Football: Oak Forest's McDonough, Zale Celebrate Milestone Victories

Oak Forest coach will always remember Friday night’s game as No. 100. Quarterback will look back and recall it as No. 1.

Both McDonough and Zale achieved milestone victories with 40-0 decision over Urban Prep at home, and couldn’t have done so without the other.

A summer of training paid off for the quarterback-coach combination. McDonough wasn’t afraid to give his first-year varsity QB starter the keys to the offense, as Zale threw 14 passes in the first half before giving way to backup Kyle Czeszewski late in the second quarter.

Six of those attempts were completed, for 139 yards and two touchdowns.  

“Tommy can play, that’s for sure,” McDonough said. “He made some mistakes, but he made some great plays, too.”

Zale looked comfortable in the pocket and wasn’t afraid to show off his arm strength. He might have had a little too much adrenaline early on. During the team’s second possession, Zale fired a pass to Tevin Coleman in the flat, only to have it sail high and through Coleman’s hands.

“When you get in the game, everything increases,” Zale said. "You throw a little harder, run a little faster.”

But as any good quarterback will say, their job is to utilize the talent around them. In Coleman, Zale may have the best running back in the state as his disposal. On multiple occasions, Zale had the presence of mind to find his safety valve in the flat. Twice those dump-off passes resulted in touchdowns.

Even though they're separated by 99 victories and more than 10 years worth of varsity experience, Zale and McDonough were both equally happy Friday night—their smiles both a mile wide.

“I was a little nervous at first, but once we got in the groove and everything it was fine,” Zale said. “I had a blast.”

“(No. 100) means the world to me,” McDonough said. 

Join Patch's Oak Forest Bengals Fans Facebook fan club.

Download the movie