Donovan Edwards was given a nickname by his teammates on the Midwood football team.
“He’s Mr. Big Six,” quarterback Dominic Clarke said.
Edwards, a senior running back/safety, wears No. 6 on his jersey and has a propensity for scoring touchdowns. On Friday, he might as well have been called “Mr. Pick Six.”
After Clarke’s 1-yard touchdown plunge put the Hornets ahead in the fourth quarter for the first time, Edwards ended all hopes for a New Dorp comeback. On the Central Cougars’ first play from scrimmage down four points with 1:14 left, Edwards jumped a route, intercepted quarterback Matt Popovic’s pass and took it 30 yards for a touchdown.
It put an emphatic cap on Midwood’s 24-14, come-from-behind victory over New Dorp.
The Hornets (4-2) trailed,14-0, six minutes into the game, but hung around and moved closer to guaranteeing themselves a playoff spot. Midwood has now won three straight games, perhaps none bigger than this one against the Central Cougars (3-3).
“I think it shows the rest of the city that we’re here to play,” Edwards said.
He certainly showed it. Edwards, who is being recruited by Rutgers, Syracuse and Iowa, had a huge second half. He rushed for two yards on one carry in a first half completely dominated by New Dorp, but finished with 60 yards on 12 attempts. His 5-yard touchdown run with 7:59 remaining pulled the Hornets within 14-12.
“Donovan Edwards took over the game on both sides of the ball,” Midwood coach Steve Basile said.
Edwards’ effectiveness opened up the entire Midwood attack. It allowed Darrel Walker (54 yards on seven carries) to get going on the ground and for Clarke, who rushed for two touchdowns, to get some breathing room. Edwards’ most important play, though, might have come with no time left in the first half when he stoned Popovic at the goal line. ND could have extended its lead to two touchdowns.
“The biggest play of the game was that goal-line stand,” Basile said.
The Central Cougars came with nothing after a 21-play drive. They then got the ball back to start the second half and Clarke was chomping at the big to get back on the field.
“I was standing on the sidelines just waiting,” he said.
He finally got his chance. After Midwood stopped New Dorp, he helped lead the Hornets on a 15-play, 71-yard march down the field, capped by Edwards’ rushing touchdown. The Midwood defense forced New Dorp into a three-and-out and Clarke was on the field again quickly. This time it was a 9-play, 54-yard drive finishing with his own 1-yard dive into the end zone.
“Our offensive line stepped up big,” Clarke said.
As a team, Midwood did, too. The Hornets set out to prove that they couldn’t just beat the PSAL’s weaker teams, but also good ones, too. With matchups against Lincoln and Erasmus Hall forthcoming, Basile knew it wouldn’t be easy.
“We’re gonna have to win at least one of these games,” he said.
And this one is especially sweet given the comeback.
“It’s not over,” Edwards told his teamates at halftime. “We can still put up points.”
He’s not “Mr. Big Six” for nothing.
