The lights don’t shine too often on Mondays during a typical high school football season.
But this is 2020, and anything can happen.
Playing their first game since Oct. 2 after being shut down due to COVID-19 concerns, Sean McDade and the rest of his Pennsville teammates were more than happy to take advantage of a rare night under the lights.
McDade rushed for 204 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries and the Eagles scored four times in the decisive third quarter en route to a 44-22 victory over host Clayton in a West Jersey Football League matchup of unbeatens.
Pennsville (2-0) exploded for 24 points in the third, breaking a 14-14 halftime deadlock. McDade scored on runs of 15 and 59 yards, quarterback Kyle Taylor added a 1-yard keeper as part of his three-TD night and Gabe Watson returned an interception 85 yards for what proved to be the game-winning score.
“I’m so unbelievably happy for these kids because when I had to tell them they weren’t playing … The seniors were real excited and expected to do big things this year and were hurt and devastated,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. "They showed up for practice Saturday, our only real practice in pads, and they were flying around.
“They showed up ready to play. There was some rust in the first half and we knew we’d struggle a bit. But they did a really good job with the stuff we did in virtual meetings.”
Running behind an offensive line of Jaydon Morris, TJ Coulbourn, Gavin Watson, Tyler McDade and Ronell Redd, the 6-foot, 195-pound Sean McDade got better and stronger as the game progressed. He took a seat with just over eight minutes left, having averaged just under nine yards per carry on the night.
“They’re my boys and I do it for them,” he said, referring to the teammates that opened the holes. “All I know is to work hard every second I can get.”
“Sean is a football player. He has great vision and is a big body,” Healy said. "He has a good enough burst to get through the hole and he just breaks tackles.
“He initiates contact, he wants that contact and thrives on it. That’s what makes him such a good player on offense and defense.”
As a middle linebacker, McDade collected four solo tackles, two assists, two tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Zach Morrison added an interception, while Morris, MJ Miller, Derrick Taylor and Jacob Baker were in on sacks.
Justin Pessoa led Clayton (2-1) with 137 rushing yards and two touchdowns - which included a 79-yard scamper on his first carry in the opening quarter. TerMeir Hill’s 72-yard kickoff return accounted for the team’s other score.
Pennsville's Sean McDade (28) runs the ball during a football game against Clayton, Monday, Oct. 19, 2020.Joe Warner | For NJ Advance Media
Having two games taken away by COVID - Glassboro and Middle Township - the Eagles more than answered the bell on this night.
“We all knew it wasn’t going to be easy and that it could happen to anyone,” McDade said. “Once we heard the news, we knew we had to work hard by ourselves and go through the playbook. You saw the results.”
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Kevin Minnick covers the West Jersey Football League. He can be reached at kminnick@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @kminnicksports