One team enters the game 2-0, the other is 0-2. Who do you think is going to win?
It's fair to say, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish upset the Elba/Byron-Bergen Lancers on Saturday with a 15-8 win at home.
The Irish struggled in the first two weeks of the season against Oakfield-Alabama and Alexander. It was looking like it might be a long season for Head Coach Rick Mancuso and his squad.
Meanwhile, the Lancers crushed Pembroke and Holley.
But as Elba's Mike Cintorino said after beating Holley last week, when it comes to matches between the Lancers and Notre Dame in any sport, you can throw the win-loss records out the window. These teams grapple no matter what the expectations.
Mancuso downplayed the rivalry after the win, however. A win is a win, and Notre Dame very much needed a win.
"This is more about us coming together as a team and playing the game and getting our first victory," Mancuso said. "That's really what it was about."
Mancuso credited a defense that held Elba/BB to 148 yards total offense, but what made the difference was an offense that showed it could move the ball effectively.
Take away a couple of turnovers and some mental error penalties and the final score might have been more lopsided than a victory just eked out.
The big difference, Mancuso said, was the offensive line.
"We've got a lot of young guys along the line," Mancuso said. "They may be juniors, but they don't have a lot of varsity experience. I really think they're starting to understand it. They're starting to click. They're working really, really hard. We saw it in practice this week. It started coming together. We're happy with where we're at, but we've got a lot of work to do."
Joe Zickl replaced and injured Connor Logsdon at QB and was six for 10 passing for 67 yards and a TD. Josh Johnson caught that TD pass (top photo) to give the Irish the lead in the third quarter.
Peter Daversa rushed for 84 yards and a TD on 15 carries.
Johnson had three receptions for 32 yards. Jack Sutherland carried the ball nine times for 33 yards.
For the Lancers, Garrett Chapell was 11 for 23 passing for 75 yards. Steele Truax rushed for 70 yards and a TD on 16 attempts. Mike Shanley had three catches for 23 yards and John Hochmuth gained 20 yards on three receptions.
Jack Sutherland had 10.5 tackles for Notre Dame. Johnson had six and Casey Midwick had five.
Hunter Taylor and Truax each had five tackles for the Lancers. Taylor also had a sack.
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