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A strong run defense helped carry Notre Dame through a 7-1 season and into the Class D Section V finals, but against a Dundee team with a great running back and some well designed plays, the Fighting Irish defenders reminded no one of a picket fence.

Too many turnovers didn't help either.

Final score: 76-13.

But maybe the numbers that mattered most in deciding who won and who lost were those amassed by Steve Webb for Dundee, who had 176 yards on 12 carries for an average of 13.8 yards per carry. Webb scored four touchdowns, including one on a 23-yard punt return. He also had two receptions for another 75 yards.

Webb and fellow running back Ryan Ballard proved a deadly combo for the Irish. Ballard also scored three touchdowns, one on a kickoff return, one on a run from scrimmage and another on a pass reception. Ballard rushed for 131 yards.

All told, Dundee gained 359 on the ground and only 29 through the air.

Dundee head coach Sheldon Gibson said some of the team's success on the ground against Notre Dame could be attributed to good scouting.

"We’ve seen them three times live," Gibson said. "We kind of picked up on some things. We found a couple of angles and we exploited them. Basically, when you have a speed demon like Webb, he’s hard to catch, and with Ballard being so strong, I mean having those two in the backfield is quite a plus for us."

The game started promising for the Irish. After winning the coin toss and deferring its kickoff decision until the second half, Notre Dame was able to quickly squelch Dundee's first drive. The offense then took the field and behind the running of Mike Pratt were able to move the ball about 80 yards down field for the first score of the game.

Disaster struck on the ensuing kickoff however, when Ballard returned the ball the length of the field for Dundee's first score. Gibson characterized the play as a game changer, one that helped his team get its balance back and allow it to start focusing on its game plan.

"Ballard's got a lot of desire," Gibson said. "He’s worked very hard. He’s a student of the game and that changed a lot."

On its next series, Notre Dame committed the first of its six turnovers (two fumbles and four interceptions). Two plays later, Ballard struck again with a seven-yard TD reception.

From that point forward in the game, Notre Dame's defense would spend a lot of time looking at the back sides of Ballard and and Webb, as well as receiver Kyle Spinks, who added two touchdowns.

Dundee's 11 touchdowns helped make it a big night for Katie Zebrowski, the only girl playing Section V football this year. Zebrowski made 10 of her 11 point-after attempts, which is a new Section V record.

"You can't turn over the football," Notre Dame Head Coach Rick Mancuso said. "If they had turned over the football as much as we did, the score would have been just as lopsided the other way."

As it got into the fourth quarter and the score was 56-7, the chatter in the press box was about Dundee running up the score. Dundee started the fourth quarter with all of its starters still in the game.

Some Notre Dame fans, both online in The Batavian's live chat about the game and after the game, shared a similar disgruntled opinion.

Mancuso didn't see it that way.

"From my standpoint, I've always thought, you know, they were trying to get some sectional records and things of that nature," Mancuso said. "That doesn't bother me. I mean, God bless them, whatever they wanted to do is fine. It doesn't matter to me. Hey, if you want to stop somebody, you've got to stop them on the field. That's the way I look at it, and we didn't do that."

Gibson said that on the Dundee sideline, there was no intention to run up the score.

"When we're picking off passes and running things back and the two team scored those last two touch downs," Gibson said. "The second defense blocked that punt, I mean, we didn't have a block on. The second defense did that. It's tough to stop those kids, to tell them not to do that. We kept the ball on the ground."

There was one highlight for the Irish in the fourth quarter. On a pass play that sent Gianni Zambito on a relatively short route, Zambito managed to get a step on his lone defender. Tom Whelehan in as quarterback, hit Zambito with a perfectly timed strike, so that Zambito didn't have to break stride. The fleet receiver then raced his defender toward the goal line. Two Dundee defenders each managed to get a hold of his jersey at about the five yard line, but Zambito kept his legs moving and pulled them toward the end zone until he got just close enough to stick both arms straight out, ball still in his hands, and put the ball over the end zone for Notre Dame's second touch down.

It wasn't enough to bring the game within reach, but it let everybody know there was still plenty of fight left in the Irish.

Photographs by Bare Antolos. For more photos, click here.

Notre Dame tries for a sectional Class D title at Marina Auto Stadium at 5:30 p.m.

To get it, they'll have to beat #1 ranked Dundee, coming into the game with an unbeaten record for 2009.

