By MANNY DE JESUS
Sports Writer
Amid the beginnings of both college and professional football, the interhall football season starts off strong with a rivalry game between Carroll and Fisher on Sunday.
Led in its ground game by senior running back/linebacker Ricky Neville, Fisher hopes to begin Sunday's match up on a positive note. Green Wave junior captain Matthew Nagy said the team has emphasized the importance of basic techniques at practice.
"We've been focusing on knowing the basic techniques like blocking and tackling," Nagy said. "Last practice, our offensive and defensive schemes were introduced."
As Fisher builds its team strategies, the Green Wave hope to win more than just this weekend's rivalry game.
"We made the playoffs as a wild card last year...but [this year] we're aiming to win the division," Nagy said.
Looking to avenge its regular-season loss to Fisher last year, Carroll has concentrated on making sure the team's offense, led by senior captain and receiver/defensive back Bobby Dorman, is in mid-season shape during practice.
"We've been emphasizing the offense a lot," senior captain Mike Russell said. "We're making sure our quarterback is getting experience with all the receivers, and we're making sure everything is working properly so that we can score some points."
Russell said the Vermin are concentrated on winning Sunday's game, as there is a lot at stake for the dorm. "It is a huge rivalry game," Russell said of the matchup against Fisher. "We play for a special plaque each year, and we lost last year. It's important especially for the seniors to get [the plaque] this year, so hopefully we can get the win for them."
The Vermin and Green Wave will take the field for this rivalry matchup Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at Riehle Fields.
Contact Manny De Jesus at mdejesus@nd.edu.
Knott - Alumni
By CHRISTINA KOCHANSKI
Sports Writer
Knott and Alumni will kick off their respective seasons Sunday in a matchup with an intense recent history.
Knott senior captain Aaron Weber said the past few matchups between the Juggerknotts and Alumni add another dimension to this year's game.
"We lost a controversial game against Alumni last year that included a bad call by a referee and a blocked kick," Weber said. "The games between [the two teams] have been close the last few years. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out."
For both teams, the preseason involved attempts to fill spots left by graduated players.
"We are a very young team with a lot of freshmen and sophomores," Weber said. "We're going to see some mistakes because the team is very young, but we're optimistic. We just need to work out the kinks."
Alumni senior captain Jeffrey Kraemer said the Dawgs were able to build a strong team, despite the loss of several players. Kraemer said one offseason move Alumni made involved slotting sophomore Trevor Hurley as the team's starting quarterback.
"We look really strong," Kraemer said. "We've filled holes that looked questionable at the beginning of the year, so our hopes are high."
Junior David Taiclet will enter his second year as starting quarterback for the Juggerknotts.
"He's got a very good arm, he's very talented and he's a leader on the team," Weber said of Taiclet.
Alumni and Knott will meet in a season-opening showdown Sunday at 2:15 p.m. at Riehle Fields.
Contact Christina Kochanski at ckochans@nd.edu.
Morrissey - Siegfried
By ZACH KLONSINSKI
Sports Writer
Looking to start their respective season on a high note, Morrissey and Siegfried will meet on the gridiron Sunday afternoon.
After posting a 1-3 record and failing to qualify for the playoffs last year, Morrissey is invigorated by youthful excitement this season, junior captain Patrick Valencia said. This year's squad does not have a senior on the roster, but Valencia said he is not worried about the team's youth.
"In a way, it might be better because with the youth, [the players] are closer to playing at a competitive level in high school," Valencia said. "[Not being]exposed to the lack of full seasons in college might be to our benefit in a way."
Morrissey will also bring out a new offensive scheme, which Valencia believes will give the team a new and more fluid look.
"It'll be a good statement to come out and win the first game against Siegfried to show that Morrissey football is back," he said.
The Ramblers posted a 3-1 record last season but were knocked out by Keough in the first round of the playoffs. Senior captain Jack Moore said he is impressed with his team's enthusiasm this year.
"Everybody had been itching to get into pads and get hitting, so it's been a good few weeks of practice so far," Moore said. "We scrimmaged in practice [Tuesday] against Keenan, so we got a couple of perennial contenders to go out and knock each other around a little bit."
