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10/11/05

McKinley vs. Elyria

SITE Byers Field in Parma, 7 p.m.

DIRECTIONS Take Interstate 77 north to Interstate 480 west. Exit at Ridge Road and turn south. The stadium is at the corner of Ridge and Day.

RECORDS McKinley 11-0; Elyria 9-2.

PLAYOFF HISTORY Elyria is making its playoff debut. McKinley is in the playoffs for the second straight year, 15th time overall. The Bulldogs own a 27-11 postseason record, winning state titles in 1981, 1997 and 1998. McKinley was the state runner-up a year ago.

LAST WEEK McKinley 35, Brunswick 17; Elyria 21, Tol. St. John’s 9.

LAST MEETING McKinley won 15-13 in 1990, and the Bulldogs lead the series 2-0.
WHAT TO WATCH Each offense is averaging better than 40 points a game, meaning a shootout could ensue. What could prevent that from happening, though, is a McKinley defense that yields just 9.5 points per game. In fact, last week was just the fourth time an opponent gained more than 200 yards against the Bulldogs. Last week’s subpar performance has the Bulldogs fired up to stop Elyria’s potent offense. “We’ve got to come out and play even harder this week,” LB Mike Kirksey said. “We’ve got to prove a point.” Elyria’s offense will give McKinley a lot of looks. “They run out of everything,” McKinley coach Brian Cross said. “They run a lot out of double-tight wishbone, and some spread. But they want to run the football.” The Pioneers feature two backs with more than 1,000 yards rushing — P.J. Mahone (1,579 yards), Jaa’Rome Williams (1,293 yards). They combined for more than 300 yards last week. Mahone is a 6-foot, 195-pound senior, who also has 35 catches for 765 yards. He has scored 29 TDs. “They want to get the ball to him,” Cross said. “We’ve got to stop him.” Mahone’s cousin is QB Roger Smith, who has thrown for 1,081 yards with nine TDs. Smith also has rushed for 345 yards. McKinley has plenty of offense itself. Junior TB Morgan Williams has 2,110 yards rushing and 29 TDs. Senior WR Joe Morgan has 34 catches for 923 yards and 12 TDs. Junior QB Dan Grimsley has thrown for 1,163 yards and 14 TDs. Kirksey is also a weapon at FB. The Bulldogs face an Elyria defense allowing an average of 16.5 points and 254.3 yards per game. Four teams scored 28 or more points on Elyria, while only two teams have scored more than one TD in a game on McKinley.