St. Edward's (4-2) and Siegfried (4-1-1) square off Sunday for the 2009 Men's Interhall championship. Though St. Edward's is the eighth seed and Siegfried the seventh, the teams were both able to pull off upsets in the playoff rounds to reach the final contest of the season.
"We're very excited to play in the Stadium," Siegfried senior lineman Adam Mathews said. "It's been our goal all season."
Siegfried has not necessarily been perfect this year Mathews said, but they've done enough when necessary to win games.
"We've had a few hiccups along the way," he said. "But when it's mattered, we've stepped up and played Siegfried football."
The Ramblers will look to their seniors in their last game, especially the offensive line and senior running back, linebacker, and captain Dex Cure; the Ramblers hope that strong leadership will help them prevail over the Gentlemen, who are "playing inspired football right now," Mathews said.
The Siegfried defense is preparing to battle the offensive combination of St. Edward's offensive of a large line and multiple speedy playmakers.
The Gentlemen, however, will look to pull off one more upset victory in what has been so far a storybook playoff run.
"The season's already a success," junior wide receiver Sean Reed said. "Prior to the 2007 season, we hadn't scored a touchdown in four years."
St. Edward's nevertheless is not satisfied with simply a championship appearance and will hope to use a team effort and reliance on fundamentals to solve the Rambler defense. In addition, Reed said he hopes that the Gentlemen will not be flustered after a bad break and will continue to stick to their game plan.
On the defensive side of the football, the Gentlemen will have to learn to face the option attack, which they have not seen yet this year, as well as stopping the traditional running game from both the running backs and quarterback.
Junior safety Cole Patterson will be the last line of defense but will also look to make plays.
Both teams are excited to play in Notre Dame Stadium. Siegfried, as defending champions, is familiar with the experience but is going to savor this just as much as the last time.
"Even though we were there last year, it's a new team and new experience," Mathews said.
The Gentlemen are also looking forward to playing in the famed venue, and as a sign of their excitement, some players are shaving their hair into mohawks.
"It'll be a really cool experience," Patterson said. "It's not exactly something you expect to do when you come here."
The game, however, is first and foremost in the players' minds.
"It's going to be a tough game," Reed said. "We're excited. The mohawk is going to be out in full force."
St. Edward's and Siegfried battle for interhall supremacy at 12:30 p.m. Sunday in Notre Dame Stadium.
