McDONALD — Friday’s second-round tilt between top-seeded McDonald and eighth-seeded Kennedy was a battle of Trumbull County small-school heavyweights.

The game was not completed by press deadline. The score was 14-7 at halftime, so check vindy.com for a complete story.

McDonald made the most of its opening possession, scoring on the third play of the drive.

Quarterback Kyle Puckett found senior Jordan Perry in stride, who raced to the end zone on a 61-yard score.

After trading possessions, Kennedy’s run game started finding its rhythm. The Eagles made their way down the field swiftly. To cap the drive off and knot the game, Steven Thomas broke through a sea of tacklers on the edge of the field, scoring on a 31-yard run.

But the top-seeded Blue Devils had a counterpunch ready on the ensuing drive.

McDonald’s run game bulldozed its way down the field, including a big run from Casey Miller to set the Blue Devils up inside the 10-yard line. Miller scored the go-ahead touchdown for McDonald on a 2-yard sweep.

The Blue Devils forced a punt on Kennedy’s next possession, giving McDonald an opportunity to go up two scores before halftime, but the Eagles had other plans.

Kennedy’s aggressive defense stalled the Blue Devils, sacking Puckett and forcing a punt on fourth-and-16, which gave the Eagles the ball at midfield and two minutes to tie the game before the break.

Kennedy was inches away from scoring as the waning seconds ticked away, but a false start penalty forced the Eagles to score from the 6-yard line with one second left in the half. LaMarcus Provitt’s pass fell incomplete, and the Blue Devils went into the locker room with a 14-7 lead.

The winner will face the winner of the Monroeville-Malvern game in the Division VII, Region 21 semifinals on Friday.