Bill McNally coaches Girard football team to victory two days after mother's death
NORTH EAST ― Some postgame hugs were tighter than normal Thursday for Girard football coach Bill McNally.
The YellowJackets' 31-14 win at North East was only the second significant reason for such gestures. Their victory at Ted Miller Stadium came two days after the death of McNally's mother.
Mary Catherine McNally was 72.
Bill McNally was mostly absent from the team while it prepared to face the Grapepickers. He also expects to be away from the players and coaches ahead of his mother's funeral, which is scheduled for Tuesday in Pittsburgh.
Girard's win made McNally's decision to coach all the more cathartic.
“It was a hard thing to do until I got with the boys,” he said. “Then it was like being home. Coming here and watching them run the football the way they did was very pleasing. I'm so proud of the way they worked. My assistant coaches had to run a couple practices, so they were also amazing.”
Short turnaround
There were other reasons Girard was ecstatic with Thursday's outcome.
The 'Jackets not only won on the road, but also after an abbreviated week of practice. They were involved in one of four District 10 games that took place Thursday because of a shortage of officiating crews.
“It was hard. Very hard,” Girard quarterback Gabe Messmer said. “We had to put in a lot of (the game plan) early.”
Whatever schemes the 'Jackets concocted on offense paid off for Messmer. He threw four touchdown passes, three to Stephen Foster and a fourth to Dylan West, and totaled 112 yards on 8-of-13 completions.
Messmer added another 70 yards on the ground.
Girard also won its Region 5 debut. The 'Jackets (1-0, 1-1) and the 'Pickers (0-1, 0-2) are two of the district's 15 Class 3A teams, which means the winner of such head-to-head meetings holds a tiebreaker over the loser when it comes to determining the eight teams that should comprise its playoff bracket.
Johnson left waiting
Thursday's result also meant North East must wait another week to win its first game for rookie coach Jovon Johnson. The Mercyhurst Prep graduate also played for the University of Iowa, then one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers and another 11 in the Canadian Football League.
No aspect of Thursday's loss bothered Johnson more than penalties. North East was flagged nine times for 65 yards.
“It's hard to win when you're an undisciplined team,” Johnson said. “You can't (commit nine) penalties in a game. That's just a reality. We didn't have that many penalties last week (at Farrell), and we actually had a better chance (to win).”
Farrell, which is expected to contend for the PIAA Class 2A championship, beat North East 40-20 in Johnson's coaching debut.
The 'Pickers lost Thursday despite Jamari Curlett's productive night. The junior caught nine passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns, with the second one the result of an acrobatic catch in Girard's end zone.
Next opponents
North East and Girard each have non-region games scheduled on Sept. 9.
The 'Pickers will host Oil City, which also played Thursday. North East must figure out a way to halt the Oilers' Ethen Knox, who rushed for more than 400 yards and seven touchdowns when they routed Corry 55-6.
Girard returns to the road for action against Warren.
● Find Week 2 District 10 football game summaries and statistics at GoErie.com/sports.
Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNcopper.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Girard football teams wins two days after death of coach's mother
