Alumni 7, Morrissey 0
A 26-yard pass caught deep in the end zone by junior wide receiver Jeff Kraemer with just 22 seconds of play on the clock solidified an Alumni victory in a defensive matchup with Morrissey.
"I would have looked dumb if I didn't catch that ball."Kraemer said. "It was a great pass, and it felt amazing catching it to win the game."
Alumni senior captain Dan Dansdill said the team used a new play to guarantee the win.
"We analyzed their defense and knew we would need a play we hadn't run before," Dansdill said. "We were just trying to get the ball to our best player."
Morrissey junior co-captain Sean Baur said they new exactly where the ball was headed, but were unable to stop the touchdown.
"We were calling it out," Baur said. "It was just a miscommunication and something we need to work on."
Other than Alumni's successful last second play, the game was quiet offensively. The defense from both teams dominated, forcing a total of five interceptions, three of which were caught by Alumni sophomore Connor Hanney.
Baur said the Manor (0-1) will need to focus on their offensive approach before their next opponent.
"What we did today didn't work," Baur said. "We just need [to] try something new."
Next week, Alumni (1-0) takes on Duncan while Morrissey has a bye week.
Sorin 24, Fisher 8
Sorin's squad started off its repeat campaign with a big win over Fisher.
The defending champions emerged victorious thanks to a high-octane offense and a defense that capitalized on Fisher's (0-1) mistakes. Junior captain Ted Spinelli, threw a 59-yard touchdown pass and a rushing touchdown. Junior receiver and linebacker Ryan Robinson caught the go-ahead touchdown pass.
"Ted looked fantastic throwing the ball," Robinson said. "Last year, we started off our season with a loss, so it's good to start off on the right foot."
Sorin (1-0) also scored a field goal before halftime after Robinson's interception of Fisher sophomore quarterback Joe Paggi put the Otters in field-goal range. A muffed Fisher punt return late in the game was recovered by freshman Andrew Kuhn, who ran it back for a touchdown to ice the game.
The Sorin defense held Fisher's attack to only four first downs. The Green Wave's lone score came in the fourth quarter when junior receiver Justin Barnes caught a 30-yard pass from Paggi. A draw play gave Fisher the two-point conversion.
Fisher junior captain Matt Hart said Fisher improved [its] intensity in the fourth quarter.
"We want to make sure we come out for all four quarters instead of just one," Hart said. "We definitely need to focus on secondary assignments and offensive line blocking for next week."
Next week, Sorin will clash with Zahm while Fisher looks to bounce back against Carroll.
Knott 7, Duncan 0
It took one big play from junior quarterback Jake Coleman and sophomore receiver Joe McGillicuddy to help Knott defeat Duncan in the first regular season game.
Coleman connected with McGillicuddy on a 20-yard touchdown pass in the beginning of the fourth quarter for the game's only scoring play.
"We had single coverage and thought we would take a shot at the end zone," Coleman said.
The gamble paid off as the lone score propelled Knott (1-0) to victory.
The Juggerknott offense focused on the running game, amassing 119 yards, 60 of which were from Coleman.
Meanwhile, Duncan (0-1) struggled to move the ball, gaining only two first downs in the game.
"We just have to keep executing our offense," junior captain Neil Eveld said. "We just made some mistakes, missed blocks."
Part of the Highlanders' difficulties was the starting field position. With one exception, Duncan never started with the ball past its own 35-yard line. The only instance occurred when the Knott punter took possession of the snap with his knee on the ground, effectively downing the ball.
Starting from the Knott 37-yard line, Duncan eventually ventured into the red zone and scored on a 15-yard touchdown pass.
The play, however, was called back on a holding penalty.
Special teams played a large role in the game as Duncan's first punt had a net gain of zero yards. Knott inadvertently downed the ball on a punt and both teams blocked a field goal.
Knott looks to keep the momentum going next week against Siegfried, while Duncan will try for a win against Alumni.
Keenan 17, Keough 6
The Keenan Knights (1-0) utilized their combination of a steady offense and a dominating defense to start the season off with a win over Keough.
Keenan's first drive of the game resulted in a touchdown, as junior quarterback Andrew McDonough went to the air for four completions, including a 4-yard touchdown pass set up by a 39-yard completion on fourth-and-10. The Knights were propelled by a strong offensive line that gave McDonough ample time to throw the ball.
