“This was a revenge tour,” McDonald said. “We needed that. They beat us twice last year, once this year. They came out and thought they were going to do the same thing. We just had to change it up.”
It was the first time in program history Alter had beaten a team in the playoffs that it had lost to in the regular season, said Knights head coach Ed Domsitz.
“After we lost, these kids wanted to play Badin again,” Domsitz said. “This is epic. We beat the league champion and the team that beat us three times in a row and ended our season last year.”
Knights senior quarterback Brian Shane threw two TD passes for Alter, who won their seventh straight game and improved to 7-2 overall.
Alter gained 339 yards of total offense and held the Rams to 162 yards. The Knights' ground game was dominant, holding possession of the ball for more than 31 minutes.
“The kids had an amazing ball game offensively and defensively,” Domsitz said. “Offensively, when we needed the points, we were able to throw the football and complete a few passes. Defensively, the whole ball game, it was lights out. We needed that kind of effort against Badin. The kids rose to the occasion.”
Alter took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 72-yard touchdown pass from Shane to junior C.J. Hicks.
Badin had first-and-goal from the 1-yard line to start the second quarter, but the Knights held, forcing the Rams to attempt a field goal. Badin’s Michael Schweinefuss hit a 27-yard field goal to pull the Rams within four points.
On Alter’s next possession, Shane connected with senior Patrick Connor on a 32-yard TD pass to give the Knights a 14-3 lead at the half.
From that point forward, it was all McDonald. The Knights ran nearly 10 minutes off the clock on one possession in the third quarter, but weren’t able to put points on the board.
McDonald scored on a 15-yard run with 4:45 remaining to seal the victory for the Knights.
“Our offensive line helped us move the football,” Domsitz said. “We ran the same 2-3 plays probably, I don’t know 20 times. It doesn’t take a genius. If I’m picking up five or six yards a clip, we’ll run it. I’m a patient man when it comes to that.”
Badin finished its season 8-1, winning their third straight Greater Catholic League Coed championship.
“It was a heck of an effort tonight, we just didn’t capitalize on opportunities,” said Badin coach Nick Yordy. “We had a few. That’s a good football team. We knew it was going to be a battle. We’re a good football team, too, and they just made a few more plays than we did.”
Alter will play Ross (8-1) in a D-III regional final game at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6 at a site to be determined. Ross beat top-seeded Bellbrook 41-19. The Rams have won eight straight since falling to Badin 41-7 in Week 1.
“They’re obviously going to present some problems, but you prepare, show up and hope we’re able to get things done next week,” Domsitz said. “It’s going to be a battle. There are no easy ones left when you get to this point.”
About the Author