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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
The Observer

Men's Interhall: Week one begins

Alumni 3, Knott 0
Alumni defeated Knott 3-0 in a season-opening matchup Sunday at Riehle fields that came down to a last-minute field goal.
Defense was crucial from the starting whistle, as Knott senior Jake Wrigley intercepted the ball at the beginning of the game.
"We intercepted the first play of the game and that really got the momentum going," Alumni senior captain Jeffrey Kraemer said.
The Juggernauts (0-1-0) and the Dawgs (1-0-0) traded possessions throughout the first half, but neither team was able to put points on the board. Knott's defense finished off the half with a sack on Alumni freshman quarterback Trevor Hurley shortly before the whistle blew for halftime.
In the fourth quarter, Alumni had the chance to score the first points of the game with a field goal, but a high snap resulted in a fumble, which Knott recovered.
Alumni junior kicker Ryan Buckley converted a second field goal attempt into three points with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter to give the Dawgs the game's only points and the win. Despite the defeat, Knott senior captain James Hodgens said he feels confident about the potential his team displayed.
"We're a young team, but we're going to be good down the stretch," Hodgens said. "I'd love to win, obviously, but I saw some good things out there and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season."
Alumni will look to continue its success when the Dawgs take on Duncan at 2:15 p.m. Sunday at Riehle Fields. Knott will attempt to bounce back from defeat against its next opponent, Siegfried, at the same time and day at Riehle.
Contact Christina Kochanski at ckochans@nd.edu

Fisher 3, Carroll 3
In game that lived up to its rivalry hype, the hard-fought defensive battle between Fisher and Carroll finished in a 3-3 tie.
Fisher's (0-0-1) offense dominated the game with its rushing attack, which featured senior quarterback Joe Paggi and junior running back Cam Roberson, who gave Carroll (0-0-1) a tough time in the first half.
Carroll found a way to stop the run in the second half, yielding only a field goal in two Fisher trips to the red zone.
However, Carroll struggled on the other side of the ball for the entire game as the Vermin entered the red zone just once. They evened the score on that trip with a field goal.
Two Carroll interceptions thrown in the second half also hindered the Vermin from getting into an offensive rhythm and scoring, with one of those turnovers occurring with less than three minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Fisher junior captain Matthew Nagy said that he was satisfied with how his defense stopped Carroll but knows his team's offense needs to adjust to compete for a championship.
"Our defense was really good," Nagy said. "[Offensively,] I don't think we came out ready to play. Next game we just need to make sure we're ready."
Carroll senior captain Michael Russell said he was proud of the way his team played.
"[We] did a great job stopping the run and holding [Fisher] to three points," Russell said. "The two goal line stands against Fisher's offense was a real big win for us."
Both teams will look to earn their first wins next week when Fisher plays Sorin at 3:30 p.m. at Riehle Fields and Carroll takes on St. Edward's at the same time.
Contact Manny De Jesus at mdejesus@nd.edu         

St. Edward's 15, Zahm 6
St. Edward's came from behind to defeat Zahm 15-6 in both teams' season-opening contests Sunday.
The Zahmbies (0-1-0) started out the game well, possessing the ball for the entirety of the first quarter en route to a touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Tim Coen racked up 39 passing yards and a touchdown on the opening drive and finished with 101 yards through the air.
After a relatively quiet second quarter, the Gentlemen (1-0-0) came out with all guns blazing in the second half, scoring 15 unanswered points to get the win.
A 32-yard field goal from senior kicker Bryce Persichetti put St. Edward's on the board in the third quarter but the Gentlemen won the game in the fourth.
Senior quarterback Paul Martin-Rodriguez marched the ball down the field to deliver a 19-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Michael Ahlers before the Gentlemen sealed the victory with a 25-yard scamper to the end zone by senior running back Frank Soler.
"It was really good to get out here and play with the guys," Ahlers, who finished on the end of 56 of Martin-Rodiguez's 105 passing yards, said. "All of our offseason workouts prepared us well and it showed in the second half to get the win."
Zahm captain and senior linesman Joseph Rice said he was pleased with his team's performance despite not picking up the win.
"We played really hard, and after losing our rector last week, we're trying to come out here and give it all we've got to help bring the community together," Rice commented.
St. Edward's will be back in action Sunday against Carroll at Riehle Fields while the Zahmbies are off until Oct. 6 when they play Sorin.
Contact Alex Carson at acarson1@nd.edu

 

