Game Story: McDonogh strikes fast, overwhelm Riverdale Baptist

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McDonogh wasted no time showing its dominance, exploding to a 42-0 halftime lead over Riverdale Baptist in a game that saw its defense, run game, and timely passing game take over. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The game's opening drive set the tone. Riverdale Baptist recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff at the McDonogh 27-yard line, but what looked like a golden opportunity flipped in an instant. On third down, McDonogh's [player_tooltip player_id='717345' first='Joseph' last='Buchanan III'] broke through for a quarterback hit that led to an interception by linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='711670' first='Nick' last='Abrams']. The result was a 71-yard pick-six for Abrams and a quick 7-o lead for the Eagles.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From there, McDonogh's defense and running game took over. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='401992' first='Braeden' last='Palazzo'] led a composed drive capped by his own 1-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter. On the next possession, running back Mason Graham powered in from a yard out to push the margin to 21-0 with under a minute left in the opening period<strong>.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Riverdale Baptist, meanwhile, could never find its footing. Penalties, fumbled snaps, and relentless pressure from McDonogh's front. [player_tooltip player_id='945254' first='Caden' last='Cashman'] (2027 LB), Buchanan, Makai McClendon (2027 edge), and [player_tooltip player_id='1216398' first='Caden' last='Ahalt'] (2027 DL) lead the front-eight as they kept Riverdale Baptist from getting into any offensive rhythm. Riverdale's quarterback was sacked multiple times and threw a couple of interceptions.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McDonogh's offense extended its lead mid-way through the second quarter as Paluzzo would complete a short pass to Abrams for an 8-yard score to make it 28-0. Just a few players later, McDonogh's defense would strike again. Cashman, who was defending his coverage area in the seam, made an easy interception and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown to make it 35-0. It was McDonogh's second defensive touchdown of the half.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles weren't done. With just 12 seconds before halftime, Mason Graham blasted into the end zone from 3 yards out. Graham's second rushing touchdown of the game would push the lead to what would be the final score,&nbsp;<strong>42-0.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>By halftime, McDonogh had scored in nearly every way possible. Defensive touchdowns, power runs, and sharp passing keyed the Eagles' first-half blitz.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McDonogh (1-0) will face St. Anthony's (NY) (0-0) this Friday at home.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>PRZ MD EXTRA POINTS</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kudos to McDonogh's offensive line, which made a lot of room for its running backs to operate. The center and guards did a great job of overwhelming Riverdale's defensive line at the point of attack. I like what I see out of their running back, Mason Graham. He's a tough, downhill runner. Cornerback [player_tooltip player_id='1506844' first='CJ' last='Davis'] was tough in coverage. Their linebacking core is sick, including [player_tooltip player_id='711670' first='Nick' last='Abrams'] and [player_tooltip player_id='945254' first='Caden' last='Cashman']. Expect to hear a lot more about Cashman as the season goes on. Braeden Paluzzo threw a couple of nice passes down the seam for the Eagles for completions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->