Squads prepare for Week 3 action

Knott v. Sorin

Ellie Olmanson

Sunday marks the last chance for Sorin and Knott to pick up a win during the regular season, as both teams enter the game winless.

After last week’s loss, Sorin sophomore captain Eric Requet said his team’s biggest flaw was losing focus during the game. The Otters (0-2) led at halftime but fell short 15-12 as time ran out against Siegfried (2-0).

“This week in practice we’re really going to focus on getting everyone on the same page and in the mindset to get a win going into playoffs,” Requet said. “This season is different from last because we’ve been able to set and execute our plays.”

Getting the win Sunday would mark the first win in two seasons for the Otters. After going winless in the 2016 season, Requet said Sorin is even more highly motivated to capture the win against Knott.

“Sorin won the [interhall] championship a couple years back, so we’re not historically bad,” Requet said. “We’ve just had a couple rough years but are hoping we are able to change that with practice and leadership.”

Knott (0-2) played Dunne last week and fell just short 7-10. Previously, Siegfried outscored the Juggerknotts 21-0.

Knott currently comes in last in the East Division standings, with Sorin just ahead. Knott has a point differential of -24, while Sorin is -17. This game will determine the final standings between the two halls as playoffs begin.

Sorin takes on Knott this Sunday at 1 p.m. at Ricci Family Fields.

Duncan v. Morrissey

Peter Baltes

The Highlanders will look to continue their undefeated season this week against Morrissey Manor, which is searching for its first win this year.

The Highlanders (1-0) are coming off a convincing 20-0 win against Carroll last week. It was the first game of Duncan’s season, with their Week 1 game being cancelled due to poor weather.

The Highlander offense was able to find the endzone multiple times, while the defense held the opposition scoreless. Sophomore captain Kyle Tomshack sees his team as very well-rounded team, but said he hopes to limit the number of miscues this week.

“We came out, we played hard, we got a lot of guys into the game [and] a lot of guys contributed,” he said. “The focus this week has been minimizing mistakes. We had a few big errors against Carroll (0-1).”

Ultimately, Tomshack is putting his faith in an experienced group of older players alongside a strong freshman class to carry the day for Duncan this week.

“I think our biggest strength is experience,” Tomshack said. “We’ve also got some very good freshmen who came in this year who are also helping out.”

Last week, Morrissey (0-1) was defeated by Fisher, 19-6. While the Manor is still seeking their first win of the season, Morrissey remains a football team with great potential. Nevertheless, Morrissey sophomore captain Tom Slevin stressed his team’s high level of talent on defense, attributing the slower start to fixable mental mistakes.

“Despite giving up 19 points to Fisher, I felt that was far more reflective of mental miscues on our end early in the game that they were able to capitalize on than it was of their ability to move the football on our defense,” Slevin said.

Saying that strong defensive play from the Manor should bode well for the offense as well, Slevin remains confident that his team will compete hard and find a way to win this week.

“I am definitely looking forward to seeing whether or not our defense can make some plays and force turnovers against a solid Duncan team,” Slevin said. “This is going to help our offense get going and hopefully help us with field position as well.”

The game will kick off this Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at Ricci Family Fields.

Siegfried v. Dunne

Collin Ragsdale

On Sunday afternoon, Notre Dame’s newly established Ricci Family Fields will be erupting with excitement as interhall football finds its way back onto the turf for Week 3 action. Brimming with fierce rivalries games, many teams will be looking to make a statement as their journey to reach the stadium draws one week closer. One game that promises myriad scoring and defensive excellency is Siegfried’s matchup against Dunne.

Coming off a strong third quarter comeback fueled by interceptions, Siegfried senior captain Mark Cerutti said his team is looking strong offensively.

“Everything’s been successful right now,” Cerutti said. “We’ve had really good O-line play and a good new running back in [sophomore] Andrew Steiner.”

Steiner and senior wide receiver Max Krohn will look to be the playmakers this weekend offensively against the Sentinels’ (2-0) defense, which is coming off a disappointing loss to Knott.

