McKee completed 19-of-32 passes for 285 yards and a touchdown to earn MVP honors as the North took a 21-12-1 series lead.
“It was a great night to have Rashad on my side instead of figuring out what to do (to stop him). He’s a special talent,” said Northmont coach Tony Broering, who led the North team. “I told him after the second practice, I called his coach at Gannon University and told him what a tremendous young man Rashad is and what a steal they got. He’s going to be a star. I don’t even call him Rashad. I call him Russell Wilson. That’s who he plays like.”
The North led 35-0 at halftime. Under OHSAA rules the game was played with a running clock in the second half.
The coaches have one week of practice to get players to mesh. That’s a challenge when bringing together players from across the Miami Valley, especially when some are from rival programs. But it’s often the best part of the week for players and coaches. Cookouts can kick off the week as players get to know each other. Pizza parties can serve as the final team dinner as they end the week as friends.
“These are kids you played against or kids you follow in the newspaper. It’s really cool to see them,” said South and Chaminade Julienne coach Marcus Colvin. “It was a really good experience with these young men.”
Despite the outcome Friday, the South players still shared smiles and laughs on the sideline as they enjoyed their teammates’ company.
“I’m so proud of our kids,” Colvin said. “They never had their character questioned from the first quarter through the fourth quarter. This is a great experience for me and the kids. … Win, lose or draw our kids had fun. They did everything we asked them to do. We have great programs in Dayton, Ohio, and it shows up every Friday night.”
McKee hit Northridge’s Twon Hines for a 28-yard touchdown with 6:19 left in the first quarter for the 6-0 lead. With 1:10 left in the quarter, Northmont’s Danny Lewis tossed a 24-yard halfback pass to Troy’s Calliou Monroe for the 13-0 lead.
Hines rushed for touchdowns of three and seven yards to put the North up 28-0. McKee found Trotwood’s George Anderson for a 13-yard TD 31 seconds before halftime.
Hines added the North’s final score with a 2-yard run in the third quarter. Hines – who was named the offensive back of the game – rushed for 60 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries and caught two pastis for 39 yards.
“Playing with some of these guys is great,” said McKee, who threw for 2,025 yards and 16 touchdowns and rushed for 649 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Warriors last season. “We play a tough schedule and against a lot of good people. It’s different having them on my team. It feels good. A shout out to our defense. That defense was shutdown tonight. I like playing with those guys.”
McKee found seven different receivers as the North rolled up about 420 yards in offense. The South, which struggled with the North’s size and quickness, finished with about 50.
“The kids we have are great kids. That North team was a pretty good football team,” Colvin said. “Nothing against our boys, but North just had some really good guys up front. We had a problem with them physically.
“What’s really cool about the game is you have your small schools and big schools all meshed into one football team. I’m proud of our kids. I really enjoyed this experience. I love the (MVFCA) and the support it gives. We tried to work as hard as we could to represent as well as we could.”
Valley View’s Aaron Valenti (South) was named special teams player MVP. Franklin’s David Figliola (South) was the defensive line MVP and Piqua’s Zane Arbogast (North) was the offensive line MVP. Northmont’s Lewis, who had the game’s lone turnover with a second-quarter interception, was the MVP at defensive back.
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