by Uniontown, OH: It was a beautiful night for football and the McKinley Bulldogs (5-1) made the most of it, shutting out the Green Bulldogs (3-3) 35-0, McKinley’s fifth running clock victory of the season. Junior running back Kyelin West had a dominant performance, rushing for 276 yards and three touchdowns, adding a 17-yard reception for another touchdown. Darius Hill impressed as well, hauling in eight catches for 117 yards and a score.
First Half
A big return on the opening kickoff by Reed Liberatore gave Green excellent starting field position. Unfortunately they could not find any success, going four-and-out in just over two minutes. McKinley, on the other hand, struck quickly, covering 62 yards in six plays. On their third play inside the red zone, Kyelin West took the handoff 12 yards to put McKinley up 7-0 early.
After Green punted the ball away on the next drive, McKinley took over near midfield. The Bulldogs kept the ball in West’s hands, as the junior carried it four times for 48 yards, crossing the goal line on a five-yard run to put McKinley up 14-0 late in the first.
McKinley would get one more first quarter possession, taking over at the Green 40 with under three minutes. This time the Bulldogs aired it out, as Braylon Crook connected with Darius Hill twice, the latter going for a 36-yard touchdown, extending their lead to 21-0.
With their backs against the wall, Green put together its most impressive drive of the game. Starting on their own 35, the Bulldogs methodically marched down the field. Green got all the way to the McKinley 11 but were halted there, as McKinley came up with four big stops to keep Green off the scoreboard.
Backed up on their own 3, McKinley got a 22-yard carry by West that gave them space and another 22-yard carry that moved them across midfield. With just over two minutes remaining, Crook connected with West for a 17-yard touchdown, putting McKinley up 28-0.
Each side got one more possession but neither offense could break through, sending McKinley in to the halftime break with a 28-0 lead.
Second Half
McKinley received the second half kickoff and struck fast, as Kyelin West rumbled 50 yards for a touchdown on the third play, putting the Bulldogs up 35-0 and starting the running clock.
The next drive for McKinley was a long one, running about nine minutes off of the game clock. Unfortunately, the offense could not convert, punting the ball to Green for the first time. Green would move the ball out near midfield, but were forced to punt from their 43-yard line.
McKinley proceeded to run the final 6:49 off the game clock, sealing a 35-0 victory and extending the Bulldogs’ win streak to four games.
Next Week
McKinley improves to 3-0 in Federal League competition and 5-1 overall. The Bulldogs are back in action next week when they host Hoover (4-2). The Vikings took down GlenOak 26-14 in Week 6.
Green will look to snap its two game losing streak next week when they travel to GlenOak. The Eagles lost their third straight game 26-14 at Hoover in Week 6.
Top Performers
Canton McKinley Bulldogs
Kyelin West: 21 carries 272 yards 3 TD 1 catch 17 yards TD
Darius Hill: 8 catches 117 yards TD
Braylon Crook: 15-18 175 yards 2 TD
Green Bulldogs
Chase Herbert: 4-16 26 yards 15 carries 34 yards
Kam Worner: 6 carries 34 yards 2 catches 23 yards
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
McKinley 7:34- Kyelin West, 12-yard run (kick good)
McKinley 3:52- Kyelin West, 5-yard run (kick good)
McKinley 1:27- Braylon Crook to Darius Hill, 36 yards (kick good)
2nd Quarter
McKinley 2:12- Braylon Crook to Kyelin West, 17 yards (kick good)
3rd Quarter
McKinley 10:34- Kyelin West, 50-yard run (kick good)
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | FINAL | |
| McKinley | 21 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
