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At just 5-foot-5-inches tall, he has to rely on quickness and instincts to get the job done.

He used both of those skills Friday to turn in the biggest play of an action-packed nonleague football affair against Highland.

McGee grabbed a deflected pass out of the air for a momentum-changing interception to help the Crusaders to a 42-26 win in a high-octane battle.

The 240-pounder outjumped a host of behemoths in the trenches to snare the ball.

"It was definitely very important," McGee said. "I just saw it and jumped up and got it."

McGee goes by the nickname of "Honey Bun" due his penchant for the donut-like snack. His mother Michele tagged him with the moniker a few years back. Michele died of cancer in October of last year and McGee uses the pain from that loss as a motivating factor in his life.

"He changed a lot after that," Althoff junior quarterback Jayden Ellington said. "He became a whole new player."

McGee displayed some hops at 5-5, outjumping other linemen 6-2 or above for the deflected pass.

"It was almost like Michael Jordan going in for a dunk," Althoff coach Austin Frazier said. "An interception for a d-lineman is pretty cool. We're really proud of him."

Frazier also loves McGee's colorful nickname.

"Our honey buns storage in our concession stand rarely keeps up to pace (with him)," Frazier said.

McGee battled through the loss of his mom and finished last season strong.

"It was very hard, very rough," McGee said. "It motivated me more."

McGee learned of Michele's death right after coming off the field in a junior varsity game.

"He was tough in the way he handled it," Ellington said.

Althoff, the defending Class 1A state champion, improved to 2-0 and proved it will be a force once again. The Belleville-based Catholic school had been double-bumped and will compete in Class 3A this season.

The Crusaders won their 16th game in a row and have not lost since dropping a quarterfinal decision to Camp Point Central on Nov. 11, 2023, a span of 665 days.

McGee led a big-play salvo that featured of a host of eye-popping efforts from the hosts. 

Junior Eli Bolden began the game with 74-yard kickoff return for a score. Running back Steven Brown rushed for 169 yards and three TDs. Ellington ran the offense masterfully with a TD pass in addition to a short scoring gallop. He connected on 10 of 15 passes for 97 yards and also rushed for 94 yards.

Bolden brought the crowd to its feet by scampering down the right side to start the game with a bang.

"It imposes a certain level of fear," Frazier said. "That was a great tone setter." 

McGee then took over with a tip mastery to set up a spinning 9-yard TD run by Brown that put Althoff up 14-0 after just 3 minutes and 33 seconds.

"I think we executed really well," Brown said. "Give credit to the o-line, they worked hard."

Althoff lost All-Metro player of the year Dierre Hill Jr. due to graduation. Hill is at the University of Oregon.

That huge loss, coupled with a move up in classes, could have spelled doom for the Crusaders.

But this group has flexed it muscles over the first two weeks of the season with its eye on another state crown, albeit a more challenging one.

"Class doesn't matter for us," Ellington said. "We're confident against anybody at any time."

Highland, behind quarterback Blake Gelly, stayed within striking distance throughout the first half. The Bulldogs (1-1) fought back from 14-0 and 21-7 deficits to get to within one score.

"Our No. 1 key to victory tonight was to be fast out of the gate," Highland coach Jim Warnecke said. "We struggled to get that. We were chasing the game all night."

The Crusaders broke the contest open with a nifty 11-play, 97-yard drive in the third quarter. Ellington ran in from 2 yards out on fourth down. Brown added a 44-yard run to get his team out of its own end.

An interception by Althoff senior Jakobi Tow set up Brown's third TD of the night, a 2-yard gallop that pumped the advantage to 35-13.

"We're never happy, but it's still a win and that's what matters most," Ellington said.