by Kevin McCaskill Jr.
11/7/22 * 10:10 PM
(SUFFIELD, CT) - On Saturday evening, Phillips Andover Academy was in northern CT to play a tough road game against Suffield Academy. Both schools are in the NEPSAC. Phillips Andover starting QB is Davian McDonald; he is from Holyoke, MA.
(Jalen Morrison & Jason Hall in the backfield for Suffield)
(Davian McDonald)
Phillips Andover received the opening kickoff. Their first drive was very long. They called multiple run plays for the RB and the QB. The drive ended after McDonald threw a pass that was intercepted by Suffield.
When Suffield got the ball, their star RB Jason Hall shined. Hall is committed to Villanova University. He ran the ball hard all night long. On the first drive, he got loose on the right side, stiff-armed a tackler to the ground and sprinted to the endzone. The EP kick was good; Suffield led early 7-0.
(Jordan Hall run TD)
In the 2nd quarter, Hall got loose again and scored on a long TD run. Saturday was the first time I saw Hall play and I was very impressed. He runs between the tackles, which demonstrates his toughness. He had the agility to make cuts and “bounce out” to an area that has more space. He isn’t a track star but can run away from pursuing defenders. The Wildcats have a great prospect coming into their program. The EP kick was no good; Suffield was ahead 13-0.
Hall wasn’t the only Suffield player to get on the scoreboard. QB Jalen Morrison threw a strike to WR Cole Higgins for a TD. That TD put Suffield ahead 19-0 going into halftime.
(Jalen Morrison throws pass to Cole Higgins for a TD)
Phillips Andover had a long drive in the 3rd quarter that ate up most of the clock. They got down to the goalline but couldn’t score a TD. Their best drive of the game was stopped.
Phillips Andover turned up their defensive pressure in the 2nd half. The didn’t allow a TD in the 3rd quarter. They also made multiple stops in the 4th quarter.
Phillips Andover QB Davian McDonald came
alive in the 4th quarter. He threw two TD passes - one to Corey Cid, down the left sideline; the other TD was a throw to Diego Velez. The EP kick after the Cid TD was no good but the EP after the Velez TD was good. Phillips Andover narrowed the lead to 19-13.
(Davian McDonald to Diego Velez for a TD)
Phillips Andover couldn’t stop Hall. He got through the defense again and scored another TD. He scored 3 run TDs; he also had 3 run TDs called back because of offensive penalties. He could have run for 6 TDs on Saturday!
(Jordan Hall run TD)
Hall’s last TD put Suffield ahead 25-13. Phillips Andover had one more drive but it didn’t result in any points.
Suffield beat Phillips Andover 25-13.
After the game, I spoke with Suffield AD/HC Drew Gamere, RB Jason Hall and Phillips Andover HC Trey Brown.
⚫️Drew Gamere🟠
“I felt good about our preparation this week. I thought we had an awesome week of practice. I felt good but we knew we would have to earn it against them”.
“Jason [Hall] is special. He does a lot for us. He is strong, he’s got speed, he’s got burst. We rely on him a lot offensively. He plays great at linebacker as well. He is committed to Villanova”.
⚫️Jason Hall🟠
“I’m from Fall River, MA”
“I felt like I wanted to tear [the game] up. I knew my fam was gon’ pop out so I tried to do the best I could, leave it all on the field".
[Going to Villanova] “I’m looking for a challenge, learn the game and try to get to the League”
🔵Trey Brown⚪️
“We knew it was gonna be a battle”.
“Davian [McDonald] is someone that gets better every game. He is a competitor…He made some amazing throws in tight coverages. He is a dual threat - able to run the ball [and] has an incredible arm. He played his ass of today; I’m proud of him”.
“We game-planned all week [to stop Jason Hall] and it wasn’t enough planning. He is going to Villanova and he showed it. He runs hard; you are not gonna tackle him with one guy…Really, really hard to stop”.