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Notre Dame

ND Cross Country Wins Division III Title

By Eric Geitner

It has been about 8 years since the Notre Dame Boys Cross Country Team won the Division III League title.  The Irish captured the title yesterday after beating Pembroke, Alexander, Attica, and Pavilion at Pembroke High School to finish the regular season at 19 – 2. 

 

The 6th, 7th, 8th , and 9th place finishes of Matt Jackson, Kevin Pawlak, Eric Shormann, and Nate Flumerfeldt ensured the victory for the Irish.  Quin O’Connor placed 2nd in the race.  Taylor Alexander, Marshall Argenta, Conlan Edwards and Matt Sausner all had very solid performances.  Colin Bartholomew of Pembroke won the race, just 1/2 second ahead of O'Connor.  The team scores were as follows:

 

Notre Dame 23, Pembroke 31

Notre Dame 19, Pavilion 39

Notre Dame 15, Alexander 47

Notre Dame 15, Attica 50

Pembroke 22, Pavilion 37

Pembroke 15, Alexander 48

Pembroke 15, Attica 50

Pavilion 19, Alexander 40

Pavilion 17, Attica 44

Alexander 20, Attica 37

 

The girls finished the regular season on a strong note, beating Pembroke, Alexander, and Pavilion, while dropping to Attica.  The girls stand in third place in Division III and complete the season at 14 – 7.

 

Ashley Calarco easily won the race and Jill Marshall took fourth the lead the Irish.  Rachel Berggren had a great performance for the Irish finishing 14th in the race.  The team scores were as follows:

 

Attica 23,  Notre Dame 32

Attica 19, Alexander 36

Attica 15, Pavilion 50

Attica 15, Pembroke 50

Notre Dame 26, Alexander 29

Notre Dame 15, Pavilion 50

Notre Dame 15, Pembroke 50

Alexander 15, Pavilion 50

Alexander 15, Pembroke 50

Pavilion and Pembroke were incomplete.

 

Various teams may be in action this weekend with the Alexander Invitational, at the Field of Dreams, and the Houghton Invitational this Friday night, and the Clarence Invitational at Akron Falls Park this Saturday.  All Genesee and Livingston County Cross Country Teams will be racing in the County Championship Meet at Genesee Community College next week Thursday, October 23.

 

Tim Sullivan is still automatic from downtown

By Brian Hillabush

Tim Sullivan was an unlikely Division I basketball player when he graduated from Notre Dame High School back in 1978.

He lacked the size and didn't put up numbers in high school that would make big schools look at an undersized player from Genesee County.

But he did just that, walking on to the Canisius basketball team and playing at that high level. He also played for the Syracuse Shooting Stars and spent a few weeks on the roster of the Buffalo Rapids of the ABA, just a few years back.

I have gotten to know Sullivan over the years as he has helped many area youngsters with the game of basketball and we had a chance to catch up Tuesday afternoon.

It turns out, things are going quite well for the shooting expert.

He recently won a 3-point shooting competition  - at the still Hooping 3-on-3 3-point shooting contest - against some pretty hefty competition, namely former NBA stars Glen Rice, Hersey Hawkins and Dale Ellis. He won the contest two years ago and was second last year.

Sullivan is continuing to work as an instructor at camps all across the country.

He puts on about 250 clinics per year and works for ADIDAS Phenom camp in San Diego, California.

Sullivan does one-on-one work with individual D-1 prospects and helps with instruction at many colleges, including Syracuse University, Indiana University and the University of Kentucky.

Sullivan said he has studied the science of shooting and has figured out how anybody can be a 3-point shooting star. Check out this video I found on YouTube, where he does not miss an attempt in almost 3 minutes.

You can also check out his Web site for more information.

 

ND Harriers Take Crown

By Eric Geitner

The Notre Dame Boys Cross Country Team came away with the crown on Saturday at the Pembroke Invitational.  ND knocked off Pembroke, the number one ranked Section V small school, by eleven points for the victory.  ND has been ranked third in the polls behind the Dragons and Oakfield. 

Freshman Quin O'Connor (17:17) placed third in the race, just a couple of seconds behind second place finisher Colin Bartholomew of Pembroke.  The Irish placed their top 5 runners in the top 15 of the race to secure the victory over the Dragons.  Kevin Pawlak finished 6th for the Irish in 17:51, with Matt Jackson 9th in 18:12, Nate Flumerfeldt 12th (18:26) and Eric Shormann 14th in 18:38.

The Genesee/Livingston Cross Country League finishes up their regular season this Tuesday.  The Irish are in a position to win the Division III title with wins over Pavilion and Alexander at Pembroke.  HFL looks to have Division I all wrapped up and Oakfield in full control of the Divison II title.

Notre Dame ready for playoffs

By Brian Hillabush

 The Notre Dame football team is ready for playoff action.

The Fighting Irish wrapped up their regular season with a 48-14 win over visiting Elba/Byron-Bergen Saturday afternoon, and were nearly perfect in doing so.

The victory clinches a home playoff game in the first round of the Class D playoffs next Saturday, where ND will either be a No. 3 or No. 4 seed.

While Saturday's results were ugly, both on the field and off of it, Notre Dame's players are ready to go. They compiled 369 rushing yards compared to Elba/Byron-Bergen's 129.

