AIR ATTACK LIFTS NOTRE DAME BIRMINGHAM'S SOLID CHALLENGE COMES UP SHORT NOTRE DAME 31, BIRMINGHAM 13.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

Is the Pope still Catholic?

Notre Dame, which won consecutive Southern Section football championships largely on the strength of its rushing offense, suddenly turned to the pass in its season opener Friday against Birmingham, and the Knights of Sherman Oaks showed that they are not just a one-dimensional unit.

Quarterback Garrett Green passed for 158 yards and two touchdowns as the Knights, ranked first in the area by the Daily News, withstood a solid challenge from the talented Patriots of Lake Balboa and won the nonleague game 31-13 at Notre Dame High.

``It seemed like we put it up quite a bit,'' Green said. ``It's nice to be balanced. I like to run, and, of course, as a quarterback I like to throw, but I'm sure we'll continue doing what's best for the team.''

The Knights, well known for the running attack under coach Kevin Rooney, returned their top tailback, Cary Harris, but Harris had only six carries in the first half. With a 17-0 lead early in the second half, the Knights turned back to the run and Harris finished with 108 yards on 16 carries.

But Green carried the day, showing an accurate arm that was balanced by the fact that he is a threat to take off running at any point. Green completed 16 of 24 attempts and didn't throw an interception. Green also ran eight times for 67 yards. Andrew Jones had a team-high seven receptions for 73 yards.

``That's way too many (pass attempts),'' Rooney said with a coy smile. ``It's what we'd like to do. We'd like to be as balanced as possible. If other teams know we can throw and run, and that the thrower can run, maybe it will give them some things to think about.''

At one point, Green completed eight consecutive attempts, the last of which was a 28-yard touchdown to tight end Michael DiVincenzo to give the Knights a 24-7 lead in the third quarter and essentially clinch the game. Green was also hurt by at least four dropped passes.

Birmingham generally played well. Quarterback Andrew Miramontes completed 18 of 35 attempts for 310 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions, but the Patriots couldn't establish much of a running game. Tailback Brian Stuart rushed 14 times for 75 yards.

The Patriots put a brief scare into the Knights when they closed to within 10 points in the third quarter. Three Knights converged on Miramontes for a sack, but all managed to miss him, and Miramontes found Kenny Davis wide open for a 73-yard touchdown that made the score 17-7.

Davis had seven catches for 144 yards to lead Birmingham.

The Knights suffered two big scares in the first half. Anthony Santa Croce, one of their top two-way linemen, sprained an ankle on the game's first series but returned. Tailback Rodney Glass, expected to provide a solid complement to Harris, suffered a lower leg injury in the second quarter and didn't return.

By that time, however, the Knights were holding on to a 7-0 lead. Birmingham drove 57 yards on its first series but turned the ball over on downs. Notre Dame went 67 yards in nine plays to take the lead when Green faked a handoff and passed to DiVincenzo for a five-yard score with four minutes remaining in the first quarter. DiVincenzo finished with five receptions for 65 yards.

Birmingham had a chance to build some momentum before halftime on its next series, as the Patriots drove to the Notre Dame 38 in the final minute, but a first-down snap sailed over Miramontes' head and Notre Dame's Josh Cordray recovered the ball to end the threat.

Rich Hammond, [phone]

rich.hammond(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Notre Dame tailback Rodney Glass hauls in a Garrett Green pass, one of the quarterback's 16 completions.

Joel Lugavere/Special to the Daily News