"It all starts up front for our offense," McDonough said. "Our offensive line set the tone."
The opening drive gave the Knights momentum, and Keenan relied on a stalwart defense for the remainder of the game. Keenan allowed only 126 total yards and forced three turnovers.
One of those was a fumble forced by junior linebacker Kevin Walsh that was recovered in the end zone by junior linebacker Tyler Gregory.
Keough (0-1) struggled to put together consistent drives. Many of their possessions were marred by miscues, including five penalties, two lost fumbles and an interception. The Kangaroos defense, which held Keenan to 100 yards, was led by junior linebacker Robert Toole.
"We came out and we hit hard, and our defense played well," Toole said. "That's the way it has been for us the past few years. Our defense is fine but we need to get our offense going."
The Kangaroos' offense showed signs of life on its final drive, a five-play, 56-yard run that ended with a touchdown.
"We need to use that momentum [from our final drive] to get us going next game," Toole said.
Keough looks to get in the win column next week against Stanford while Keenan hopes to move to 2-0 when they face Dillon.
Carroll 24, St. Ed's 0
Sophomore receiver Bobby Dorman and senior running back Nick Tammerine led Carroll to a resounding win over St. Edward's on Sunday at Riehle Fields.
Tammerine got going early, breaking off long runs on the Vermin's first drive. Sophomore quarterback Jack Gardner found Dorman on a 15-yard fade to the back right corner of the end zone for a 7-0 Carroll lead. In the second quarter, Gardner hit sophomore receiver Tom Spoonmore in the end zone as he rolled to his right, bringing the score to 14-0.
Tammerine ran for a 2-yard touchdown in the third quarter for a 21-0 lead. Dorman boomed a 46-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to finish it off. Carroll (1-0) captain Keith Marrero, a junior linebacker, was happy with his team's performance, but also saw it as a learning opportunity for the Vermin.
"We got a big win today, and we want to build upon that," Marrero said. "We don't want to get lazy. We're just going to keep building throughout the season, get to the postseason and get to the stadium."
St. Ed's (0-1) had difficulty getting anything going on either side of the ball. Many of the big plays the Gentlemen made were undone by costly penalties.
Senior linebacker and captain Jay Mathes expects his team to get better as they have more players available.
"Overall I'm happy with how everyone played," Mathes said. "The effort was there. When everyone comes back and we're at full strength, I think we'll be ready to play with anyone out here."
St. Ed's has bye week, while Carroll will look to build off its big win in a contest against Fisher next week.
Dillon 24, O'Neill 0
Dillon sophomore quarterback Kevin Fink looked unrelenting in a victory over O'Neill in the Rec Sports' Interhall Football Game of the Week.
Finks threw for 132 yards with two passing touchdowns and ran for another 20 yards, leading Dillon (1-0) to a shutout. Fink gave credit to the offensive line for his success through the air.
"Our offense played really well," Fink said. "They are the unsung heroes of this game in my mind. They made my job easier and gave me enough time to find the open receiver. I can't say enough how big they played,"
Dillon's dominance in the game was evident on both sides of the football. The Big Red defensive line combined for four sacks in the game and resisted giving O'Neill senior quarterback Mike Wilbur time to get settled in the pocket.
Dillon held O'Neill (0-1) to 24 total yards of offense and forced an interception. Coach Guy Andrew knows that he has his work cut out for him in O'Neill's next game but is also confident that his team will be fired up.
"We need to work on pass blocking more than anything else, but we did have a few sparks," he said. "Our defense did not play too bad. I know our guys will be ready to come out big for our next game two weeks from now because we love playing football."
Dillon junior Terry Howard had a versatile performance, leading the team with 57 receiving yards and 72 rushing yards. He credits the team's success to preparation.
"We prepared well and made no mental mistakes like penalties," Howard said.
Dillon will look to keep its potent offense hot against Keenan next week while O'Neill will look to recover as it has a bye.
Contact Ally Darragh at adarra01@saintsmarys.edu, James Southard at jsouthar@nd.edu, Peter Steiner at psteiner@nd.edu, Scott Frano at sfrano@nd.edu, Andrew Cardoza at acardoza@nd.edu
