BREWSTER DELIVERS FOR N.D.; QB HELPS HAND ST. FRANCIS 1ST LOSS : NOTRE DAME 41, ST. FRANCIS 21.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer

It was halftime, the game was tied, and Notre Dame High's Travis Johnson implored quarterback Jon Brewster to assert himself.

``You take control! You take control!'' Johnson screamed.

And Brewster did.

His wild 52-yard touchdown scramble gave Notre Dame the lead, followed by a 29-yard run to set up another touchdown two minutes later, and the Knights buried Mission League rival St. Francis 41-21 Friday before a large, standing-room only crowd at Notre Dame.

Brewster finished with 125 yards on eight carries, and he completed 9 of 14 passes for 129 yards.

``I'm speechless I'm so happy,'' Brewster said. ``I played as hard as I possibly could tonight.''

Brewster wasn't the only standout for the Knights (8-1, 2-0), whose inspired performance dropped St. Francis to 8-1, 1-1 on the season, and 1-9 in the series since 1989:

Trevin Lund rushed for a career-high 206 yards and five touchdowns in 29 carries.

Alec Moss had three sacks and a fumble recovery.

Daniel Browne had seven receptions for 89 yards and added a two-point conversion.

``Brewster did a great job, Trevin ran hard and broke some tackles, and the offensive line played very well,'' Notre Dame coach Kevin Rooney said.

John Sciarra threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns for St. Francis, completing 13 of 19 passes with one interception. However, he managed just one touchdown in St. Francis' five second-pass possessions, and he ended the last two drives with an interception and a lost fumble.

``I'm sad that we lost,'' St. Francis defensive back Kenny Garcia said. ``I know we're a better team than we were tonight.''

Notre Dame held Matt Milton to 74 yards and no touchdowns on 24 carries, which was significant because Milton came in with 976 yards - including four 100-yard performances in his last five games - and 14 touchdowns.

``Notre Dame came out pretty strong and our team didn't keep up with them,'' said St. Francis receiver Brett Mitchell, who had six receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns, including a 69-yarder. ``But we're not gonna let this set us back. It's a learning step for us, but I'm pretty disappointed. Brewster was mobile and he caused us a lot of problems tonight. We weren't able to contain him.''

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PHOTO (color) It took five Notre Dame High defenders to take down St. Francis' Matt Milton on this play Friday night. Notre Dam won 41-21.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News