unbeaten Blue Devils, who also finished ranked No. 3 in the final Associated Press state poll. McDonald's program is celebrating its 100th season, and it's been a banner one to date. This year was the 17th unbeaten regular season in program history for the Devils, who have won 624 games all-time. This is McDonald's 21st all-time playoff appearance. It has three regional titles (1989, 1991, 1994) and two trips to the state championship game in 1989 and 1994. McDonald head coach Dan Williams is in his 26th season at his alma mater. During their 10-0 regular season, the Devils averaged 35.5 points per game. McDonald runs a modernized version of the Wing-T, largely because of the passing threat of senior quarterback Kyle Puckett (6-foot-1, 185 pounds). He threw for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns during the regular season. His top target is senior Jordan Perry (6-2, 195), who had 30 catches for 501 yards and 6 TDs in 10 games. Sophomore Josh Krumpak adds 22 catches for 778 yards and 12 TDs. But behind Puckett in the backfield is a classic Wing-T fullback in senior Drew Zajack (6-3, 215). He totaled 901 yards and 10 TDs, while senior Casey Miller (5-8, 175) added 732 yards and 10 TDs. In a 28-13 win over Warren JFK last week, Puckett threw a 61-yard TD to Perry on the third play of the game. Miller then scored on runs of 2 and 16 around a 10-yard score from Zajack. "Puckett has a very good arm, and to be running the Wing-T offense and have 22 touchdown passes, it obviously starts with him, and he's doing something right," Nester said. "Most of his touchdowns are set up with his play-action passes and ability to hide the ball, and Perry will go up and get the football. "But they are set up with their fullback, as Zajack is a real big kid and a downhill runner," he added. "Then Miller is more of their speed guy at wing who can burn you on the edge if you're not boxing everyone in." Nester said teams like Mapleton and St. Paul offered a similar style of play to the Blue Devils. "But really our conference schedule as a whole kind of set us up for this week," he said. "A lot of their pieces and parts are similar to a lot of teams we've had to go up against throughout the season." Equally as impressive, the McDonald defense allowed just 13.3 points during the regular season and hit that number again in the win over JFK. The Devils also denied JFK twice in the red zone, including on a goal line play on the final play of the first half when they led 14-7. The unit is led by junior middle linebacker Dom Sampson (5-9, 185) and Brady Klockner (6-0, 155). "They've got some nice size going both ways on the line, and they play a real physical style," Nester said. "Their two middles will get after it and bring pressure. They'll move in and out of a lot of fronts. "I think they are real similar to Malvern's athletic ability, but a lot bigger up front." For Monroeville, junior quarterback Colt Clark is 69-of-125 passing for 1,130 yards with 16 TDs and 10 interceptions. He also leads the ground game with 984 yards and 14 TDs on 121 attempts. Clark is complemented in the backfield by senior Connor Bores with 115 carries for 881 yards and 13 TDs. Junior fullback Cooper Cleary adds 636 yards and 10 TDs on 64 attempts, while Clark's top target includes Chase Horn with 18 catches for 369 yards and 5 TDs. Kicker Isaac Krueger is 41-of-48 on extra point attempts. The Eagles average 349 yards and 34 points per game. Defensively, Monroeville is allowing 215 yards and 16 points per game. Clark also paces the defense with 81 tackles and a sack, while Thomas Platte has 78 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery. Also for the Eagles, Maverick Myers has 53 tackles and 10 sacks, while Krueger has 64 tackles and four sacks. Alec Schafer adds 39 tackles and four sacks, while Reid Wasserman has 74 tackles with two interceptions and a fumble recovery. The winner of Friday's game faces the winner of No. 7 East Canton (9-2) and No. 3 Mogadore (10-1) at a neutral site to be determined this Sunday. Before making the long trip to McDonald, Monroeville's furthest road game was at Crestview in Week 9. But Nester said his team won't be fazed. "A lot of our kids also traveled back and forth to the Dayton area before and after our game last week to support the volleyball team," he said. "We're definitely excited to make that trip for another round of the playoffs."