Correspondent file photo / Michael G. Taylor. McDonald’s Casey Miller (11) is pursued and tackled by two Mineral Ridge defenders during the Blue Devils’ victory over the Rams on Oct. 24 at Joe Lane Stadium in Weathersfield.

On a typical November day, basketball practice at McDonald would be at full throttle. Coach James Franceschelli would be guiding a cast of roughly 18 players through intense drills and weekly scrimmages. This late into November, the team would be finely tuned and ready for the impending tipoff to the season.

However, this is no ordinary November in McDonald, and the unusual circumstances have led to some unusual practices for Franceschelli and his troops.

Well, at least the available troops.

McDonald’s playoff run in football has played havoc with the Blue Devils’ preseason basketball preparations. Nine of the 18 players expected to be on the Devils’ varsity basketball roster also play football. The list includes what Franceschelli expects to be six of his top eight players. The extended postseason run in football has prevented the two-sport players from attending basketball practice.

After winning its first regional title in 31 years, the McDonald football team will return to action tonight when it plays Hillsdale in a Division VII state semifinal game.

McDonald was scheduled to open its basketball season tonight with a home game against Bristol. That game has since been rescheduled for a later date.

“It’s been pretty crazy, it’s been a challenge because you’re somewhat limited in what you can do with so few players,” Franceschelli said. “On any given day we’ll have between seven and nine players. We’ve had just one scrimmage. We’re doing a lot of skill work, a lot of drill and skill and a lot of shooting.

“Our guys that we do have, they’ve been outstanding. They’ve been troopers. We’re going four or five days a week and the two seniors we have right now, they’ve been leaders. Along with practice, they’ve been in the weight room twice a week. So it’s not like we’ve stepped away. We’ve just been at it from a different perspective. It’s a unique situation. It’s a different beast.”

Now in his 12th season as a coach, Franceschelli says he has never experienced a situation where any of his teams were this shorthanded this late into the preseason. He says the closest comparison would be in 2020, when COVID shut down the entire preseason. That year — Franceschelli’s first as McDonald’s head coach — the Blue Devils jumped into action following two days of practice.

“We were shut down, we weren’t doing anything, then we found out on Dec. 18 that our first game would be Dec. 20,” Franceschelli recalled. “We started practice on a Monday, then we played games that Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Of course, every other school in the state faced the same situation.”

In addition to rescheduling tonight’s scheduled game against Bristol, next Tuesday’s league game against Springfield has been postponed and rescheduled to a later date.

Should the McDonald football team win tonight, it would play in the Division VII state final on Dec. 6. That would force Franceschelli to reschedule a Dec. 5 game at Sebring. It would also mean that the Blue Devils would open their season on Dec. 9 and play their first three games in a five-day stretch.

Despite the unorthodox start to the season, Franceschelli is looking at the situation from a glass-half-full perspective. He believes the shorthanded practices are providing some of the underclassmen “invaluable lessons and opportunities.” He pointed out that many of the football/basketball players are veterans who are accustomed to a rigorous schedule.

“A guy like Drew Zajack, he’s a state champion in the discus and he’ll probably be all-state in football and basketball,” Franceschelli said. “Casey Miller is another kid who puts so much time into each sport he plays. He’s been doing it his whole career. Josh Krumpak is another kid who goes straight from football to basketball to track.

“We’ll give these kids as much time as they need to transition from football to basketball. We’re not going to rush anyone. But knowing these kids, they’ll be eager to jump right in.”

In fact, Zajack says that jumping right from one sport to another “is the norm” at a school like McDonald, where a large majority of athletes play multiple sports. He says he has no plans of giving himself a break between his final football game and his start to the basketball season.

“In basketball, the team needs everyone so I feel like I can’t afford to miss any games or practices once football ends,” Zajack said. “Basketball is a team-oriented sport. There are obligations. I want to help the team as much as I can.”

Zakack noted that when the basketball season concludes next spring, he’ll jump right into track. It’s a cycle he has maintained throughout his high school career. In fact, because of last year’s deep run in track and field, Zajack’s 2024-25 athletic calendar was virtually 365 days in length.

“I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Zajack said. “It can be grueling at times but I love it. Spring comes and I’ve been at it all year, but then it’s track season, and that’s actually my favorite sport by far. I’m at peace with myself during track season. It’s more individual-based. I can let myself loose and not have the weight of the world on my shoulders, because if I don’t live up to expectations, I’m only hurting myself.

“The whole year-round process is a grind, but like I said, so many high school athletes do it, especially at smaller schools. We love it.”

And while Franceschelli’s schedule could be thrown for a further loop tonight with a McDonald win on the gridiron, it certainly won’t stop him from being perhaps the football team’s most vocal and loyal supporter as they strive to improve to 14-0.

“When I was at Struthers and I thought about coming to McDonald, the first two names that popped into my mind were (former McDonald basketball coach) Jeff Rasile and (current football coach) Dan Williams,” Franceschelli said. “They are the definition of what McDonald athletics are all about, and they are the reason I’m here.

“I am a huge supporter of coach Williams and the football team, I mean a huge supporter. I don’t miss a game. Me and my family have been along for the ride the entire way. Our entire staff, we talk about this football team every day. Nothing would be greater than to be focused on football instead of basketball at this time next week.”

Kickoff for tonight’s game, which will be played at Quaker Stadium in New Philadelphia, is slated for 7 p.m.