Sorin remains undefeated after overcoming St. Edward’s, 8-6, in a defensive showdown Sunday afternoon.
Sorin’s offense started out slow and was unable to move the ball very effectively for much of the first quarter. Early on in the second quarter, however, a snap that went over the head of the St. Edward’s punter put the Otters on the board with a safety.
After abandoning their signature triple-option offense midway through the second quarter, the Otters were able to sustain a long drive and eventually ran the ball into the end zone for an 8-6 lead at the half.
The defenses for both teams dominated all of the third quarter and most of the fourth as neither offense generated many chances.
Sorin finally threatened to put the game away with a score late in the fourth quarter, but failed to punch it in from the five-yard line. The St. Edward’s offensive unit took over with nearly the whole field to go and just minutes left.
Wittenberg connected with Ahlers again on a deep throw to the middle of the field for a huge gain, but the Otters’ defense recovered and stopped the senior, forcing St. Edward’s to attempt a game-winning field goal that was blocked at the line of scrimmage, effectively ending the game.
Sorin junior quarterback and captain John Pearl credited the defense with the victory.
“Our defense once again stepped up.” Pearl said. “They kept us in this game. That safety was huge, too."
Despite the loss, Ahlers was positive about the Gentlemen's defensive performance against the triple-option offense of Sorin.
“We tried to get a lot of penetration, especially up front,” Ahlers said. “We had success with that and they weren’t really able to run the ball up the middle at all today.”
Sorin looks to remain undefeated next Sunday when it takes on Fisher, while St. Edward’s will try to get back on the winning track in its game against Carroll. Both games are scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Riehle Fields.
