Crespi Turns Over for Notre Dame : Celts Gives Up the Ball Six Times in 30-14 Loss

Seizing six Crespi High turnovers and playing solid defense, Notre Dame High downed the Celts, 30-14, Friday night in a nonleague game at Notre Dame.

Crespi (3-1) lost five fumbles and quarterback Kevin Cork had a pass intercepted. Notre Dame (4-0) scored 14 points on Celt turnovers.

Crespi held Justin Fargas to 175 yards and two touchdowns in 27 carries. The total was Fargas’ lowest of the season but increased his statistics to 963 yards and 13 touchdowns in four games.

“Crespi’s always tough because this is an intense rivalry,” Fargas said. “I didn’t have one of my best performances but all that matters is that we’re undefeated and everyone contributed.”

Notre Dame’s fourth consecutive victory in a series it trails, 14-9, featured Knight scores on a kickoff return and a safety.

The kickoff return, a 94-yard run on which Rod Arzu reversed his path across the field on the second-half kickoff, gave Notre Dame a 21-7 lead and undisputed control of the game.

Crespi, which hung tough in the first half, watched the score increase to 27-7 midway through the third quarter when David DeMartinis scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak. That play capped a seven-play, 28-yard drive that ate up 3 minutes 48 seconds.

Juan Plascencia added his fourth extra point of the night. The drive started after Casey Kozoll recovered a Ron Lauer fumble.

Crespi scored with 4:26 to play when Howard Johnson scooped up Matt Lutz’s fumble and ran 59 yards for a touchdown. Evan Driedger added his second extra point of the game.

Notre Dame’s Travis Johnson sacked Crespi’s Kevin Cork for a safety with 12 seconds to play.

The game began when Crespi, sparked by Alex Kropach’s 23-yard return on the opening kickoff, drove 31 yards in eight plays to the Notre Dame 38-yard line. But on third and one, Johnson fumbled as he was gang-tackled. Shaun Kaye of Notre Dame recovered and returned the ball to the Crespi 21.

The Knights needed only three plays to score, Fargas vaulting into the end zone on a two-yard run.

Crespi answered on its ensuing drive by marching 73 yards in 11 plays and scoring on a one-yard run by Joel Garcia with 2:47 to play in the first quarter. A key play was a 19-yard completion from Cork to Kropach that took the Celts to the Knight 14.

Notre Dame earned its 14-7 halftime lead on its next possession. The Knights needed 11 plays to drive 80 yards and score on a one-yard run by Fargas. The senior carried five times for 36 yards on the drive.

DeMartinis completed seven of 16 passes for 84 yards. Cork completed five of 16 passes for 80 yards and an interception. Blake Tibbetts had 54 yards in 15 carries for Crespi.

The Celts had 219 total yards.

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Fargas Watch

A game-by-game look at how Notre Dame running back Justin Fargas has fared this season:

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Opp. Att. Yds. Avg. TDs Alemany 25 272 10.9 3 Burroughs 22 247 12.5 5 Beverly Hills 19 269 14.2 3 Crespi 27 175 6.5 2 Totals 93 963 10.4 13

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