Notre Dame Roughs Up Kennedy, 31-8

Conventional wisdom holds that City Section teams have better football talent and Southern Section schools are more disciplined.

That theory took a beating Friday night at Notre Dame High.

Notre Dame came out, flexed its muscles and manhandled Kennedy, 31-8, in a nonleague game. However, the Knights also were called for 14 penalties totaling 131 yards. The Cougars were assessed six penalties for 60 yards.

“They’re playing aggressively,” Notre Dame Coach Kevin Rooney said of his players. “Maybe it’s the way we’re teaching them.” Whatever the case, the Knights had three touchdowns nullified by penalty, including runs of 27 and 64 yards by standout tailback Errol Small.

Small, who gained 213 yards in last week’s win over Alemany, still managed 122 yards and a touchdown in 21 carries.

The game was billed as a showdown of sorts between Small and Kennedy running back Ontiwaun Carter.

However, the match-up was all but forgotten when the Knights scored on their first four possessions to take a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Small’s four-yard scoring run gave Notre Dame a 28-0 lead with 9:08 left in the first half. The drive was set up on the first play of the second quarter when Carter fumbled on his own 35.

Carter started slowly, gaining only eight yards in four first-quarter carries. However, he finished with 157 yards in 21 rushes. But while Carter statistically won the battle of backs, 44 of his yards came on a draw with the Knights in deep coverage on the game’s final play.

The teams played on almost even terms after Notre Dame took a 21-0 lead after the first quarter. Perhaps it was the 7:30 start. City games normally begin at 8 p.m.

“We were in a time warp,” Golden Cougar Coach Bob Francola said. “I was proud of our kids from midway through the second quarter on.”

Notre Dame (2-0) entered with the advantage of having started preseason practice earlier and the Knights also had a game under their belts.

“That’s why I schedule teams like these,” Francola said. “I want to do well in our conference and they’re a good team. When I saw them play Alemany last week, I was scared.”

Francola’s fears were well-founded.

Quarterback Greg Andrachick’s seven-yard bootleg accounted for Notre Dame’s first touchdown. Fano Malieitulua followed that with a six-yard scoring run.