Dillon 3, Stanford 0
In a game in which yards were at a premium, a first-quarter field goal from freshman Justin and a dominant defensive effort spearheaded by freshman linebacker Patrick Toole were enough to push Dillon past Stanford on Sunday, 3-0.
Toole intercepted a pass from Stanford junior quarterback Ryan Prom, sacked him twice and was in the backfield early and often in his interhall debut.
"Before the game we talked about blitzing a lot ... and I like to blitz," Toole said. "The first sack I had might have been the hardest hit I've ever put on a quarterback."
Big Red (1-0-0) senior captain Nathaniel Steele said he was pleased with what he saw out of his defense but was also optimistic that his offense would improve for next week's game.
"We only had the exact minimum number of guys required to play this week and lost a couple of guys to injury," Steele said. "It's going to be very different next weekend, on offense especially."
The Stanford (0-1-0) defense was nearly as stout as Dillon's, and the offense was not without bright spots either. The Griffins got 35 tough yards on 11 carries from sophomore running back Mike Grasso, and Prom linked up with freshman receiver Brent Jordan on two deep balls totaling 101 yards.
However, turnovers, ill-timed penalties and a blocked kick kept Stanford off the scoreboard.
"The defense put us in position to win, but we weren't able to capitalize," Griffin senior captain Ruben Carrion said. "Losing a close game like that hurts, but we're excited about next week."
Dillon will look to pick up its second win against Keough next Sunday at 1 p.m. at Riehle Fields while Stanford will aim to rebound against O'Neill.
Contact Evan Anderson at eander11@nd.edu


Siegfried 7, Morrissey 0
Siegfried shut down Morrissey on Sunday to earn an opening-week, 7-0 shutout win.
Siegfried (1-0-0) broke a scoreless tie late in the second quarter when freshman running back Luke Joseph capped off a Ramblers drive, finding the end zone from five yards out on a sweep around the left side.
"The offensive line treated me well," Joseph said after the game. "If they keep treating me well, I'll have to get them steak at the end of the year. ... They're awesome."
Morrissey (0-1-0) did not convert a first down in the first half against a smothering Siegfried defense but did manage to find some offensive success in the second half. Junior quarterback Ryan Lindquist and the running game led the first drive of the second half to the Ramblers' 15-yard line. However, the drive eventually ended on a failed quarterback sneak by Lindquist on fourth down.
The Manor converted a third-and-ten with 1:13 remaining when Lindquist hit junior Tim Cole for an 11-yard strike, but on the next play Ramblers' senior captain and defensive lineman Jack Moore came up with a sack of Lindquist. Lindquist was forced to scramble on fourth-and-ten and threw an incomplete pass with Rambler defenders draped on him.
"It was a good game," Moore said. "Our defense was playing intense, was playing smart. Both teams fought really hard."
Morrissey captain and junior offensive lineman Patrick Valencia echoed similar thoughts about the Manor's performance.
"I'm proud of the way our team fought today," Valencia said. "We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times on offense, but our defense kept answering the call and came through with some huge turnovers for us."
Morrissey will have to wait until its Oct. 6 game against Duncan to try to pick up its first win, but Siegfried will go for its second victory Sunday at 2:15 p.m. against rival Knott.
Contact Zach Klonsinski at zklonsin@nd.edu

Keenan 13, O'Neill 0
With the leaves beginning to change and a noticeable chill in the air, the stage was set on Sunday for a 13-0 Keenan victory over O'Neill to kick off the interhall season.
The defending-champion Knights (1-0-0) started out on offense and got off to a quick start. Keenan marched easily down the field and deep into O'Neill territory with the help of a 30 yard pass.
However, O'Neill's defense proved tough in the red zone and came up with a big fourth down stop to keep Keenan off the board in its first drive.  
O'Neill junior captain Donghoon Lee said he was happy with the overall defensive performance of the Angry Mob (0-1-0).
"I thought our defense was solid today," he said. "We just got burnt on a few pass plays. Our run defense was good though."
The O'Neill defense held strong through most of the first half before finally giving way to a tough Keenan offense, which first scored on a 9-yard touchdown pass.
Following an interception, the Knights tacked on seven more points on a 40-yard touchdown throw to go up 13-0.
The second half was a scoreless defensive battle with the Knights getting the better of things, intercepting an Angry Mob pass to seal the victory.
Keenan senior captain Jeremy Riche said he was especially happy with his team's defensive performance.
"Our defense was really good, two interceptions on the day," he said. "That's not just on one guy but on the whole defense. Our goal as a team is to hold team's under six points and we did that today."
O'Neill will next play Stanford on Sunday at 1 p.m., while Keenan will have a bye week before taking on Keough on Oct. 6.
Contact Mitchell Meersman at mmeersma@nd.edu