McDonogh sophomore quarterback Rudy Johnson completed 13-of-21 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns in the Eagles’ 33-15 victory over Calvert Hall Saturday afternoon.

THE ODD COUPLE

Rudy Johnson and Gerrard Sheppard have formed an explosive alliance for McDonogh’s football team. Saturday at Calvert Hall, the pair aired the Eagles to victory.

     One plays the game like he’s a senior. The other is a senior being reintroduced to the sport.

     When the high school football season began, Rudy Johnson and Gerrard Sheppard were relatively unknown. Now, they’re one of the best offensive duos in the area.

     Saturday afternoon at Calvert Hall, Sheppard and Johnson weaved their magic for McDonogh School in a 33-15 decision over the Cardinals in a MIAA A Conference contest. The pair connected for two long touchdowns as the Eagles overcame a sluggish start to win their second straight decision. The Eagles (4-3 overall, 2-1 league) are in a first-place tie with Mount St. Joseph (2-1), with Gilman and Loyola each at 1-1.

      Johnson, a 6-foot, one inch sophomore quarterback, threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns, and Sheppard, a senior wideout, caught four passes for 165 yards. J.P. Grant, Brian Ellis and Andrew Hood also scored for McDonogh.

      Sheppard spent his first three years at the Owings Mills school playing basketball. After some self-reflection as well as prodding from his football classmates, who he played casually with outside during the basketball campaign, Shepperd decided to compete in his final high school year.  

      “It couldn’t hurt, it’s another sport that I love to play,” said Sheppard, who previously played in the successful Northwood Recreation program. “It’s challenge me to excel.”

      “In high school footballl, he’s a difference maker. He’s a big play guy that you can throw to,” said McDonogh coach Dom Damico. “A lot of high schools don’t have a 6-3 guy that can run and jump. If Sheppard played football all four years, I think he probably would be one of the highest recruited kids in the country.”

      In his first season as a starter, Johnson is on the short list of elite underclassmen in the area. With a strong arm and able to escape out of the pocket, Johnson plays with a cerebral resolve.

      “He’s young, but at same time, he’s mature for his age on and off the field,” said Sheppard. “He might get down on himself a little, and I have to pick on him up, but he bounces back. It’s on auto drive for him, it’s like second nature.”

       “I just got to just better every week,” said Johnson who wasn’t pleased with his performance in the Eagles’ victory over Mount St. Joseph Oct. 12. “It’s always something new to learn. Monday, I start all over again.”

       He should have a nice template from Saturday to start preparing with. After Calvert Hall effortlessly drove the ball down the field for a game-opening touchdown, Johnson found Sheppard down the right sidelines for a 79-yard score on the Eagles’ second play from scrimmage.

       Trailing 9-6, Johnson engineered a nine-play, 80-yard drive, finding Grant for a 23-yard touchdown, giving McDonogh its first lead, 12-9, at intermission. After an interception by linebacker Shane Milam gave McDonogh possession, Johnson went right back to Sheppard for a 47-yard touchdown. They hooked up again for the two-point conversion, extending the Eagles’ advantage to 20-9 with 4 minutes, 33 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

       “They had seven [defensive players] in the box so the running game wasn’t working as well as we thought it would be,” said Sheppard. “I knew the passing game was going to have work for us.”

       Damico said Sheppard’s presence has created opportunities for Grant, Curtis Holmes and K.C. Woods in McDonogh’s passing scheme. Calvert Hall coach Donald Davis believes basketball shouldn’t be in Sheppard’s immediate future.

       “There’s a lot of guys who are 6-2, 6-3 swingman that can shoot and dribble, but he’s got some rare natural talent on offense,” said Davis, whose team fell to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in the MIAA A. “If he can get with a coaching staff that can pick up where this coaching staff left off, I think he can be a very good collegiate wide receiver. The kid is talented and their quarterback just had a tremendous day throwing the ball in crucial situations.”   
       
       Johnson said the chemistry with Sheppard started the first time they practiced together Aug. 20. Two months later, the unlikely pair haven’t slowed down.  

       “It took many days of us getting to practice early and running patterns, and him teaching me where he wants to be on this count and things after practice,” said Sheppard, who’s attracting interest from Connecticut and Oregon. “Hard work definitely pays off.”

McDonogh 33, Calvert Hall 15
McDonogh    6 6 8 13-33
Calvert Hall   9 0 0   6-15
Scoring summary
First quarter
Calvert Hall-Ryan Gutowski 21-yard run (Chris Karolenko kick), 9:56. Drive: 5 plays, 67 yards. Key play: Kevin Graves 32-yard run.
McDonogh-Sheppard 79-yard pass from Johnson (kick failed), 8:49. Drive: 2 plays, 79 yards.
Calvert Hall-Safety (McDonogh punter knee touch in end zone)
Second quarter
McDonogh-Grant 23-yard pass from Johnson (kick failed), 1:14. Drive: Nine plays, 80 yards. Key play: Sheppard 23-yard pass from Johnson.
Third quarter
McDonogh-Sheppard 47-yard pass from Johnson (Sheppard pass from Johnson), 4:33. Drive: One play, 47 yards.
Fourth quarter
McDonogh-Ellis 12-yard run (Eby kick), 10:58. Drive: Six plays, 70 yards. Key play: Pass interference on Calvert Hall on second-and-9 from Calvert Hall 24.
McDonogh-Hood eight-yard run (kick failed), 4:20. Drive: Four plays, 19 yards. Key play: Hood three-yard run on third-and-2.
Calvert Hall-Dan Zentz three-yard run (kick failed), 1:55. Drive: Six plays, 72 yards. Key play: Joe Impallaria 23-yard pass from Zack Blake.