Game Story: Balanced offense leads McDonogh to 38-21 win

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McDonogh relied on a balanced offensive attack and timely defensive plays to secure a 38–21 victory over St. Anthony's this past Friday at the Mid-Atlantic Pigskin Classic. The Eagles leaned on quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='401992' first='Braeden' last='Palazzo']'s precision passing, running back Mason Graham's steady ground game, and linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='711670' first='Nick' last='Abrams']' relentless attacking style to seize control early and never look back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The game opened with a defensive stand from McDonogh, highlighted by Abrams slipping a block at the second level to tackle the Friars' running back behind the line of scrimmage. Abrams wasn't done, later bursting through on a blitz to hurry the quarterback into an incompletion. Those plays set the tone for an Eagles defense that forced a quick punt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Palazzo and the offense capitalized soon after. Graham capped McDonogh's first scoring drive with a six-yard touchdown run, bouncing outside of a pile to give his team a 7–0 advantage. St. Anthony's responded in the second quarter when running back Xavier Bala scored from two yards out to tie the game at 7–7, but McDonogh wasted no time answering. Palazzo connected with [player_tooltip player_id='1419182' first='Ryan' last='Drakeford'] across the middle for a long touchdown, then struck again on the next drive with a perfectly placed 56-yard fade to [player_tooltip player_id='1506844' first='CJ' last='Davis'] down the sideline. Just before halftime, Graham added his second rushing score, sending McDonogh to the locker room with a commanding 28–7 lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Georgia football commit [player_tooltip player_id='711670' first='Nick' last='Abrams'] II (McDonogh HS - MD) on the stop <a href="https://twitter.com/Preps_247?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Preps_247</a> <a href="https://t.co/ExjTUMI2K0">https://t.co/ExjTUMI2K0</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/247Sports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@247Sports</a> <a href="https://t.co/lYsaPNKeIN">pic.twitter.com/lYsaPNKeIN</a></p>&mdash; EdOBrienCFB (@EdOBrienCFB) <a href="https://twitter.com/EdOBrienCFB/status/1963420586236891288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After the break, Bala carried St. Anthony's back into the game with two more touchdown runs. His second score trimmed the deficit to 31–21 late in the third quarter, but that would be as close as St. Anthony's got.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McDonogh's offense steadied itself in the fourth quarter. Palazzo found [player_tooltip player_id='945254' first='Caden' last='Cashman'] down the seam for a first down, then fired a slant to [player_tooltip player_id='945237' first='Carlos' last='Ferguson'] for a 6-yard touchdown that sealed the game. With the score stretched to 38–21, McDonogh's defense slammed the door shut the rest of the way, led by Abrams' 16-tackle performance and substantial contributions from Cashman at linebacker.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Palazzo finished with 259 yards on 18-of-24 passing and three touchdowns, spreading the ball to multiple receivers. Graham carried 21 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns, providing consistent production between the tackles. Drakeford added 84 yards and a score on four catches, Davis caught six passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, and Ferguson chipped in with 46 yards and a touchdown on five receptions. Defensively, Abrams was a standout with 16 total tackles, including three solo stops and one for a loss, while Cashman contributed six tackles of his own.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McDonogh is now 3-0 and will travel to Philadelphia to play West Philly High School. The Eagles had to find a replacement game after the previous school they were supposed to play cancelled the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->