The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Cougars, Streaks find positives in scrimmage
If nothing else, enthusiasm wasn’t lacking for Madison or visiting Lake Catholic on Aug. 22 in their annual scrimmage tuneup before the regular season commences.
And in several respects, the positives weren’t lacking, either.
With starters logging action in the first half before calling it a night, the Blue Streaks emerged with a 14-13 victory. Madison reserve Vince Fisher recorded a pick-six in the second half for the decisive score.
The Cougars got a pair of touchdown passes from Joe Malchesky to Christian DeMitro and Danny Walsh, respectively, to emerge from the starters’ first-half action with a 13-8 lead.
Lake coach Marty Gibbons knows exactly what he’ll get from a tuneup against the Blue Streaks.
“It’s great,” Gibbons said.
“I think, once we start getting into game situations, we really get a better feel for where we’re at. You step out here on the field with Madison, you’re going to get fierce competition. That’s obviously a great thing. I’m excited about getting out here to compete with these guys. “And thank God — you come out healthy out of this? That’s a special night for us. There’s a lot to build on and a lot to learn from. So we’ll come back tomorrow, watch some film and see where we’re at.”
The Cougars had a promising drive in the opening quarter snuffed out, when a Joe Malchesky pass was intercepted in the end zone by Madison two-way standout Alex Dragas.
The Blue Streaks struck first. On fourth-and-goal from the Lake 1, Michael Woody barreled to paydirt, and a two-point conversion run put Madison up, 8-0.
Malchesky settled down nicely to throw for the pair of TDs.
The first was set up by a timely forced turnover, as the Cougars’ Brady Bowser came up with an interception around midfield.
Later, on fourth-and-10 from the Blue Streaks’ 23, Malchesky rolled right to buy some time and lofted a pass to the back right corner of the end zone. DeMitro, also an outstanding middle-distance performer for the Cougars during the spring in track and field, did well to contort and lunge for an over-the-shoulder grab, getting both feet down for the TD.
Approaching halftime, Malchesky connected with Walsh over the middle for a score, one play after DeMitro made a nice stab at a tip-toe TD catch along the end line, but to no avail.
“Even with the mistake, the pick, I think all of us got our heads straight with our composure and everything,” DeMitro said. “I think we bounced back the right way, punched it and scored right away. I think the biggest thing in football all the time is you can’t control everything, so it’s all about how you respond.
“And I think, especially being his first year as varsity quarterback, I think (Joe) is doing a wonderful job keeping his head because as a quarterback, you make a mistake like (the early INT), either you just shut down or you choose to bounce back. And that’s what he did.” With a senior-laden squad seeking a bounceback of its own after a 4-6 campaign, Madison showed some positive signs.
The Blue Streaks were physical in the trenches, and running backs notably fared well in grinding out extra yards after the first hit. Tight ends were incorporated as well to provide added balance to the offense.
“The first series on offense, I thought we had to figure some things out,” Madison coach Tim Willis said. “And we made some adjustments in our running game when we saw how they were going to line up. We got better, and we did really well running the ball after that first series. We went down and scored, which was nice.
“I thought kids played hard. What I didn’t like was we gave up two deep passes. We’ve got to figure that out . ... It’s a scrimmage, and I don’t put a whole lot — next week is what really matters.”
Coming soon
For more from this scrimmage, including DeMitro discussing his return from a bulging disc that ended his sophomore season in track and field, check back soon on News-Herald.com and in our print edition.