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BLACKSVILLE - As weird as this may sound, Clay-Battelle's chances of an undefeated football season ended seven years ago.

That's the story told by Weirton Madonna quarterback Max Nogay, who had one heckuva night running the football Friday, as the No. 2-rated Blue Dons wrapped up an undefeated regular season with a 28-2 victory against the fourth-rated Cee-Bees.

See, the Dons have one of the best defenses in the state, allowing just 24 points in their 10 victories. It may be their defense, just as much as their offense, that carries them through next week's first round of the state playoffs.

Nogay, a senior who doubles as the team's free safety, credits his solid tackling skills to his father, who is also the school's wrestling coach.

''My dad took us all when we were still in the fifth grade and taught us a lot about the fundamentals of tackling,'' Nogay said. ''We've been a pretty fundamental group since then.''

Madonna's defense held the Cee-Bees (9-1) to 146 yards of offense and forced two interceptions. Clay-Battelle was limited to 50 yards in the second half.

''Madonna has a super defense,'' Cee Bees coach Ryan Wilson said. ''They tackle very well and they get to the ball. They have really good speed. If they make any kind of mistake, they have enough speed to make up for it.''

And it's a defense that can adjust on the fly. In the first half, C-B quarterback Lucas Cottrell twice hit receiver Nick Bragg on long pass plays that moved the ball into Madonna territory.

Clay-Battelle was forced to punt both times.

''We've given up a few big plays this year, but that's when we go back to the fundamentals,'' Nogay said. ''We know our defense can still make plays and hold teams out of the end zone. We're not going to let one big play hurt us.''

As for the Weirton Madonna's offense, Nogay was the key guy, as he rushed for 158 yards and three touchdowns on 20 attempts.

His 27-yard scoring run with 6:18 remaining in the second quarter came on a draw play that saw him spin out of two tackles and break another before racing down the right sideline for the score.

The score gave Madonna a 6-2 lead it would not relinquish.

''Their defense played very well,'' Nogay said. ''They were shutting us down and kept putting us in bad field position early on. They were hitting us, but I knew if we just kept working we would eventually break through.''

C-B, which plans on playing its first-round playoff game next week at North Marion's field, took a 2-0 lead with 6:31 left in the first quarter. Madonna tailback James Deter was tackled in the end zone on a shotgun option play.

But the Dons kept pushing and eventually broke through on the legs of Nogay, who added 78 yards passing and a TD.

''They didn't surprise us with the quarterback run,'' Wilson said. ''We knew it was coming. Now, knowing it was coming and stopping it are two different things."