As one of the nation’s top recruits, it would be hard to imagine North Gwinnett defensive tackle Kayden McDonald being used as a secret weapon. However, on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, he set a career high for carries and proved to be just as dangerous in the run game, helping the Bulldogs to a 32-20 win over the McEachern Indians in a Class 7A cross-region showdown.
The 6-foot-3, 310-pound McDonald, an AJC Super 11 selection and a consensus 4-star, posted the defensive stats opponents come to expect, with 7.5 tackles, a quarterback hurry and a sack for a 7-yard loss on the next-to-last play of the game. What made Saturday’s opener unique for McDonald was finishing tied for second on the team in carries with eight, going for 28 yards and a touchdown.
Five of his eight carries resulted in either a first down or a touchdown.
“I’ll do anything for my team,” said McDonald, whose long offers list includes Clemson, Georgia and Texas. “I go to war with them. Today, I had to carry the rock and score to win.”
McDonald’s touchdown run came on fourth-and-1, on his fourth carry of the drive — and fourth of the previous five plays — with 6:59 left in the half and put the Bulldogs ahead 13-0. The Indians defense first made contact with him behind the line, but he pushed the pile forward until he was in the end zone.
The Bulldogs brought the score to its final margin with 1:38 remaining with a 15-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard Marek Briley touchdown catch . McDonald extended the drive twice by converting first-downs on third-and-2, pushing the pile forward after being met by defender short of the spot.
Bulldogs coach Bill Stewart said they’d been working toward McDonald taking on an expanded role in the running game for awhile. According to team stats posted on MaxPreps, he carried the ball just twice last season, though Stewart admitted McDonald had more carries.
To be sure, Saturday marked a career high for McDonald in carries.
“We’ve been working that package for a little bit,” Stewart said with a smile. “That was one of our things we were ready to put in tonight, so it was good for us...He’s such a load. And he’s such a threat. He’s nimble for a big guy. He’s not just a guy that’s going to go in their and fall on his face...We’ll have to manage his reps because he’s a big guy. When you’re 330 (pounds), your tank is not like the 160 kid. So we’ve got to monitor that.”
McDonald’s sack of Indians quarterback Jaydon McKinney inside the game’s final minute put the exclamation point on his all-around performance, but his wasn’t the only one that stood out. In his return from a torn ACL suffered in the sixth game of last season, Briley reeled in seven receptions for a game-high 167 yards and two touchdowns, including a 46-yard catch.
“I think Merek is a big-time college player and I think colleges have to recognize that” Stewart said of the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Briley. “It’s really just a matter of him playing.”
Bulldogs sophomore quarterback Ryan Hall opened the game’s scoring with a 57-yard sneak up the middle. He’d finish with 85 yards on 13 carries and 237 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions on 12-for-18 passing.
After McDonald’s touchdown run, the Indians went on a 10-0 run with Lucas Wynn’s 32-yard field and Jaylon Brown’s 57-yard touchdown run, which made it 13-10 with 2:58 left in the half.
The Bulldogs’ Julian Walters refused to let McEachern enter the locker room with momentum, however. He responded on the next drive, which began on the Bulldogs 20, with three straight runs of 35, 39 and 6 yards, the final a touchdown run that gave the Bulldogs a 20-10 lead that would hold through halftime.
Walters finished with 146 yards on 18 carries.
The Indians pulled no closer than 20-13 with 9:04 left in the third, when Jonathan Rodriguez booted a 21-yard field goal. They were led by Brown’s game-high 218 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. Jaydon Kinney was 14-of-29 passing for 214 yards and an interception, and RJ Echols caught eight passes for 151 yards.
Both the Indians and Bulldogs reached the second round of the 7A playoffs last year, and both remain in the state’s highest classification. The Bulldogs compete in Region 7 and play another cross-region matchup next week at Archer. The Indians compete in Region 3 and host 6A’s Hughes next week.
Saturday’s game kicked off the fourth and final day of The Corky Kell Classic and was the first in a four-game slate.
For full stats, go here.
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