Photo by Kim North Bridgport’s Mason Aberts (8) is tackled by Weirton Madonna’s Shawn McFarland (4) and Dominik Maple (55).

WEIRTON — First-year Madonna head football coach Mauro Monz didn’t know how to gauge his team after its opening win at Hancock, Md., last week. He has a better idea after Friday night.

The Blue Dons debuted at home with a resounding, 40-6, victory over visiting and previously undefeated Bridgeport on the artificial surface at Jimmy Carey Stadium on the campus of Weir High School.

With the offense clicking for nearly 350 yards; the defense pitching a shutout until late against the high-scoring Bulldogs; and the special teams blocking a punt to set up a short touchdown run, Madonna had its head coach all smiles afterwards.

“This was a great home-opener for the community and the kids. If you would have told me it would be 40-0 with two minutes left, I probably wouldn’t have believed you,” Monz said. “This was a great team victory. They deserved it.

“Bridgeport has a great team but we stuck to our game plan and didn’t make any mistakes,” Monz praised. “We made them drive the field. That was the key.”

After a scoreless first quarter, in which Bridgeport’s Lamar Kendricks Jr. recovered a Blue Dons fumble in the end zone for a touchback, Madonna put up 20 points in the second quarter and never looked back.

Sophomore quarterback Lucas McAllister, making just his second varsity start, had a part in all three TDs. He found 6-5 junior Chase Littleton from 30 yards out on a lob over the smaller defender for a 6-0 reading. The score came after an interception by Jonah McKay.

Three Bridgeport plays only netted seven yards and the Ohioans were forced to punt. However, it was blocked by Lucas Muzzi and finally recovered by lineman Harry Norman at the Bulldogs’ 1. McAlllister bulled his way in on the next play and Shawn McFarland’s two placement kicks made it 14-0.

Andre Crossland set the Blue Dons up with an interception on Bridgeport’s first play, returning it to the Bulldogs’ 46 with just over two minutes left in the first half.

After McAllister and Littleton hooked up for a fourth-down completion, McAllister found the speedy McKay in the left flat. He turned the corner and went 28 yards into the end zone. The PAT failed, leaving the score 20-0 at the half.

The Blue Dons marched 60 yards on five plays with the second-half kickoff. Muzzi went in from 4 yards out and McFarland upped the count to 27-0. Keying the drive was a 31-yard catch-and-run from McAllister to Brycen Hair.

McAllister and McKay played pitch-and-catch from 13 yards to run the count to 34-0 after McFarland’s PAT.

The defense got involved as lineman Antonio Aguirre scooped up a Bridgeport fumble and rumbled 15 yards to paydirt.

Bridgeport (3-1), which entered the contest averaging 48.7 points and was coming off a 62-point effort against Trinity Christian in week 3, avoided being shut out when Colin Jackson scored on a 5-yard run with 2:47 left to play. The Bulldogs managed 199, with most of that coming on their late touchdown drive.

McAllister passed for 274 yards and three scores on 15 of 21. McKay caught five for 87 and two TDs while McFarland snagged four for 62 and Littleton three for 77 and a TD.

“Our receivers had a great summer and it’s finally starting to show,” Monz noted.

With the lop-sided victory, Madonna extends its dominance over Bridgeport to six straight wins. The Bulldogs last prevailed 18-13 in 2014. The two didn’t play in 2015-16.

“We didn’t help ourselves with the way we played. That’s the worst we’ve played all season,” Bridgeport head coach Fred Ray assessed. “We’re a lot better than what we played tonight. Sometimes I think it all comes down to we’re still a young team and they are high school kids.

“When you get some success at that age you have to learn to, and I’m not saying they didn’t, put in that extra effort because there’s a target on your back. We probably needed a game like this.”

Jackson was 11-for-21 passing for 121 yards, but was picked twice. Michael Marshall had five carries for 39 yards. Mason Aberts caught four passes for 24 yards.

Bridgeport was seeking to start 4-0 for the first time since that magical season of 2010 when it advanced to the Division VI, Region 23 finals and finished at 12-1. The Bulldogs, however, have only won four games in a season three times since that run.

Bridgeport remains on the road next Friday at Conotton Valley. Madonna, meanwhile, treks to Vienna Matthews.

Madonna 40, Bridgeport 6

Bridgeport 0 0 0 6 – 6

Madonna 0 20 7 13 – 40

M-Littleton 30 pass from McAllister (McFarland kick)

M-McAllister 1 run (McFarland kick)

M-McKay 28 pass from McAllister (kick failed)

M-Muzzi 4 run (McFarland kick)

M-McKay 13 pass from McAllister (McFarland kick)

M-Aguirre 15 fumble return (kick blocked)

B-C. Jackson 5 run (pass failed)

RUSHING: Bridgeport 26-78-td (Marshall 5-39, Bugaj 3-35, C. jackson 14-9-td, Pyle 3-8, D. Charlton 1-(-3). Weirton Madonna 27-59-2tds (Muzzi 11-36-td, J. McAllister 3-14, L. McAllister 11-11-td, McKay 2-(-2)

PASSING: Bridgeport 11-21-121-2ints (all by C. Jackson). Weirton Madonna 15-21-274-3tds (all by L. McAllister)

RECEIVING: Bridgeport 11-121 (Aberts 4-24, A. Jackson 2-40, Bugaj 2-27, Threet 2-10, Kendricks Jr. 1-20). Weirton Madonna 15-274-3tds (McKay 5-89-2tds, McFarland 4-62, Littleton 3-77-td, Muzzi 1-8, Grishkevich 1-7)

FIRST DOWNS: Bridgeport 9. Weirton Madonna 14

FUMBLES: Bridgeport 3-1. Weirton Madonna 3-1

PENALTIES: Bridgeport 7-71. Weirton Madonna 9-74