| BataviasBest.org
Saturday, September 27, 2014
In a game Pembroke led for much of the first half on Friday night, Notre Dame was able to come on late and take the victory right from the Dragons hands in the second half. Using defense and special teams to fight their way back into the game, the Irish found a way once again and move to 2-2 on the season. With the loss, the Dragons find themselves a disappointing 0-4 following four tough games against sound league opponents.
Friday’s game began at a slow pace, with neither side scoring in the first quarter. However, shortly after which, Pembroke was able to get on the board as Mitch Lewter picked off a Joe Zickl pass which was deflected, setting the Dragons up deep in ND territory. An 11 yard touchdown pass quickly followed, and the Dragons were ahead 6-0 following the failed PAT.
Dakota Swimline, who finished the game with a night to remember, caught the TD pass on a nice ball from Lewter to the right side of the formation. It was one of the few times the Dragons QB had time to throw on Friday, which has been a constant issue for this team all season long.
Nevertheless, following the touchdown Notre Dame retained possession and again failed to do anything with it. To begin Pembroke’s next drive the Dragons stayed with what was working, as a big pass play from Lewter to Swimline got things going. Driving all the way down inside the red zone they again called Swimline’s number, this time on a running play, and the Senior took it the distance for a touchdown. It was the offensive weapon’s second TD of the night and the Dragons were now ahead by two scores before the end of the first half.
Luckily for the Irish, they were finally able to find consistency on the ensuing drive.
Advancing the ball all the way into the red zone with about a minute to go in the half, Notre Dame found themselves up against a 4th and goal from inside the five yard line needing a score. Capping off the 62-yard drive, Joe Zickl was able to find space to the outside, outrace a few defenders and take it in for a huge touchdown. Following the PAT it was now 12-7 Pembroke, and the lead had been more than cut in half. However, the Dragons still had the momentum and a good chance to score before the halftime buzzer.
Despite their chance, Pembroke failed to score and the half came to end with the score still 12-7. While Notre Dame was finding most of its big plays in the run game thus far, Pembroke was using more of a balanced attack, but both sides had found certain levels of success during separate periods throughout the first 24 minutes of play.
To begin the second half, over the course of the first 9 minutes neither team was able to put together a scoring drive. With 2:23 remaining in the third quarter, however, a turnover would change the course of the game. On a Mitch Lewter pass intended for Dakota Swimline over the middle of the field, the Pembroke quarterback missed his receiver and the ball wound up in the hands of the Irish.
It was Jack Sutherland who came up with the key interception of Lewter, as the ND defender read the quarterback’s eyes and stepped into the throwing lane to make the pick. It was a fairly easy interception by Sutherland, seeming as if Lewter never saw him coming, and returned it for six points to give Notre Dame the lead. Following a successful two-point attempt, the score was now 15-12 Irish.
Shortly after the pick six on Pembroke’s next possession, another Pembroke turnover, this time a fumble recovered by ND’s CJ Suozzi just a minute into the fourth quarter, Zickl was able to add another touchdown to his stat sheet as the ND quarterback hit Josh Johnson on a 29-yard strike that went for six points. The TD marked the second week in a row Johnson has come up with a clutch scoring reception, both of which have coming in the third quarter and have been turning points in their respective games. With the score now 21-12 in favor of Notre Dame following the failed point after, the Dragons had lost all of the momentum and were in need of a major spark.
Unfortunately for them, though, the Irish would be the next to score.
Following a Pembroke punt on the ensuing drive, Casey Midwick was able to return the kick about 40 yards giving his team a chance to put the game away. Advancing the ball all the way down to the goal line, the Irish were able to do just that as Jake Weatherwax plunged into the end zone for a short touchdown which put his team ahead 28-12 with under 10 minutes remaining in the game.
Although the Dragons were able to score one more time on a touchdown run from Cal Neurohr late in the game, their effort was just not enough and they lost the game 28-18 as a result.
The loss was a tough one for Pembroke, who after the first half you would have thought would be the ones walking away from this one with their first win and heads held high. They dominated the game for the first 24 or so minutes, played well offensively, but were unable to hang onto the football which ended up costing them in the end.
However, despite the loss, playing well for the Dragons was Dakota Swimline. The Senior finished Friday night with a total of 114 all-purpose yards on just 15 touches, including the two touchdowns in the first half. Swimline also caught all 5 of quarterback Mitch Lewter’s completions against the Irish.
For Notre Dame, Joe Zickl and Jack Sutherland came up big.
Finishing with 45 yards passing, 19 yards rushing, and two touchdowns, Zickl was the key for his team versus the Dragons. He also finished with 13 total tackles completing his all-around performance on Friday night. Complimenting Zickl out of the backfield, Sutherland also had a nice night. Accumulating 74 yards on just 12 carries, he had the pick-6 on defense as well which really sparked his team during the second half.
Coming up next week, ND will host non-league opponent CG Finney, while the Trojans will head to Oakfield to face the Hornets.
(Photos courtesy of Francletography. Find the full gallery at their website: francletography.photoshelter.com)
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