DAILY NEWS GAME OF THE WEEK: NOTRE DAME `D'ELIGHT INTERCEPTION SETS UP MORGAN'S WINNING RUN NOTRE DAME 24, BIRMINGHAM 20.Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame High's defense gave up more than usual Friday. But with the game on the line, the Knights of old showed up to stifle Birmingham and allow for a last-minute comeback. Fullback Collin Morgan rumbled 9 yards up the middle for the game-winning touchdown with 44.5 seconds remaining as host Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks beat Birmingham of Lake Balboa Balboa, town (1990 pop. 2,751), Colón prov., in the former Panama Canal Zone, on the Gulf of Panama. The port for Panama City, Balboa was the administrative headquarters of the Panama Canal Zone. It was also the site of a U.S. navy base (closed 1999). 24-20 in the Daily News game of the week. Morgan's touchdown was set up by Adam Weber's interception with 1:47 remaining. Notre Dame came back from a 20-9 deficit by forcing Birmingham into three consecutive three-and-outs in the fourth quarter. ``The thing I'm most happy about is that our guys kept fighting and fighting and fighting,'' Notre Dame coach Kevin Rooney Kevin Rooney born on May 4, 1956 in Catskill, NY and is a boxing trainer and former boxer. Amateur Boxing Career Rooney won the 1975 147lb Sub-Novice New York Golden Gloves Championship. Rooney defeated Kevin Higgins of West Point in the finals. said. ``We didn't make mistakes, and we made the plays when we had to.'' It was the first-ever matchup between Birmingham, one of the City Section's top teams, and Notre Dame, one of the Southern Section's best. Knights quarterback Marcel Marcel the fast ebbing of time impels him to devote his life to recording it. [Fr. Lit.: Proust Remembrance of Things Past] See : Time Marquez, making his first start, looked every bit as good as last year's starter Phil Beckmann. Marquez passed for 87 yards and ran for 92, including a 4-yard touchdown to bring the Knights within five near the end of the third quarter. ``He's not as fast as Phil, but I think he's more of an instinctive in·stinc·tive adj. 1. Of, relating to, or prompted by instinct. 2. Arising from impulse; spontaneous and unthinking: an instinctive mistrust of bureaucrats. runner,'' Rooney said of Marquez. ``He has a very good arm and makes good decisions most of the time.'' Notre Dame (1-0) allowed an average of only 6.4 points a game last season. The defense was playing as usual in the first half, up 9-0 with two minutes remaining. The high-powered Patriots struck quickly to seemingly take control of the game. Ryan Lombardo hit Chad Green Chad Elton Green (Born: June 28, 1975 in Dunkirk, New York) is a former switch-hitting, righthanded minor league baseball player. An outfielder, he attended Mentor High School and then the University of Kentucky. on a slant and Green raced 82 yards untouched up the left sideline sideline See on the sidelines. to get Birmingham within 9-6 heading into the half. Two minutes into the second half, Lombardo was at it again. He found Kyle McCleary deep down the right side for a 51-yard score and the Patriots had the lead. Lombardo completed 17 of 29 passes for 323 yards but was intercepted three times in the second half. ``I don't even have a clue when was the last time we gave up that many yards passing,'' Rooney said. ``We don't very often give up that many yards total, much less passing.'' Dennis Keyes scored on an 11-yard run and added the 2-point conversion to put the Patriots up 20-9. Stunned stun tr.v. stunned, stun·ning, stuns 1. To daze or render senseless, by or as if by a blow. 2. To overwhelm or daze with a loud noise. 3. , the Knights' defense regrouped to shut down Birmingham (0-1) from then on. ``The reason why they were able to score was they completed a couple of big passes,'' Rooney said. ``We were able to get some good pressure on the quarterback and not give him time to get any more deep ones after that.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Notre Dame quarterback Marcel Marquez passed for 87 yards and ran for 78. John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
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