NORTH JACKSON, OH – Despite giving up 19 unanswered points after a 28-7 lead, the McDonald Blue Devils held off a ferocious fourth-quarter rally by rival Jackson-Milton en route to a season-ending 28-26 victory on the road.

After both teams traded punts to start off, the Blue Devils were lined up in the shadow of their own goal post at the 4. Nathan Gilligan then took a carry to the outside, evaded a Milton defender, and burst into the open green with no one to beat for a 96-yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Blue Devils. After McDonald’s defense forced another Milton punt, Gilligan found a hole again, this time for a 54-yard touchdown as it was 13-0 at the end of the first quarter with the blocked extra point. Gilligan was already at 150 rushing yards in the first quarter and helped fill the void of senior Logan Hawk who was carried off the field in a heartbreaking fashion in his last game as a Blue Devil.

Jackson-Milton, however, would not go down without a fight on their senior night as they were graduating six seniors. The Blue Jays used a nice, methodical ground attack on their next drive as junior Tanner Butler took it in from a few yards out to bring it within 13-7 Blue Devils still on top. It was McDonald, though, that would win the time of possession for the majority of the game as the utilization of Gilligan helped set the Devils up with a 1st & Goal on the 9. They would take advantage with a touchdown pass from Nathan Sierra to Danny Gray. The successful two-point attempt made it 21-7 at halftime.

The Devils then came out in the second half with another long drive that ended with an 11-yard touchdown run by Gilligan, his third score of the night. They were leading 28-7 with 4:52 left in the third, and it appeared that they would run away with the contest. The Blue Jays, though, had a ferocious comeback in them as fifth-year coach Nathan Brode decided to open up the passing game with his quarterback Owen McDevitt. The junior launched a long pass that was hauled in by Billy Sloan for 26 yards. The Blue Jays then got into a goal-to-go situation as time expired in the third quarter.

The Jays would use this situation to their advantage to start the fourth as senior Eythan Evans took a QB sneak in for a touchdown. After the extra point was blocked to keep it at 28-13, McDonald was called for four penalties on their next drive to bring them back to a 3rd & 36 situation. They would then be forced to punt as the Blue Jays were ready to bring the game within one score. McDevitt sold McDonald on a play fake and threw a completion to Tanner Butler, who then scampered for a 64-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-20.

The defense was then asked to step up and contain Gilligan on their most important drive of the game. They lived up to the task as they stopped Gilligan on a third-down jet sweep in what was the best quarter of the season for the Blue Jays. The offense started at their own 49 as Gavin White took a 2nd down carry, bursted down the sideline and was brought down at the 10 for a 41-yard pickup. Milton would then score an 11-yard touchdown pass to bring the score within two at 28-26. The two-point conversion would be crucial for the Blue Jays, but it was McDonald’s Nathan Sierra who would intercept the pass in the endzone. The Blue Devils then recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock to spoil Senior Night in North Jackson.

The win for McDonald ends their season at 3-6 overall and 3-2 in the MVAC Scarlet Tier. They end their road campaign with a 2-2 mark. This is also the thirteenth-straight time that the Blue Devils have defeated the Blue Jays. The last time that the Jays defeated the Devils was in 2006 when they won a hard fought four-overtime battle 14-6. Coach Dan Williams ends his 22nd season with a 156-77 record overall and an 82-39 record away from home. He is officially 17-3 against rival Jackson-Milton in his career.

The heartbreaking loss for Jackson-Milton ends their season at 2-7 overall and 1-5 in the MVAC Scarlet Tier. They finish their home campaign with an 0-4 mark. Coach Nathan Brode ends his fifth-year as the head coach in North Jackson losing six seniors, four of which he had coached for five years, including their seventh grade year in 2016 when the junior high team went undefeated.

Nathan Gilligan’s three rushing touchdowns with total touchdown yardage of 161 yards was enough for him to be earned our YSN Player of the Game. YSN’s Noah Ricks talked with winning coach Dan Williams following tonight’s contest. Watch below for the post-game interview.

*Contributed Bu YSN’s Noah Ricks

Interview With Dan Williams: