Notre Dame Is Quick Learner

Some coaches talk to their teams about playing hard for four quarters.

At Notre Dame High, Coach Kevin Rooney breaks the game into smaller increments. Rooney preaches “the seven-second effort,” the time his linemen must sustain their blocks to make the offense click on passes and runs.

Facing a lightning-quick Serra defense, the Knights needed every second of blocking they could muster in a tough but convincing 34-9 victory in a Mission League game at Notre Dame.

Sometimes it was the run blocking that worked, as Justin Fargas pounded out 103 yards and one touchdown in 22 carries.

“They fly to the ball,” Fargas said of the defense. “You’ve got to expect a tough game.”

More often, it was the pass protection that paid off for Notre Dame. Quarterback Dave DeMartinis connected with Todd Fenton for touchdowns of 24, 39 and 56 yards.

“A lot of people were talking about how fast the Serra defensive backs are,” said Fenton, who caught three passes for 119 yards. “I just tried to beat them off the line.”

The win put Notre Dame (7-2, 3-1 in league play) into a tie for first with Serra (5-4, 3-1) and St. Francis (6-3, 3-1).

And while the Serra defense was getting all the recognition, the Knights played some defense of their own.

Notre Dame sacked Serra quarterback Robert Lewis eight times for minus-63 yards and did not give up a touchdown until late in the game.

“I think it was very important that we made a statement,” said Travis Johnson, who had three sacks. “We’re a pass-rushing defense. That’s what we’re good at.”

Said Lewis: “Our line couldn’t pick up their blitzes.”

Serra had its offensive highlight early, opening with an unusual 14-play, seven-minute drive.

Twice the Cavaliers were stopped on third down. The first time, Notre Dame roughed the punter. The second time, Tony Arredondo fumbled the punt.

But the Knights held the Cavaliers to a 29-yard field goal by Jose Sosa, and that seemed to inspire the Notre Dame offense.

On their next possession, the Knights drove 65 yards, mostly on the running of Fargas who slipped through a linebacker blitz for a 27-yard gain, then scored from two yards out.

After a short Serra punt, Notre Dame took over from midfield. DeMartinis finished a quick drive by throwing a 24-yard touchdown pass to Fenton for a 14-3 halftime lead.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Fargas Watch

A game-by-game look at how Justin Fargas has fared this season

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Opponent Att. Yds. Avg. TD Alemany 25 283 11.3 3 Burroughs 22 257 11.7 5 Beverly Hills 18 266 14.8 3 Crespi 26 175 6.7 2 St. Paul 26 154 5.9 3 St. Francis 11 81 7.4 0 Chaminade 24 180 7.5 0 Bishop Mont. 25 404 16.2 6 Serra 22 103 4.7 1 Totals 199 1903 9.6 23

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