Coach Rick Mancuso said after his team's big semi-final victory over York that beating Dundee certainly won't be easy.

“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.”

You can follow all of the action live on The Batavian. We will be living blogging the game and you will be able to chat about the game, respond to interactive polls and keep pace with every play of the game starting at 5:30 p.m. 

If you're not in front of a computer, you can also listen to the game on WBTA with Jay Moran and Bob Brown calling the plays.

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.

Critical mistakes at the start of the game put Alexander in a hole that it could never escape in today’s Section V semi-final game against Avon at Marina Auto Stadium in Rochester.

Alexander lost 34-0.

Alexander Head Coach Dave Radley agreed, the first quarter was where the game was lost.

“Definitely. Came out a little jittery, a little scared," Radley said after the game. "A lot of these kids have never been in the big show, any kind of sectional playoff, any kind of tournament. Definately, the first quarter killed us."

Even so, he said, it was a great year for his team and the Trojan players have a lot to be proud of.

"Hold your heads high, you played a hell of a season," Radley said he told his players. "You know, 5-3 for the first time, getting to the semi-finals of the sectionals for the first time ever in the history of the school – it hurts, but hold your heads high, learn from it. Learn from it."

From its first possession, the game didn't go Alexander's way.

The opening kickoff went to Alexander, and a combination of a penalty and a run play pushed back for a loss, had the Trojan’s kicking from the Avon’s 10-yard line. The fourth-down punt snap was fumbled and kicker Lucas Czechowski was sacked on the three-yard line.

Even though the Braves were handed a huge opportunity with the ball just three yards from the end zone, Avon came away with only a three-point field goal.

When the Braves kicked off to Alexander following the field goal, however, mere misfortunate turned into disaster when two Alexander players went for the high bouncing ball on the 40-yard line and both failed to find the handle.

Rich Welch would carry the ball in from the three-yard line just three plays later.

By the end of the quarter, after a 33-yard pass from James Stanton to Pat Campbell, Alexander was down 17-0, and the Trojans were down 20-0 at the half.

To start the third quarter, the Braves scored a TD again, making the score 27-0, where it stood with six minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The Trojans have been unable to make any headway on offense. Alexander managed only 49 yards and three first downs in the first half.

With less than four minutes left in the game, Alexander was again unable to move the ball and following a four-and-out, the Braves scored again when Derrick Quicken carried the ball 40 yards for the score. That made it 34-0, which is how the game ended.

"If you make mistakes against a tough team like Avon, it’s going to be hard to win," Coach Radley said.

In other related action: In Class C, #2 seed Attica beat #7 seed South Seneca, 28-0.

Also in Class C, #6 seed Marcus Whitman played at Holley against the #3 ranked Hawks at 3 p.m.. That score is not yet available.

Now is the time to step up.

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame are in the semi-finals of sectional play, one of four teams remaining in their class, and that means the blue and gold will be facing some tough hombres.

Tomorrow, Notre Dame gets one of its toughest challenges of 2009 when the team takes on the Golden Knights of York. Both teams will enter Marina Auto Stadium in Rochester with 6-1 records.

Notre Dame comes in as the #2 seed vs. York's #3, but Head Coach Rick Mancuso isn't taking anything for granted.

"There’s only four teams left in our class," Mancuso said. "Everybody’s good now. We’re not playing an eight, we’re not playing a seven. We’re playing somebody else who has earned their way here. They’re 6-1. They come from a great league. They’ve beat some very, very good teams. The only loss they had came against a team in an absolute torrential downpour, so you can throw that one out the window. They’re a very good team and they deserve to be where they’re at. They deserve all of our respect, which we’re definitely going to give them."

Mancuso expects Notre Dame's defense to face a team that features an attacking, passing offense.

The Irish managed to win against a passing team -- uncommon in the Genesee Regional League -- this past week in Red Jacket, but gave up more than 200 yards.

"I’m sure they’re going to try and throw the ball," Mancuso said. "It looks like that’s what our weakness is. We’ve got to try and be a little more disciplined and stop that."

In its preview coverage, the Livingston County News also highlights York's passing game, shining a spotlight on wide receiver Adam Illerbrun.

Illerbrun, a 5-foot-9, 155-pound senior wideout, leads the Golden Knights’ air attack with 302 yards on 17 catches (18 avg).

The News also notes that Golden Knights are plus-16 on turnovers, among the best turnover ratios in the section.

Notre Dame's game time is 6:30 p.m..