Keough's offense centers around a simple scheme, Moore said.
"[The offense is] not particularly complicated, but we focus on everybody knowing exactly what they need to do at different positions," he said.
The matchup between Morrissey and Siegfried will take place Sunday at 2:15 p.m. at Riehle Fields.
Contact Zach Klonsinski at zklosin@nd.edu.
Stanford-Dillon
By EVAN ANDERSON
Sports Writer
Stanford will meet Dillon on Sunday in a season opener featuring two teams looking to improve on their performances from last season.
Dillon is coming off a season in which the Big Red lost in the first round of the playoffs, but senior captain Nathaniel Steele said the team has higher aspirations this year.
"I was on Dillon's championship team two years ago and on the runner-up [team] the year before that," Steele said. "I see no difference in talent between either of those teams and this one....we obviously play in a tough division, but we're going to try to get out there and improve every week."
Steele said the Big Red return eight defensive starters and added talented freshmen to their roster as well.
Stanford senior captain Ruben Carrion struck a similar tone in assessing the Griffins, which look to rebound after missing the playoffs last season. Carrion said he particularly liked the potential of the team's young offensive line.
"We took more players at tryouts this year than we typically do-we were very impressed by the talent level of the young guys," Carrion said. "The entire left side of our offensive line is made of newcomers, but you wouldn't know it on the field. It's rare that freshmen come in and practice as well as those three [linesmen] have."
Both captains said their teams have the talent to make the playoffs. Should defending co-division champions Keenan and Keough remain strong, the outcome of Sunday's game could play a large role in determining whether the Big Red or Griffins fulfill that goal.
The Big Red and Griffins clash Sunday at 1 p.m. at Riehle Fields.
Contact Evan Anderson at eander11@nd.edu.
St. Edward's - Zahm
By ALEX CARSON
Sports Writer
Both St. Edward's and Zahm will look to jump start their seasons with a victory when the two teams meet Sunday.
St. Edward's senior co-captain Andrew Blonigan said he is looking forward to this season thanks to a talented crop of newcomers.
"We started off on a bad note last year and trailed off due to a lack of attendance, but we're looking to build on a strong group of incoming freshmen this year," Blonigan said. "Freshman defensive linesman Theo Sholly stands out and getting senior utility linesman [Alexander] "Py" Killen back after a year abroad will help greatly, as he really personifies the team and our generous nature."
St. Edward's plans on running a pistol offense this year to take advantage of senior quarterback Paul Rodriguez's mobility. Blonigan said the Gentlemen's success may hinge heavily on their ability to execute a strong dual-threat attack.
On the flip side, Zahm will look to rebound from a winless 2012 campaign by relying more heavily on its passing game.
"We've got a pretty strong freshman class this year, so we're hoping that can benefit us this year," senior captain Joseph Rice said. "Our offense is going to look to air it out this year and win games through the air."
The Gentlemen and the Zahmbies will take the field at Riehle Fields on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
Contact Alex Carson at acarson1@nd.edu.
O'Neill-Keenan
By MITCHELL MEERSMAN
Sports Writer
Amid the sound of popping pads and screaming fans, O'Neill and Keenan kick off the interhall season Sunday.
O'Neill is coming off a winless season. Junior captain Donghoon Lee said the Angry Mob hope to improve as the season continues.
A win against Keenan on Sunday won't come easy, however, as the Knights will look to defend the championship they won last year.
"[We hope to] catch [Keenan] by surprise," Lee said.
Lee also said the Angry Mob plan on running a hybrid offense, highlighted by returning senior Eric Reed and freshman Pat DeJong.
Eager to get back on the field and make some hits, Keenan will focus on playing its traditional style, senior captain Jeremy Riche said. Riche said he expects some hiccups for his team as it adjusts from practice speed to game speed but believes in his team's intangibles.
"This group brings a lot of energy and heart to the field every time they are out there," he said.
Riche said the Knights would look to three first-time players, freshmen Mikey Koller and Ben Evans and sophomore Nathan Parisi, to make plays.
O'Neill and Keenan will kick off Sunday at 1 p.m. at Riehle Fields.
Contact Mitchell Meersman at mmeersma@nd.edu.
