A BIG CHALLENGE — John McCune and the Madonna football team will finally test one of the state’s best teams when the Blue Dons travel to Wahama on Saturday afternoon. – Andrew Grimm
MASON — Madonna’s longer-than-expected wait for a playoff return is almost over.
Earlier this week, the West Virginia Supreme Court settled a dispute that caused the football playoffs to be postponed by a week, restoring the rankings to their original status at the end of the regular season.
Once the dust settles, Madonna will return to her original No. 14 spot and will face No. 3 Wahama on Saturday afternoon. Opening kick is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
“After a certain point, I didn’t care who I ended up playing. I was just ready to play.” said Blue Dons first-year head coach John McCune. “The kids were nervous, the coaches were nervous. We felt like we were in purgatory, just waiting to see who we were going to play.
“This is Wahama and we are excited about the opportunity to make an impact on the state.”
The undefeated White Falcons are a strong, high-scoring offense. They have scored at least 45 points in every game, and in fact, they have scored at least 50 points in every game since scoring 48 points in Week 2. He is averaging 56.9 points per game and has scored 63 points in each of his last two games.
“The biggest thing you notice about them right away is their speed. They’re very fast.” McCune said. “They’ve scored over 60 points five times and over 50 points three times, so they know how to score a ton of points. They score in bunches.
“We have to try to limit big plays, tackle well and control the clock. We have to match their speed with our speed. We’ve had speed all year long. We’ve had good performances against certain teams, and our speed has been an advantage for us. Teams that have suffered a lot have hurt us, but Wahama are very fast.”
Wahama’s running attack led a high-powered offense as a team with 3,687 yards and 60 rushing scores, averaging 368.7 yards and six touchdowns per game.
That offense is led by senior Connor Lambert, who has video game-like numbers for 1,748 yards and 34 touchdowns, averaging 19.2 yards per carry, and six touchdowns, averaging nearly 30 yards per catch. are recorded.
“I heard his speed is 4.4 (40 yard dash).” McCune said. “Watching him on film doesn’t really convey how good he is. The opposing coaches I talked to said he’s a lot faster in real life than he is on film. They put him in a few different spots. Positioning, letting him play the football in different ways, throwing, throwing, passing… we have to know where he is at all times.”
McCune knows it’s important for his team to slow down the Falcons because it’s impossible to stop them.
“We know they’re going to get yards. We’ve got to limit the big plays.” McCune said. “We have to keep them from making big plays, we have to win in the red zone, we have to let them drive and win battles when the field is crowded, and we get some points. You’ll need to do it. We need to play our best offense of the season to play in the game. Even if our defense can hold opponents to 30 points, it will be their worst performance of the year. So we’re going to have to score.”
The first playoff trip in several years for the current group of seniors and the program excited the Madonna community and team.
“We look forward to the opportunity for the boys to compete against a great Class A team.” McCune said. “The boys are so excited. We take it day by day. Our alumni have been really great, donating not only money but time and meals. There are no playoff games for this senior class. The Madonna community is excited to be back in the playoffs, and those around the show are excited to see Madonna football return to what it used to be in the playoffs every year. I’m excited.
“The players are really interested in playoff football. This is a different style or football where every play could be your last.”
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