Siegfried 13, Knott 0
In Siegfried's first game of the season, senior quarterback Max Young helmed a dynamic offense, and led the Ramblers past their Mod-quad rival Knott in a 13-0 win last Sunday.
The Juggerknotts could not contain the versatile Siegfried offense, and fell to 1-1 on the season.
Both offenses came out sloppy to start the game. Siegfried senior defensive back Tom Owens picked Knott sophomore quarterback J.T. Redshaw on the first play of the game. Three plays later, Knott recovered a fumbled handoff to regain possession. But the Juggerknotts could only drive to the Siegfried 43-yard line, and were forced to punt the ball.
The Rambler offense would get into gear on their next possession, using the dynamic running back combination of junior Dex Cure and senior Marcus Young. The two traded carries to move down field deep into Knott territory. A touchdown pass from Max Young to sophomore receiver David Ruffer capped the 80-yard drive. Knott blocked the PAT to hold the score at 6-0
"We were a little rusty today, but we executed when we needed to," Siegfried coach PJ Zimmer said. "I'm sure we'll continue to improve, as long as we keep up the quickness and intensity."
The next two drives ended in punts, and the Ramblers headed into halftime with the lead.
On the first drive of the second half, Marcus Young got most of the touches, rushing for 30 yards on 8 carries. From the 1-yard line, Max Young snuck over the goal line for the second Rambler score. Ruffer, who is also the kicker, made the extra point to put Siegfried up 13-0.
"We gave up some big key plays today," Knott coach Brian Lohr said. "We faced a great team out there, and they just stuck to fundamentals. We need to work on executing consistently and we can win games like this."
Knott continued to struggle offensively, as Redshaw threw an interception on the Juggerknotts next drive. The Ramblers also had difficulty moving the ball on offense, and had to settle for a 40-yard field goal attempt which hit the left upright.
Knott had one final possession, but the Siegfried defense shut them down once again and regained possession on downs. Marcus Young took the final touches to run out the clock, as the Ramblers walked away victorious.
"We looked good," Young said. "It was our first game, but we came out and played well."
Sorin 8, Zahm 0
Sorin kept its undefeated season intact with an 8-0 victory over Zahm Sunday.
Both offenses came out very slowly, and the first four drives of the game resulted in three-and-outs.
After the fourth failed drive, though, Zahm caught a break as Sorin's punter caught the snap with a knee on the ground, resulting in a turnover on downs. The Rabid Bats looked to quickly capitalize on the short field position with a long pass play that forced defensive pass interference.
After another first down, Zahm had first and goal from the 2-yard line. The Rabid Bats couldn't capitalize, though, and the drive ended with a fourth-down sack by defensive lineman Matt Gamber, also an Observer Associate Sports Editor..
The score remained 0-0 until late in the third quarter when Otter quarterback Casey "Pistol" McGushin connected with Rob Gallic on a slant route for a 37-yard touchdown.
"He made a great read and got the ball to me quick for the long touchdown," Gallic said.
A missed extra point left the score at 6-0. Zahm's next drive was stunted by two defensive plays by safety Mike Browder that kept Rabid Bat receivers from making first-down catches.
The game ended with the Otters punting the ball to the opponent's 1-yard line, and Sorin earned a safety three plays later.
Despite the loss, Zahm coach Kyle Jones was not entirely displeased.
"Overall we had a solid performance; we just couldn't make the big plays," he said. "It was our first game and we came out kind of flat, not really ready to play football."
"Our strength is really in our ground game, and when we get behind it is tough to air it out and get back in the game."
Sorin captain Rob Gollic was happy with the win but realized his team has to play better in upcoming games.
"Overall we moved the ball really well," he said "We had a few too many penalties and bonehead plays, but overall the offense was solid."
Carroll 7, Fisher 6
After a period of Fisher dominance, Carroll has regained possession of the crooked stick.
In a close game that came down to the last 10 seconds, the Vermin pulled away with a 7-6 victory, thanks to a last-second touchdown pass from quarterback Nick Ruof.
"We played hard, we didn't give up, we made things happen," Ruof said.
Offensively, both sides started slow, with consistent three-and-outs to start the game.
"When the offense struggles, it forces the defense to be on the field too long and they end up getting tired by the fourth quarter," Fisher captain Brian Monson said.
Both teams picked off some passes, including one by Carroll defensemen Sam Russ.
The half ended scoreless.
Fisher came out strong in third quarter, with Cameron Compton leading the Green Wave to a first down. Ultimately, Jamie Ellis put Fisher on the board with a touchdown. Fisher missed the extra point, though, and the score remained 6-0.
Carroll's offense struggled, with a fumble early in the fourth, but regained possession with seven minutes left in the game.
Offensively, Carroll made quite a few offensive adjustments during practice in the recent week, including moving quarterback Kris Kast to running back, and replacing him with captain Nick Ruof.
With three minutes on the clock, Kast gained 15 yards to put the team in scoring position.
Ruof was able to capitalize on the opportunity with a pass to the back right corner of the endzone for the score. Kicker Mick Tomchaney completed the extra point with seconds to go, solidifying the win for the Vermin.