The winner will face either #4 Cuba-Rushford (5-2) or #1 Dundee (7-0), who square off at 4 p.m. in Rochester.

In other Saturday games, in Class C, #6 seed Marcus Whittman (5-2)  visits #3 Holley (6-1) at 3 p.m. In Class DD, #3 Alexander (5-2) takes on #2 Avon (6-1) at 1:30 p.m. in Rochester.

Tonight, Attica played South Seneca, but that score is not yet available.

Award plaques on display at the Blue Devil Hall of Fame Banquet.

Hall of Fame Inductees include from left to right bottom row;  Joe Fiannaca, Nancy Platt, Ed Dawson.  Top row left to right;  Paul Sherwood, Tom Briggs, Tony Miceli, Pat Woodring.

In attendance were the Bosseler brothers, Bill and George who were selected to the first Blue Devils Hall of Fame induction in 2002.

Also on hand to celebrate the inductees selection was this contingent of 1960's Notre Dame Fighting Irish; left to right, Ron Francis, Bill Sutherland, Jim Fanara, and Bayne Johnson.

For three of four quarters today, Notre Dame dominated Red Jacket, leading to a 45-18 victory in the first round of sectional playoffs.

Before the Red Jackets could even get its offense going, Notre Dame's big play offense had 17 points on the board.

"We played three great quarters and that’s the kind of intensity we wanted to bring," said Head Coach Rick Mancuso. "After that lull in the game in the second quarter, we kind of got them back in the game."

That lull, Mancuso said, seemed to be as the result of an injury time-out in which a Red Jacket player was hit hard by a Notre Dame linebacker on a run play. The Red Jacket runner was slow getting up and then collapsed as he tried to leave the field.

"We lost some of our emotion, which was actually a concern to me," Mancuso said. "I was saying, 'Hey, don’t let this get you down,' but we did lose some intensity there and then we made a couple of mistakes and basically let them back in the ball game."

Red Jacket closed out the second quarter with 12 unanswered points.

Mancuso said he didn't say anything special to his players during half time, but from the start of the third quarter, the Fighting Irish were focused again and scored three consecutive TDs, and adding another 7 points in the fourth quarter before Red Jacket scored a touchdown in the final two minutes of play.

"We started the game fast. We played really well. We played with emotion," Mancuso said.

Notre Dame is now 6-1 on the season.

Running back Mike Pratt keyed the offense with 220 yards gained on 27 carries, scoring four touchdowns.

Bo Ricter scored Notre Dame's first TD on a three-yard run.

Notre Dame then surprised Red Jacket with an onside kick. On the very next play, Nick Bochicchio hit Gianni Zambito on a 51-yard TD pass. Zambito scored after the Red Jacket defender over committed to the ball, missed it and Zambito snatched it from the air and turned toward the end zone with no Red Jacket defenders between him and the goal line.

Matt Thompson closed out the first quarter with a 28-yard field goal.

Red Jacket scored in the second quarter on a 21-yard pass from Tyler Hixson to Trevor Sanders and a 32-yard pass from Hixson to Sanders. Both two-point conversion attempts were stopped by the Notre Dame defense.

The next four TDs all went to Notre Dame: Pratt had TD runs of 1 yard, 4 yards, 15 yards and 7 yards.

The final score of the game was a Chris Coslasurdo 35-yard pass to Sanders. Again, Red Jacket was unable to convert its two-point try.

Cam McDonald had eight tackles.

Kicker Thompson had eight points in the game, converting all of his PATs plus the field goal.

With Oakfield-Alabama and Cal-Mum trading scores through the first three quarters of their quarterfinal sectional playoff game tonight, and both teams seemingly able to run the ball at will, it became evident as the fourth quarter started that the winner would be decided when one defense or the other made a stand and stopped a drive.

And that's exactly what happened.

On its first drive of the fourth quarter, the Hornets couldn't get past the Red Raiders 40 yard line and Cal-Mum took over on downs.

Minutes later, the Red Raiders were in the end zone and with a two-point conversion, and obtained what would prove to be an insurmountable lead, 30-21.

The Hornets would score one more touchdown, but fall short by two points, 30-28.

"It came down to them just pounding the ball at us and not getting away from what they do best," said Hornets Head Coach Brian Palone after the game. "They made the plays when they needed to make the plays."

