Correspondent photo / Michael G. Taylor Western Reserve’s Chris Pater (8) fights off a tackle by McDonald’s Jayden Taylor during Friday’s game in Berlin Center.

By PRESTON BYERS

Staff writer

BERLIN CENTER — In a battle of Blue Devils, Western Reserve emerged the victor, coming from behind and stopping McDonald on a two-point attempt in overtime to win the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference rivalry game 35-34.

“That was two good football teams duking it out,” Reserve head coach John Armeni said. “That was a Week 13, Week 14 football game.”

On the first drive of the game, McDonald relied heavily on junior back Drew Zajack, who carried the ball five times and softened up the Reserve defense for McDonald’s effective passing attack.

After half of a dozen runs to open the game, quarterback Kyle Puckett went deep through the air to Casey Miller for a gain of nearly 40 yards. Three plays later, Puckett finished off McDonald’s 80-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to James Hipple.

“We just try to mix it up. You don’t want to be run-oriented or pass, one way or the other,” McDonald coach Dan Williams said. “I thought we did a nice job. I thought Kyle did a nice job with play action. I thought he made some good reads and made some great throws tonight.”

While McDonald could do little wrong offensively early, the other Blue Devils struggled to move the ball. Reserve’s first two possessions, which consisted of zero passing attempts, stalled quickly.

On the first play of Reserve’s third drive of the game, however, quarterback Chris Pater connected with Dominic Ricciardi on a 20-yard pass. The first completion, in turn, opened up the running lanes, and Reserve ran five more times for 35 yards, including an 11-yard rushing touchdown by Pater to momentarily tie the game at seven points apiece.

“We were playing with them a little bit,” Reserve back and wide receiver Jack Darney said. “We’d run the ball a whole bunch, their safety would come up and then we would read the safety. If he’s within eight yards, we’re going to throw the ball.”

The tie was short-lived, though, as McDonald junior Casey Miller took the ensuing kickoff more than 80 yards for a touchdown.

After another short drive by Reserve, McDonald extended its lead through the air. Puckett completed consecutive passes of 18 yards and 38 yards to set up Zajack for a short touchdown run.

With only 64 seconds left in the half, Reserve resorted to passing, which proved successful again. Pater found Darney twice for nearly 30 yards before connecting with Alec Abrams for a 30-yard gain. On the next play, Pater carried the ball into the end zone to pull within a score right before halftime.

“I love what [Pater] does,” Darney said. “He’s very energetic. Everything he does is at 100% at all times. He cares so much about this sport.”

After an unsuccessful opening offensive possession for each team’s offense, Reserve tied the game with an 85-yard drive, capped off with a 10-yard pass from Pater to Darney.

McDonald tried to respond, but a would-be Puckett touchdown pass was intercepted on Reserve’s goal line.

Reserve did not waste the opportunity. After Pater gave Reserve some space from its own end zone, Darney found a hole and ran for an 88-yard touchdown to give the home team its first lead of the game.

“We knew they were going to come out well prepared and tough,” Armeni said. “Our kids rise to the challenge. McDonald got up on us early, they hit some big plays. Our kids kept fighting and digging deep.”

Despite letting a 14-point lead slip away, McDonald orchestrated a long, 73-yard drive to tie it back up. When McDonald opted to go for it on 4th-and-six from Reserve’s 22-yard line, Puckett’s pass flew just over the outstretched hand of Pater into the waiting hands of Perry for a touchdown.

Reserve appeared as if it was about to take the lead back with less than four minutes remaining, but a Pater pass was intercepted by Elias Tingler.

With a chance to jump in front late on the road, McDonald drove from inside its own 10-yard line to Reserve’s 37 before turning the ball over on downs when the Reserve defense stuffed Zajack on 4th-and-two.

After a penalty-riddled final drive of regulation, Reserve’s Darney scored the go-ahead touchdown on the first drive of overtime.

Just as it had to begin the game, McDonald used Zajack up the middle to wear down the Reserve defensive front. On the fifth play of the drive, Miller found the edge and dove inside the front-left pylon to pull within a point of Reserve.

Williams opted to go for two and the win, a decision to which he said he had no alternative after Hipple, the team’s kicker, went down with a leg injury just minutes before a potential game-tying extra point.

“At that point, it really gave us no choice,” Williams said. “We had no choice but to go for two. No one has two kickers.”

Reserve held strong on the two-point try, with Pater breaking up Puckett’s would-be game-winning slant pass to Perry in the end zone.

“We told our kids before overtime that every great football team has a gut check moment where you have to put your money where your mouth is, and you gotta dig deep,” Armeni said. “They did that, and I’m awfully proud of them.”

Western Reserve (4-0, 1-0) will visit Lowellville next week, while McDonald (2-2, 0-1) will host Jackson-Milton.