Keenan 13, Stanford 0
BY CASEY KARNES
Sports Writer
"The Battle of the Chapel" lived up to its name Sunday, as Keenan earned a physical 13-0 win over Stanford.
Despite the cold and wet weather, tempers on both sides were hot, as both teams drew multiple personal fouls, and one player was ejected.
But Keenan (3-0) didn't allow the emotion of a rivalry game to distract it from its game plan, and followed dual-threat senior quarterback Andrew McDonough to victory. McDonough, who amassed 90 passing yards and 80 on the ground, said he couldn't downplay the significance of the Knights' win.
"This is a dorm win," McDonough said. "It was for bragging rights, and it was for the chapel."
The Knights' joy comes at the Griffins' expense, as Stanford (1-3) displayed a valiant effort on defense and put constant pressure on McDonough. The leadership of senior linebacker and captain Paul Babiak, along with physical play from senior defensive back Will Tudor, allowed the hard-hitting defensive unit to hold Keenan at bay for most of the first half.
The Griffins' offense, however, was not able to produce, and turned the ball over five times. Stanford junior quarterback Conor Healy struggled to control the ball in the sloppy weather and threw three interceptions.
Keenan sophomore cornerback Chris Dearolf picked off a Healy pass late in the second quarter to set up a touchdown pass from McDonough to senior receiver Trevor Yerrick.
McDonough scored on a 10-yard run in the final minutes to seal the victory for the Knights.
Despite losing his final game, Babiak said he was not bitter about the season.
"I'm just glad Notre Dame gave us an opportunity to play some football," Babiak said.
Keenan looks to remain undefeated when it faces Keough on Oct. 28.
Contact Casey Karnes at wkarnes@nd.edu.
Knott 10, Morrissey 0
By ALEX WILCOX
Sports Writer
In a sloppy game controlled by the weather, Knott defeated Morrissey 10-0 on Sunday.
Sluggish offenses, strong defenses and gnawingly cold wind and rain set the tone for the contest.
Morrissey (1-2) managed just two first downs all game, and Knott (2-1) only mustered three points in the first half, despite good field position. Knott missed a scoring opportunity on its first possession, as senior running back Joe Beglane fumbled on Morrissey's two-yard-line.
Morrissey could not generate much on the offensive end either and fell behind when Knott scored at the end of the first half on a 29-yard field goal to go up 3-0.
Knott carried the momentum into the second half, when it opened with a four play, 65-yard drive that ended in a 3-yard touchdown run by Beglane.
From there, Knott's defense took over, as it forced consecutive turnover-on-downs for Morrissey before recovering a fumble with two minutes left in the game.
Beglane spurred the Juggerknotts offense, as he accounted for Knott's 10 points. Despite his success, Beglane said freshman running back Casey McCaffery, who finished the game with 10 rushes for 104 yards, was essential to the victory.
"[McCaffery] gets the game ball today," Beglane said. "He had a huge game, a couple of big runs, and he's only a freshman, so we're excited to have him around for a few more years."
Meanwhile, Morrissey senior captain Taylor Stein blamed his team's performance on a variety of factors.
"We only had 15 guys out there today," Stein said. "A lot of guys were in new positions, and the weather made it tough to block and throw. In the end, we just couldn't get ourselves together enough to get the ball moving."
Morrissey attempts to bounce back when it plays Alumni on Oct. 28, while Knott looks to keep rolling when it faces Duncan the same day.
Contact Alex Wilcox at awilcox1@nd.edu
Keough 15 , O'Neill 8
By SAMANTHA ZUBA
Sports Writer
Sunday's matchup of West Quad rivals came down to the wire, as a final-minute interception lifted Keough to a 15-8 victory.
Keough (3-0) forced a safety and then scored on its first offensive drive to take command early. Junior quarterback Michael Fischer drove the Kangaroos down the field before junior running back Seamus Donegan ran in for their first touchdown. But after the drive, Keough struggled to consistently make plays.
"The weather was definitely against us," Kangaroos sophomore captain Charlie Magiera said. "We couldn't open up with the pass, and we needed to be more effective on the run."
O'Neill (0-3) also struggled to find consistency on offense. The Mob struggled to establish field position until the fourth quarter, when an interception put them in position to score.
O'Neill then tied the game on a 30-yard pass from freshman quarterback John Doran, and a successful two-point conversion. Junior captain Eric Reed said O'Neill's offense seemed to find its groove toward the end of the game.
"[Offensive efficiency is] something we've been missing, and it looked better today," he said.
Keough freshman defensive back Mitch Patin killed O'Neill's momentum with a pick-six, putting the Kangaroos up 15-8 with twenty seconds to play.
"You can't really blame their quarterback," Magiera said. "He was getting a lot of pressure. We had the offensive line's number and were able to force him into quick throws."
O'Neill will look for its first win Oct. 28 when it plays Dillon, while Keough will try to remain undefeated when it faces Keenan the same day.
Contact Samantha Zuba at szuba@nd.edu
St. Edward's 7, Zahm 0
By KIT LOUGHRAN
Sports Writer
St. Edward's enjoyed a bright spot in its difficult season when it pulled out a 7-0 win over Zahm to earn its first victory.
"This was a huge game for us," St. Edward's junior safety Andrew Blonigan said. "It was the first time we scored, and it was the first time we won."
On the game's first play, St. Edward's junior quarterback Paul Rodriguez handed the ball off to junior running back Kevin Katalinic for a 12-yard gain. The run marked the first time that the Gentlemen (1-2) recorded a first down in the first half of a game this season.
Throughout the first half, Zahm senior quarterback Alex Bowman looked for his receivers, but St. Edward's defense kept the Zahmbies (0-4) from moving the chains.
With 10 seconds left in the half, Rodriguez threw a 30-yard pass for an interception, but Zahm freshman linebacker Paul Mascarenhas dropped the ball immediately after, turning it back over to the Gentlemen..
The Gentlemen came out of halftime with a spark, as they found the end zone on the first play of the half. Rodriguez connected on a 10-yard pass to junior receiver Bryce Persichetti, who then ran the ball 50 yards into the end zone for St. Edward's first touchdown of the season.
Zahm made one last attempt for the end zone when it received the ball with two minutes left in the game. Incomplete passes plagued the Zahmbies passing game, however, and the team's comeback attempt fell short..
Despite the loss, Zahm saw great improvement in its game and looks forward to next season, Bowman said.
"Our defense stood tall and gave up the least amount of points all season," Bowman said.
Zahm will return to action next season, while St. Edward's will look to extend its winning streak when it faces Sorin on Oct. 28.
Contact Kit Loughran at kloughr1@nd.edu
Sorin defeats Fisher
Sunday's scheduled matchup between the Otters and the Green Wave was not played due to a Fisher forfeit for not having enough players. Sorin (3-0) looks to remain undefeated when it plays St. Edward's on Oct. 28, while Fisher (2-1) looks to rebound when it battles Carroll the same day.
Siegfried defeats Duncan
Sunday's scheduled matchup between the Ramblers and the Highlanders was not played due to a Duncan forfeit for not having enough players. Siegfried (3-1) will next take the field in the first round of the playoffs, while Duncan (0-3) will look for its first win when it plays Knott on Oct. 28.
