It didn’t faze the Bulldogs.

MHS had just 144 rushing yards, but McLouth with a balanced attack. The Bulldogs had 185 yards in the air, including four touchdowns from quarterback Jimmy Steffey as MHS rolled against Doniphan West, 24-7.

“The pass has been there for us all along,” said THS coach Harry Hester. “We didn’t really want to utilize it until we needed to.”

MHS running back Kevin Stewart was McLouth’s mainstay in the first two games. The junior had 268 yards in Week 1 and 122 in Week 2. On Friday, Stewart was limited to 75 rushing yards.

“Both middle linebackers were going on him,” Hester said. “That opened up our passing game.”

Trevor Keeling led the team with two touchdowns. He scored the Bulldogs’ first touchdown with a 17-yard pass from Steffey. He also scored the final touchdown of the game with 3:24 left in the fourth quarter. Keling had four receptions for 60 yards.

The Bulldogs scored twice in the first quarter and led 12-7 at the half. The team scored two more times in the fourth, but did not convert any point-after attempts.

McLouth out-gained Doniphan West in total offense by a 329-196 margin.

“The line gave us plenty of time and we made plays,” Hester said.

MHS now is 3-0 as its turnaround season continues. Doniphan West, which is the consolidated school of Highland and Midway-Denton, dropped to 1-2 on the year.

The Bulldogs now focus their attention on arguably its toughest foe thus far in the season. Jefferson County North (2-1 overall and 2-1 in the Delaware Valley League) comes Friday to McLouth.

“Jefferson County North has a tremendous football team,” Hester said. “This will tell us exactly where we are.

“The kids are excited for the challenge we understand they are one of the top teams in the league and we’ll have to come out and perform.”

The game will cap homecoming week at McLouth High. Kickoff for the football game is set for 7 p.m. Friday.

Box score

McLouth 24, Doniphan West 7

M — Steffey 17 pass to Keling (New kick failed)

M — Steffey 50 pass to Gill (Steffey pass failed)

DW — New 1 run (New kick)

M — Steffey 4 pass to Cook (Steffey pass failed)

M — Steffey 23 pass to Keling (Stewart pass failed)