"Sometimes the breaks don't go your way, it's tough to work so hard and to end up losing two games in the way we have," Monson said. "Our defense has really done a great job and it is on the offense to step up and be more consistent against St. Ed's next week."
Next up, Carroll will face Zahm, Sunday at 2 p.m. on Riehle Fields, and Fisher will face St. Ed's at 1 p.m.
Stanford 20, Keough 7
Keeping true to their word, the Stanford Griffins rolled past the Roos of Keough for a commanding 20-7 victory in their season opener.
Stanford (1-0-0) has now recorded eight consecutive victories dating back to last year and has not lost a game in two years.
Keough (0-1-1) came out fired up, containing the Griffin offense with pressure from the defensive line and forcing a punt on their first drive.
But Stanford's defense responded quickly, recovering a muffed snap on the second play of the ensuing Keough drive.
Three plays later Stanford quarterback Brian Salvi connected with sophomore tight end Thomas Smith on a 25-yard pass for their first touchdown of the year. The PAT attempt was blocked.
"Our receivers did a great job of creating separation all day," senior captain Salvi said. "I don't think there's a linebacker in the league who can cover Tommy."
The Keough offense retaliated on the following drive, balancing a powerful running game and a spread offense. Senior running back Nazur Ahmed pounded the ball on the ground while quarterback Matt Bruggeman hit receivers with quick passes. A 3-yard pass to wide receiver Kevin Laughlin, evening the score at 6-6, capped the 14-play drive. The extra point gave Keough a one-point lead
"Our line controlled the trenches," Ahmed said. "I have complete confidence in their ability to make holes and protect the quarterback."
But with only two minutes remaining in the half, Stanford executed a flawless two-minute offense.
Salvi found wide receiver Anthony Rizzo for a pair of 25-yard passes, and the drive culminated in a touchdown pass to senior David Costanzo as time expired. Stanford completed the two-point conversion, giving them a 14-7 lead at halftime.
Keogh's offense was unable to find a groove for the rest of the game.
Anchored by Stanford cornerback Chris Gill and hard-hitting safety David Costanzo, the Stanford secondary prevented the Roos from completing a single pass in the second half.
After forcing a Keough fumble, Stanford added some insurance points when Salvi found Smith again for a 35-yard touchdown pass, sealing the deal.
"The bottom line is we lost the game because we couldn't stop the big play," senior captain Laughlin said.
Dillon 7, Keenan 0
For the Big Red, it was a week of firsts. For the Keenan Knights, it's another week of reworking their offensive strategy, as Dillon defeated the Knights 7-0 Sunday at Riehle Field.
The game started well for Dillon as it recovered a fumble on the first play, causing Keenan to lose its possession and giving Dillon a little motivation that they carried throughout the game.
"They shut out a team with a pretty good running game," Dillon team captain Chris Cugliari said. "In particular, defensive end Jordan Smith, and safety Dan Braun, with his interception, played well and caused turnovers."
The Keenan offense struggled to run effective plays against Dillon's defense for most of the game, and they only completed one 12-yard pass in the first half.
Approaching the conclusion of a scoreless first half, Dillon looked ready to score with excellent field position. On third down, and just inches from a first down, defensive players from the sidelines shouted confidently as they ran the ball for the Big Red's first first down of the season.
A controversial call brought the first half to an end, when a potential Dillon safety was deemed an illegal touch.
"It's the referee's call," said Keenan head coach, Ben O'Connor said. "They made the right one."
After the half, the shutout ended as Dillon was able to score their first touchdown of the season, to put them ahead 7-0.
"It was great to finally get on the scoreboard." Cugliari said. "We felt that our offense was capable of breaking out at any point, and to put a touchdown drive together that took off the entire third quarter was something big for us."
"I hope to greatly improve our offense, mainly our run blocking and our passing," Keenan captain, Bart Dear said.
The Knights were unable to come back with a touchdown of their own, and the game ended in a Big Red victory, 7-0.
Alumni 9, Duncan 0
The Alumni Dawgs ended a lengthy losing streak, defeating the Duncan Highlanders 9-0, as the Highlanders fell for the second consecutive scoreless week.
"It's a new era for Alumni," Alumni freshman tackle David Cowley said. "It was our first win in about three years or so, and we're hoping to continue with a winning streak."
An early field goal by Alumni gave a boost of confidence to the Dawgs offensive momentum.
The game picked up again later in the second half with a touchdown from Alumni quarterback Par Rushford to tight end Mike Delack to put the Dawgs ahead 9-0 after a missed extra point.
In its first year, Duncan has a large number of freshmen, and a full team that has never played together before.
"The hardest part of having a young team is trying to get the guys acquainted with Interhall play," Duncan team captain running back Garrett Burke said. "If you want to win you have got to keep the same mental discipline and aggressive mentality."
One thing that sets Alumni out from the rest is their fans. Accompanying the team was a one-member, trombone pep band that played the songs of the Fighting Irish as Alumni fought for a victory.
Though Alumni pulled out a win today, they still have some kinks to work out offensively.
"We kept getting to the red zone, but couldn't score," freshman defensive tackle Chris Kinney said. "Next week we play Siegfried, and that will probably be a better game."
