| BataviasBest.org
Saturday, September 13, 2014
With help from all three units on Friday night Alexander overcame Notre Dame by a final score of 16-6. The Trojans scored points in all three phases of the game (offense, defense, and special teams) versus the Irish and will look to go 2-1 next week in their matchup with undefeated Attica (2-0).
Score by quarter
ND 6 – 0 – 0 – 0 // 6
Alexander 0 – 14 – 2 – 0 // 16
“Two young teams battled (on Saturday night),” said Alexander head coach Tim Sawyer following the game. “In a game of field position, defense ruled the night for both sides.”
To begin the game, Notre Dame scored first on a 3 yard touchdown run by Jack Sutherland late in the first quarter. Although it ended up turning into a defensive struggle, following the immediate score it looked as if this one would be a fairly high-scoring affair. To further extend the scoring, Alexander answered the Irish with a nice drive culminating in a Ty Laird 3 yard TD run.
A few minutes later, the defense emerged courtesy of Trojans’ free safety Tristan Aldinger.
Aldinger, who missed last week’s game due to injury, was able to pick up where he left off during pre season practice and intercepted a ND pass, running it back 25 yards for a TD. Zack Shilvock made the point after which was his second of the day, and shortly after the pick-6 the two teams had reached halftime with the Trojans ahead by 8.
In the third quarter the Alexander defense struck once again, pinning ND deep within their own territory immediately. Faced with a fourth and long, the Irish were forced to attempt a pun out of their own end zone – something that rarely ends well.
As has happened many times before at the high school level, following the snap, Alexander’s Josh Hylkema was able to get a hand on the kick and block it which forced the ball out of the end zone for a safety. The score was now 16-6 in favor of the Trojans and the 10-point lead prove to be more than enough for them to win the ballgame.
Like a week ago, the Notre Dame offense struggled to maintain its attack throughout the night against the tough Alexander defense. Utilizing a run-heavy approach as they did in Week 1, the few times the Irish chose to air it out ended with a negative result.
In addition to Aldinger’s pick-6, Sophomore linebacker Derrick Busch and Sam Browne also walked away with interceptions for the Trojans. With a young quarterback and a young offensive line, Notre Dame will continue to look for answers as the season progresses.
Offensively Alexander also elected to use the ground game extensively. Ty Laird, the Trojans’ leading rusher, carried the ball 10 times for a total of 61 yards and a touchdown while Tristan Aldinger added to his strong defensive game with 7 carries for 42 yards.
In their match up with the Blue Devils next week, the duo of Laird and Aldinger will need to recreate the success they experienced versus the Irish. Reason being, Attica can score points and if the Trojans are unable to possess the ball a high percentage of the game their chances of winning in Week 3 will surely decline.
Laird also led the team defensively on Friday night, recording 10 tackles for Alexander while Busch added 5 tackles, 2 sacks and the interception for Alexander. Rick Amico played a solid game as well chipping in 6 tackles and a sack.
As I stated earlier, Alexander will have their hands completely full next weekend as they host Attica for what will be their second straight home contest. Conversely, the Blue Devils will line up for their third straight road game to open the season, and will do their best to keep the ball rolling for as long as they can.
Winning each of their first two games convincingly, Attica has been able to run all over their opponents without much resistance. However, despite their recent success on the ground, leading rusher Jake Strzelec experienced an injury late in the first half against their Week 2 opponent Pembroke. It is yet to be seen whether or not the injury will effect Strzelec’s Week 3 status, but it is an interesting thing to keep an eye on come next weekend if you’re an Alexander Trojan.
(Photos courtesy of Francletogoraphy. Full gallery can be found here)
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