A strong candidate for one of the best to wear the Hilton Head Prep colors in recent memory, Dolphins four-year quarterback Stone McDonald put the pen to paper Wednesday afternoon, signing to play football at Lafayette College.
“It’s a great fit for Stone,” Dolphins coach Dave Adams said. “I couldn’t be more proud of his commitment to a Division I school. Lafayette is a good choice for him academically, and it’s a program that he has a chance to play for right away.”
McDonald had an outstanding career as a signal-caller for the Dolphins, becoming the starter all the way back in his freshman season. Through his 31 games played, he passed for 5,199 yards and 48 touchdowns, and was a strong runner, picking up 2,227 on the ground and 21 rushing TDs while averaging more than nine yards per carry.
As a captain this year playing just seven games due to an early injury, he picked up over 1,500 passing yards and 15 TDs, along with over 500 rushing yards. He was selected for this year’s SCISA North/South All-Star Game and this coming January’s Blitz Border Bowl.
McDonald was also named First-Team All-Region. In 2018, he was named the SCISA 2A Region Player of the Year following his junior season. His father Mark McDonald is a former quarterback and team captain at Syracuse.
The journey was by no means a smooth one for Stone, as he faced adversity at seemingly every step.
“His first challenge was being a 14-year-old starting quarterback that he had to overcome real quick, then in his sophomore year he suffered a broken hand on his throwing side,” Adams said. “Then this year, he started off the preseason with a shattered nose. To come back after that with no training in the middle of the season is amazing.”
The talented quarterback was also a key member of the 2018-19 basketball squad that won the state title. He is currently a captain of this year’s team and has started all four years.
In the classroom, McDonald is an honors student and a graduate of the 2019 Hilton Head Island Chamber of Commerce Junior Leadership Program. It’s fitting, because the word that was used the most to describe Stone during Wednesday’s ceremony was “leadership”.
“It was really about taking after the prior seniors until I was a senior,” McDonald said. “All my teammates have been great leaders and I have learned much from them. These experiences on the field led me to become the person I am today.
“I’m going to do whatever they want me to do, and do it at 100%,” he added. “I’ll hit the books, start strong and then finish strong four years later.”
Story by Wes Kerr
