LAWRENCE TWP. — It would easy for Notre Dame High’s football players to start sulking and mailing in games with the season not unfolding as they hoped. But this is a prideful program that doesn’t quit. It also wants to keep developing young players.
The Irish showed their perseverance Friday by shutting out Highland Regional, 21-0, on what was both Homecoming and Senior Night.
“They’re wonderful kids,” head coach Sean Clancy said. “We have mass before every game, and I was just telling them that is a group that I really love. They’re a great group of kids. They always do everything we ask them to do. They’re always willing to put in the work. They’re a tight group of kids, and I’m lucky to have them.”
Despite coming into the game with a 1-4 record, then after producing only about 76 yards in the first half, Notre Dame exploded for 222 yards in the second half and three touchdowns on three straight drives to secure its second win of the season.
First, Matt Rausch scrambled and passed to Joseph Kloc for an 11-yard touchdown to cap an 80-yard drive and give the Irish a 7-0 lead with 5:49 left in the third quarter. Then Jayden Davis rumbled for a 22-yard touchdown run, and finally, Dillon White passed to Alec Butunoi for a 5-yard touchdown with only 56 seconds remaining in the game.
Sebastian Swiatek converted all three extra-point attempts on the touchdowns.
Other players such as Zamir Jones and Musa Kamara came up with big catches during Notre Dame’s up-tempo assault in the second half.
“We know moving quickly helps us, and just being more consistent. The kids played great,” Clancy said. “What we really wanted to do was go quick so we could run the ball. If you avoid turnovers and you avoid third-and-longs, things tend to go your way.”
Meanwhile, the defense clamped down by limiting Highland’s run-heavy offense to only about 224 total yards including a second half with just 80 yards and five first downs.
Jaiden Williamson gave momentum to Notre Dame before halftime with an interception, and after the Irish forced a three-and-out and two turnovers-on-downs on Highland’s next three drives, Justin Macattoh intercepted a pass of his own to seal the win with 23 seconds left.
Dean Garbolini had a key tackle-for-loss in the fourth quarter as well.
“We were toggling between our fronts: our odd and our even front. We were doing little movements that we haven’t done,” Clancy said. “We start a lot of younger kids, so they’re just maturing and they’re figuring out what we want to do.”
It was a productive game for Notre Dame’s seniors as well including quarterbacks Rausch and White. White replaced Rausch for the final two drives because Clancy wanted to give him an opportunity to play on Senior Night, so it worked out well for the Irish that both quarterbacks had a touchdown pass.
“I love D-White,” said Clancy, who then joked, “I wish I could have two varsity teams play at once for the kids, but you can’t do that.”
Highland Regional (2-4) 0 0 0 0 – 0
Notre Dame (2-4) 0 0 7 14 – 21
Third Quarter
ND – Kloc 11 pass from Rausch (Swiatek kick)
Fourth Quarter
ND – Davis 22 run (Swiatek kick)
ND – Butunoi 5 pass from White (Swiatek kick)
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