On a rain-soaked night, No. 5 McDonogh's offense was anything but conventional.

In wet conditions, football teams tend to run the ball and control the clock, but not the Eagles.

Quarterback Rudy Johnson found holes in St. Paul's secondary, finishing 8-for-16 for 186 yards and two touchdowns in 2 1/2 quarters, as the Eagles cruised to a 35-0 victory last night at Johns Hopkins.

"Everyone ran good routes," Johnson said. "I give it to the receivers today, the running backs and the line."

With McDonogh (5-3) facing a fourth-and-17 in the first quarter, Johnson found Gerrard Sheppard in the right corner of the end zone for the first score of the game.

In the second quarter, on fourth-and-eight, he found a streaking Justin Gross down the sideline for a 53-yard touchdown.

As effective as the passing offense was, McDonogh's running game was just as dominant. Bryan Ellis ran 12 times for 68 yards, and Andrew Hood rushed six times for 56 yards and two scores.

"Our linemen were really strong, and we were just running up hard and picking up big yardage," Hood said.

The Eagles' defense made the Crusaders (5-4) uncomfortable all night, recording four sacks and two interceptions, one returned 39 yards for a touchdown by linebacker Curtis Holmes.

"Every week for the past four or five weeks, we've been playing real well on defense," McDonogh coach Don Damico said. "It all happens during the week. Our preparation has been excellent."

St. Paul's was held to one first down and 34 total yards in the first half.

The Eagles' next game will be on the road, against Georgetown Prep next Saturday at 2:30 p.m., while St. Paul's plays at St. Mary's at 7 p.m.

stefen.lovelace@baltsun.com