Photo by Andrew Grimm Toronto quarterback Zeb Kinsey fights for extra yards at the end of run while Madonna’s Luca Muzzi and Jonah McKay try to bring him down.

WEIRTON — It is no coincidence that Toronto got back in the win column the same night it had Zeb Kinsey back to full strength.

The standout sophomore signal caller had been battling an injury and limited in what he could do during the Red Knights last three games — all losses, but he made it abundantly clear he was back to 100 percent healthy Saturday night at Jimmy Carey Stadium.

Kinsey racked up 183 yards and four touchdowns with his feet and added an additional 66 yards through the air to lead Toronto to a 40-13 win over Madonna.

“This is the first week that Zeb has been 100 percent going into the game,” Toronto head coach Josh Franke said. “The past couple weeks he’s been maybe 85, 90 percent, but just wasn’t there yet. This week in practice we started to see those flashes that we saw early in the season. It’s good to have him back to 100 percent healthy.

“We’re getting his brother (Zane Kinsey) back next week, too. We’re getting healthier as we make that push towards the playoffs.”

The bounce back was a needed one for the Red Knights after couple of tough weeks. Toronto, now 5-3, was listed as controlling its own destiny in the Division VII, Region 25 playoff race following the win by Joe Eitel’s unofficial rankings.

“It feels awesome for us to get back in the win column,” Franke said. “I’m glad the kids stuck with it. We knew that we had some really tough oppenents in the middle of the schedule and better days were ahead. You want to see your team respond after taking some bad losses and getting beat up. You want to see them come out and play like they did (Saturday).

“That’s why we play those games, we play those tough opponents, those bigger schools – we want to get the experience playing against great talent, and we think it prepares us so that when we play a team our size, we’re more physical and tougher.”

In addition to Kinsey’s big night, Dom Bouscher compiled 150 rushing yards and a pair of scores, including a 64-yarder. He also hauled in a pair of passes for another 56 yards, giving him 206 total yards. Toronto as a whole racked up 429 yards of offense, 363 of which came on the ground, and 15 first downs.

“We put together drives and finished drives, and that’s something we had been lacking,” Franke said. “We have had a problem with getting in the red zone and stalling out, and (Saturday) we finished. We still have some things to clean up before the post season, but there were a lot of good things we can build on.”

As good as the offense was, the Red Knights’ defense was able to slow the Blue Dons (3-3) big play ability for most of the game, as Madonna scored on its first possession and not again until its last possession when the game had long since been decided. The Knights defense forced Madonna to turn the ball over on downs five times.

“I have to give a lot of credit to my defensive staff and our defensive coordinator, Matt Ludewig, because it’s not easy when you play a team that passes the ball as much as (Madonna),” Franke said. “It’s not something you typically see (in high school). He put together a really good scheme that I think won us this game. This easily could have been a shootout with the talent they have, but the scheme he put together really helped us.”

Dons QB Lucas McAllister did total 287 yards going 19 of 35 passing, 131 of which went to Shawn McFarland.

McFarland’s first catch went for a 68-yard touchdown as he raced down the sideline after beating a Toronto defender for the ball. That score gave Madonna a 7-6 lead, which was short lived.

Toronto, which scored first on a 16-yard run by Kinsey to cap a nine-play march, re-took the lead with a 15-yard Kinsey scramble early in the second quarter and did not look back.

Kinsey added a 1-yard plunge on a sneak on the next possession to cap another lengthy drive and make it 20-7 at the break.

He added his fourth TD of the game on a 4-yard run in the third quarter, then Bouscher found a lane and took a fake punt 64 yards to the house in the final minute of the third quarter.

Bouscher added a 19-yard scoring run in the fourth before McAllister connected with Brycen Hair for a 27-yard TD for the final points of the game in final minute.

Toronto returns home to host Division VI Pymatuning Valley on Friday Night. The Lakers are 3-5 and fighting for a Region 21 playoff spot.

Madonna is set to host 2-6 Richwood at Jimmy Carey Stadium on Saturday night.

Madonna head coach Mauro Monz was not available for comment.