The two-point margin can also be explained by two failed point after attempts. In the second quarter, kicker Jon Fisher hit an upright, and in the third quarter, a high snap spoiled the attempt.

The Hornets got off to a quick start when Fisher placed a perfect onside kick down the far sideline and OA scrambled and took possession of the ball.

The offense then marched the ball 45-yards down the field for a score and a 7-0 lead. Matt Osmancickli scored that TD on a one-yard run.

But the home team answered right back, bringing the ball down to the one-yard line, where Trevor Haut was able to shove his way into the endzone. Cal-Mum tried for a two-point conversion, so the score was 7-6.

On its first possession of the second quarter, OA again looked like an offense with an unbeatable run game, taking the ball down the field until Matt Osmancickli capped the drive with a one-yard TD rush. After Fisher missed the PA, OA's lead was 13-6

Cal-Mum answered right back, putting a long drive together that ended with a Trevor Haut three-yard TD run. Jon Cappotelli carried the ball in on the two-point conversion, giving his team a one-point lead, 14-13.

OA grabbed back a one-point margin when a high snap on a Cal-Mum punt attempt was kicked out of the back of the end zone for a safety. That made the score 15-14 Hornets.

Both teams scored again in the third quarter. But with a muffed extra point attempt and a successful two-point conversion, Cal-Mum was able to convert another two-point try, so now the Raiders were up 22-21.

The Raiders were able to stop Oakfield-Alabama on its fourth-quarter drive and immediately answer back with another touch down. This time it was on a 19-yard pass from Mike Anderson to Dan Whiteside, plus they tacked on two-more points. The Hornets found themselves in a bit of a deep hole, down 30-21.

But OA kept fighting, engineering another drive that culminated in a one-yard rush by Osmancickli and an extra point from Fisher, making it 30-28, which is how the game would end.

The Hornets got off to a slow start this season with Coach Palone taking over the program for the first time and finding himself with few returning seniors. Palone and other coaches around the league will tell you that OA has been a team that has improved greatly every week as the season progressed.

Palone said tonight he's proud of the progress his team has made.

"I thought this was the best game we played all year and that’s all I can ask of them, to just get better every game," Palone said.

NOTE: About the video -- yes, I miss my high-def camera. It won't be repaired for another six weeks.

Tomorrow, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame take a 5-1 record into the quarter final round of Section V playoff football, the sectionals.

The Irish will host Red Jacket from the Finger Lakes West League.

Red Jacket comes into the game with a 2-3 overall record and ranked 61st in the section, while Notre Dame is ranked 23rd.

Even so, Head Coach Rick Mancuso isn't taking Red Jacket lightly.

"There's a good group of teams in their league," Mancuso said.  "They've earned their way here. They're going to be a real strong test. We know they throw the ball an awful lot. They run option. They've got a great defense. Their offense is really something to contend with because they spread you out and they've got the athletes to run that offense."

That offense is led by #18, Trevor Sanders, at quarterback, and Mancuso said he has a strong arm.

"He can really stretch the field," Mancuso said.

Notre Dame's offense is known as a big play unit, with the likes of Mike Pratt, Beau Richter, Gianni Zambito and Tony Bochicchio working hard to put points on the board.

Of course, getting breaks, not making mistakes, taking care of the ball and a defense that gets the job done are a big part of winning a sectional game, but Mancuso said special teams also play a big role at this stage.

"We spend about a third of our time working on special teams," Mancuso said. "Special teams are something that maybe gets overlooked by the fans, but it's something that's very, very important also."

Mancuso said his squad is ready to go and focused on this game.

"We're taking it the same way as we have all year long," Mancuso said. "Everybody says the same thing. It's cliche, 'week-to-week,' but I think that's truly what everybody has to do at this particular time. It's lose or go home. So you've got to come, you've got to play your A game, you've got to leave everything out on the field and you've got to hope for the best.

The game starts at 1:30 p.m. on the Notre Dame field.

Tonight is homecoming night for the Batavia Blue Devils. They take on Greece Olympia. If you go, please be sure to bring a donation for Don Carroll's Toys for Kids. The JV cheerleaders will be taking up collections at the gate prior to the game.

Tonight, we'll cover Oakfield-Alabama's play-off game against Cal-Mum at Cal-Mum.

In other weekend football action, Alexander hosts a playoff game against Lyons, and in non-playoff action, Pembroke is at Attica, Wellsville is at Le Roy, and tomorrow, Elba/BB is at Holley.