Notre Dame Makes It Across County Line

The last time the Notre Dame High football team chugged home from Ventura County, the mood was falling faster than the bus descending the Camarillo grade.

The Knights had just lost the Southern Section Division III final to Camarillo by fading in the second half and a long off-season loomed.

On Friday night, spirits were so high after Notre Dame’s 49-27 quarterfinal victory over Oxnard before 6,000, the bus soared back to Sherman Oaks.

“When we passed Camarillo High on the way here, I refused to look at the Scorpion [painted on the stands],” Notre Dame Coach Kevin Rooney said. “This field is similar and I had an eerie feeling at the beginning of the game.”

Eerie gave way to euphoric in the second half when Justin Fargas rushed for three of his five touchdowns and the Knights (10-2) broke open a game they led, 28-21, at halftime.

Fargas, who rushed for 239 yards to increase his season total to 2,549, was complemented by 239 yards passing by David DeMartinis.

Oxnard (8-3-1) probably didn’t expect that.

Any hopes the Yellowjackets harbored of coming back ended when tailback-cornerback Desmond Davis injured his left shoulder making a tackle late in the third quarter. Davis gained 163 yards, only 11 in the second half.

Fargas and DeMartinis played defense too, but Notre Dame pounded away, scoring two touchdowns in each of the three quarters and one in the fourth.

“We work very hard to have a balanced offense and we work very hard to be in great condition,” Rooney said.

Notre Dame scored on its first two possessions to take a 14-0 lead. DeMartinis hit Rod Arzu for 26 yards to set up a two-yard scoring run by Fargas three minutes into the game, and Fargas burst 80 yards for a touchdown on a sweep a minute later.

Oxnard forced the Knights to punt on their third possession and went 54 yards in six plays to make the score 14-7.

A fourth down conversion at the Notre Dame 40 was followed by a 33-yard run by Davis and a four-yard touchdown plunge by Chad Pierson with one minute to play in the first quarter.

Notre Dame punted on its next possession, but Oxnard muffed the return and Brandon Braga scooped up the ball and ran five yards for a touchdown two minutes into the second quarter, giving the Knights a 21-7 lead.

Davis answered a minute later, running 55 yards for a touchdown on a draw play.

The teams exchanged scores once more before halftime. Notre Dame scored on a 36-yard pass play from DeMartinis to Tony Arredondo, and Oxnard retaliated with a 16-yard run by Pierson that put him over 1,000 yards rushing this season.

DeMartinis, who hadn’t had a pass intercepted all season, had two picked off by Chris O’Brien in the last two minutes of the half.

Fargas scored from one and 25 yards in the third quarter for a 42-21 lead, and added an 11-yard touchdown run with 11 minutes left in the game.

Pierson took a short pass 28 yards for Oxnard’s last score, breaking several tackles along the way.