Dillon's victory over Keough at the end of last season was the deciding game that kept Keough out of the playoffs. With a new season just begun, Keough is looking to get even from last year's loss.
Of course, that won't be the case if Dillon has anything to say about it. The Big Red are expecting their season-opener to be a coming out party.
"We want to show the entire league that Dillon Hall football is back," captain J.T. Arseniadis said. "Maybe they're looking for some revenge. They're not going to get it."
With only four games in the regular season, Sunday's game is a critical one for Keough, as they strive to rebound from last week's 14-0 loss to Morrissey.
"This game is a must-win," Keough junior Kyle LeClere said. "We played pretty well against Morrissey. Our defense is pretty solid; we had two big plays against us and that's about it. I think we're moving in the right direction."
As they begin their season, Dillon once again has high expectations for themselves after losing to Alumni in the semifinals last year.
"Every year we expect to be in the stadium playing for the championship," Arseniadis said. "We know everyone is gunning for us because we're one of the best teams in the league. We expect good competition but we're ready for it."
Dillon knows Keough has a tough defense and that the Kangaroo's frequent blitzing will keep the intensity high, but they feel they are up for the challenge.
"We're trying to keep the tried and true formula," Arseniadis said. "Everyone knows who Dillon is and what we're all about. We're keeping the same system as always."
Both teams have an array of fresh faces on the roster, but they're relying on their proven veterans to lead the way.
"A lot of guys graduated last year so it has to be a lot more of a team effort this year. It's a challenge we think we can handle," LeClere said.
In particular, he expects Patrick Hayes, one of the team's new additions, to continue to have a big impact on the defense.
Dillon, for its part, has a core group of upperclassmen who have played in the stadium before and are aching to get back. Halfbacks Kevin McCarthy and Ben Butwin have the needed experience and skill, as does the entire starting offensive line.
"They've been through the system before," Arseniadis said.
Alumni vs. Morrissey
Sunday's game between Alumni and Morrissey will be a match-up between two undefeated teams.
In addition to their 1-0 starts, both teams had shutouts last weekend. The Alumni Dawgs beat O'Neill 28-0 and Morrissey handed Keough a 14-0 loss.
Alumni is looking to repeat last season as the Dawgs made it to the stadium championship game last year. However, the one part of their season the Dawgs do not want to repeat is their loss to the Manorites.
The Dawgs will look for senior quarterback Chris Cottingham to continue his quick decision-making and for the defense to put the same type of pressure on the Morrissey offense as they did to the Angry Mob last weekend.
However, this will not be an easy victory if the Manorites continue their equally strong defense and offense.
Last weekend, Morrissey was able to score on its first drive with a wide-open pass from quarterback Marty Mooney to John Mulligan.
If the Manorites come out just as strong, the Dawgs will not only have met their match but will face the possibility of repeating their loss from last year.
The game will be played Sunday at 3 p.m. on Riehle North Fields.
Stanford vs. O'Neill
Sunday's match up between the Angry Mob of O'Neill and the Griffins of Stanford should be a battle of two strong defenses.
Both teams are coming off losses in the first week and are eager to get back on the field and play. Last week, Stanford had a tough 6-0 loss to Keenan in the Battle for the Chapel, while O'Neill came out strong against Alumni, but gave up three second-half touchdowns in a 28-0 blowout. O'Neill senior captain John Enterline thought the score did not reflect the effort in the game, however.
The Griffins did not give up a touchdown on defense against Keenan (only a fumble return for a touchdown), but their offense was ineffective. Stanford will make some changes this week to try to put some points on the scoreboard.
"We will use our talented freshmen a lot differently this week to produce some offense," quarterback Rich Whitney said. "I know we have the ability, we just need to execute."
With many returning seniors and a good supporting underclassman, the Griffins must win this week in order to prevent their season from being a disappointment.
Despite the loss against a good Alumni team, the O'Neill defense did show signs of life in the game. They made two interceptions and made a few big stands against the dangerous Alumni offense, including one in the red zone.