However, the defense best proven thus far is that of the Ramblers (2-0). In last week’s come-from-behind win, the Ramblers backfield snagged three interceptions by three different players: junior Ryan Pierson, sophomore Elijah Hager and sophomore Shane Johnson.

On the other side of the ball, Siegfried junior quarterback Mikey Bernard will look to lead his Ramblers down the field with what Cerutti described as “a run heavy offense.”

The game will take place Sunday at Ricci Family Fields at 1 p.m.

Dillon v. Alumni

Hannah Wozniak

One of the biggest dorm rivalries on campus comes back this week as Dillon and Alumni get set to face off Sunday. The matchup comes a week before Dillion-Alumni rivalry week, bringing excitement for both dorms.

Coming into Sunday’s game, Alumni’s offensive coordinator, starting tight end and starting linebacker senior Sean Clarkin said his team has been working on smoothing things out and some play installs.

“We’re just working on a couple extra formation with some motion here and there just so we can run all of our plays and confuse the defense out of a variety of looks as opposed to sticking to a base set,” Clarkin said.

Dillon junior captain David Chao said he and his team have been working on touching on the areas that they were lacking in last week’s game.

“What we did last week, we did really well,” Chao said. “What we didn’t do well is something that is very easily fixable. It’s been a pretty light week.”

Both teams said they are looking forward to the big rivalry game and love to challenge each other in anything they can.

“This will easily be the biggest regular season game in the league,” Clarkin said. “Two good teams, two big dorms, biggest rivalry. Guys are going to be ready to go.”

“[I’m looking forward to] playing Alumni,” Chao said. “Last year was a really close game. I believe it was 14-10, and it came down to the last drive. We returned most of our guys from last year, and it sounds like they returned most of their guys, too. It’s nice to have a rematch.”

Clarkin said that spectators should be looking forward to the rivalry this weekend.

“I think it’s going to be one of the highest energy games I think of the regular season,” Clarkin said.

Chao emphasized the prowess of the Dillon offensive and defensive lineman, calling out senior Jack Mitchell, senior Dylan Volanth and senior Pete McKeon as key players.

Sunday’s game kicks off at 4:45 p.m. at Ricci Family Fields.

Stanford v. St. Edward’s

Cassie Corbin

This weekend, last year’s reigning champion, Stanford, takes on its North Quad neighbors, St. Edward’s.

Given Zahm’s forfeit last Sunday, Stanford (2-0) had two weeks to prepare for the Gentlemen (1-1). While reflecting on Stanford’s first game of the season against Keenan, senior captain Matt O’Brien said he is challenging the offense this week.

“After Keenan, which was a big win for us, some take aways are the following: We need to be more physical on offense and work on our run game and our secondary,” O’Brien said. “Looking to the playoffs, we need to stop the pass. This week, we just need to play that confident game from Week 1 against Steds.”

Last Sunday, St. Ed’s did not match up well against Keenan and lost 27-0. After seeing his players in practice this week, senior co-captain Tim Sherman is optimistic that the Gentlemen will be able to hold their own against the 2016 interhall champions.

“They beat us on a couple of big plays and unlucky breaks, from our perspective,” Sherman said. “So, those are some things that we can fix and definitely bounce back from. Through practicing this week and getting some more time, especially on defense, we’ll be able to bounce back for the big game against Stanford.”

Sherman’s confidence in the Griffins’ offense is increasing as they are installing some new play packages.

“I’m not so much worried about our offense,” Sherman said. “So long as our defense can hold them to a low score, I think we can put some points up.”

It should be a fast-moving game this Sunday as both teams are ready to turn on some offensive heat. O’Brien also emphasized that the Griffins will be constantly looking to move ball as part of the “bigger picture.”

When asked about his team’s goals for the remainder of the season, O’Brien said they will focus on improving.

“We’re looking to go and close out the regular season and keep getting better,” O’Brien said. “We’re playing to win the championship like last year.”

The Griffins take on the Gentlemen on Sunday at 2:15 p.m. at Ricci Family Fields.