On a night when he missed two field goals and saw one punt travel only five yards, kicker and defensive back Matt Thompson may have been the hero of Notre Dame’s Section V playoff victory over York.
A stiff breeze gave Thompson fits for most of the night. But with a minute left in the game, and the score set at 14-7 since the middle of the second quarter and his team backed up nearly to its own goal line, Thompson was once again called on to kick into that monster wind.
Another kick that gets blown back, or any other mistake, and York is given great field position in a must-score situation. But a good kick well down field puts York in the tough position of trying to move the ball on a Notre Dame defense that has kept even York's big pass game largely in check all night.
This time, in a pressure situation, Thompson found a way to power the ball through the wind, setting the Golden Knights back to nearly the 50-yard line. From there, the Fighting Irish defense took over and shut down York on four successive plays, cementing a berth for Notre Dame in the Class D finals on Thursday.
Thompson also had two interceptions, including a big one with less than three minutes to play in the game, to squelch a York drive, but it was his punt that probably saved the game for Notre Dame.
Coach Rick Mancuso saw it that way, too.
“He’s a weapon and he works really hard at it,” Mancuso said. “We take special teams pretty seriously. We had a great snap from Tommy Whelehan and a great punt by Matty.”
The semi-final game was a tough battle through all four quarters, and two teams that came in a 6-1 found themselves pretty evenly matched.
Going into the game, Mancuso said he knew York’s passing game would be tough, and quarterback Jesse Galvin and receiver Adam Illerbrun kept Notre Dame’s defense on its toes all night.
The big-play duo showed just how quickly they can strike with 1:22 left in the second quarter -- only 22 seconds after Notre Dame grabbed a 14-0 lead -- when Galvin hit Illerbrun on an 80-yard pass play for York’s only touchdown of the night.
"We came in knowing they were going to throw the ball, and they did throw the ball and were successful to an extent,” Mancuso said. “We made a couple of mistakes where we let them get behind us. We did clean it up though, because Matty Thompson came in and made two interceptions. He hasn’t been out there all year long, but toward the end of the game, I thought he really got his legs underneath him and really looked very good out there.”
Illerbrun, one of the section's top receivers, had four catches for 121 yards. Galvin was 6 for 18 in pass attemps for 142 yards.
“It was a tight ballgame,” Mancuso said. “I thought York played phenomenal. I think they did a really nice job. They’re a good team. I think Eric does a great job with the kids. They’ve got nothing to hang their heads about. I thought they played very tough.”
Notre Dame put its first scoring drive together early in the second quarter, finishing it off with a 38-yard run by Mike Pratt at the 11:20 mark.
Pratt scored again with 1:44 left in the half on a three-yard run.
In all, Pratt carried the ball 36 times for 202 yards. He averaged 5.6 yards a carry.
After the game, Pratt gave all praise to his offensive line for opening holes and making key blocks.
Pratt also noted the defense made several key tackles.
Quarterback Nick Nochicchio completed six passes on 14 attempts, including one interception, for 47 yards. His leading receiver was Gianni Zambito, who had two catches for 26 yards.
Beau Richter carried the ball six times for 24 yards and R.J. Marchese carried the ball six times for 22 yards. Tom Whelehan had two catches for 12 yards.
All in all, Notre Dame amassed 304 yards, while holding York to 188 yards and only eight first downs. Notre Dame rushed the ball for 257 yards while York gained only 62 yards. York had two turnovers, the Irish had three.
Notre Dame next faces Dundee on Thursday. Dundee comes into the game with a record of 8-0, including a 27-7 victory this evening over Cuba-Rushford.
“Dundee is phenomenal,” Mancuso said. “They’re the best team in D, there’s no doubt about that. We’re hoping we can come out and play a clean game and maybe we get it into the fourth quarter and we’re close. That’s kind of what you’re looking for. They’re fantastic. We’re defiantly playing up. It’s a huge challenge for us.”
Dundee is said to have a powerful run game, and Notre Dame features a stout run defense, but Mancuso said Dundee can also pass the ball effectively and they’ll put the ball down field if that’s what it takes to win.
“That Pratt kid who is their quarterback, he can really throw the ball,” Mancuso said. “I think they do whatever they need to do. They’re well coached, they’ve got a great group of kids, so I mean, it's going to be a battle. Hopefully, we will be up to the challenge.”
COVERAGE NOTE: One of the Notre Dame supporters who regularly takes pictures from the sidelines said he'll send us some pictures from the game. We'll post those as soon as we get them. Ethan Thompson videotaped the game for us and we'll post that highlight reel Sunday.