Kevin Schildwaster racked up 129 yards and two scores on just eight carries and Mike Pratt added 92 yards on 14 carries.

Greg Barr finished with 12 carries for 58 yards with a TD and Gianni Zambito had four carries for 24 yards and two scores.

The Fighting Irish didn't pass the ball in the second half because of the blowout, but Nick Bochicchio had a solid effort, going 6-of-8 for 102 yards and a touchdown. Kevin Francis had that TD and caught four passes for 69 yards.

The Lancers actually opened the game with a touchdown on a great play. Elba/B-B made the surprising switch at starting QB from Eric Kowalik - who had been the starter for the past month - to Cody Torpey, who started at the beginning of the season.

Torpey had a nice game as signal-caller and kicked off the game's scoring with a 44-yard TD strike to 6-foot-6 receiver David Garnish, who made a finger-tip catch. 

The Lancers could be looking in the senior's direction more as the regular season wraps up.

Notre Dame got a 29-yard kickoff return from Zambito for solid starting field position on its opening drive.

The 1:30 drive which started at  midfield ended up leading to a 7-7 tie midway through the opening frame when Bochicchio pitched a ball up for Francis, who jumped over a defender to haul it in before jolting a few more yards to the end zone.

After Pratt recovered an Elba/B-B fumble, Notre Dame was back in business at the Lancer 7-yard line.

Schildwaster took it in from 7-yards out for the go-ahead less than a minute after the Irish had last scored. The faked extra point led to a two-point conversion pass from Schildwaster to Greg Barr.

Schildwaster later broke off a 48-yarder to set up a Beau Richter 1-yard TD run that gave ND a 22-7 lead after the opening frame.

After an Elba/Byron-Bergen punt, Bochicchio hooked up with Francis on a 29-yard pass to set up another Schildwaster TD run, this time for 10 yards.

The Lancers failed to move the ball again and failed to convert on a fourth-and-6 at their own 44.

Bochicchio hooked up with Rick Lair on a 27-yard pass inside the 5-yard line.

Zambito scored on a 3-yard touchdown run, and this is when the game got ugly. There was a personal foul called for a late hit after Zambito - who attended Elba before transferring to ND this year - scored.

Another penalty was issued as players were nearly ejected and some of the Elba/B-B fans started getting on the officials.

It was an ugly first half for the Lancers, who had six penalties for 84 yards.

The score was 34-7 at the half.

The Fighting Irish received the second half kickoff and marched 67 yards over nearly 10 minutes, with Barr scoring on a 1-yard run. 

The score remained 41-7 through three periods of play, but an unnecessary roughness call against the Lancers on a punt play pushed them deep into their own territory with another punt on the way.

The kick made it out to the Elba/B-B 40, and Pratt took it back to the 32.

Zambito scored a few plays later on a 10-yard scamper to finish up Notre Dame's scoring.

The Lancers tacked on a late touchdown with Zach Green ripping off a 67 yard touchdown run with seven minutes left in the contest.

 Elba/Byron-Bergen falls to 1-5 and is most likely eliminated from the Section 5 Class C playoffs, and will be in Pool Play.

Notre Dame is now 4-2 and will kick off the Class D playoffs on Saturday at home.

 

 

Week 6 Elba/Byron-Bergen at Notre Dame preview

By Brian Hillabush

 Elba/Byron-Bergen (1-4) at Notre Dame (3-2)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

The Fighting Irish are currently the No. 4 seed in Class D and will be looking to get things in order to start a sectional run next week. A loss would mean Notre Dame would lose a home game in the first round as they would probably move down to No. 5.

Notre Dame is doing it all on the offensive side of the ball.

Nick Bochicchio has over 500 yards passing and is getting better every week and he has a great target in Kevin Francis at wide receiver.

Bochicchio has the luxury of having a good running game to go with the passing attack.

Kevin Schildwaster had his best week of the season in last week's win over Holley and now has 358 rushing yards with five touchdowns. Mike Pratt has 348 yards and five TDs.

You never know what you are going to get from the Fighting Irish on offense.

The Lancers have had some serious struggles this season as the Byron-Bergen kids are still learning how to play the game.

But there have been some signs of potential.

Zach Green has become a star in the Elba/Byron-Bergen backfield and he gets plenty of help from Brandon Spurling.

The Lancers like to throw the ball around a little bit with quarterback Eric Kowalik and have the potential to do big things with Cody Torpey, who will line up at receiver, running back and quarterback.

Elba/Byron-Bergen is on the outside looking in when it comes to sectionals at this point. The Lancers are the No. 9 seed in Class C and a win on Saturday would be a big help if they want to get that eighth seed and the fun first round matchup against either Le Roy, Oakfield-Alabama or Pembroke. 

HFL tops ND Harriers

By Eric Geitner
The HFL Cross Country squads remain perfect after victories over Notre Dame, Wheatland-Chili, and Bath-Haverling at Oatka Park  The Notre Dame Boys raise their record to 15-2 and the Irish Girls to 11 - 6.  The boys posted victories over Bath and Wheatland and the girls claimed victory over Bath.
 
Notre Dame's Quin O'Connor broke into the HFL top runners and placed third in an impressive 17:07.  Steve Magnan and Alex Deir led the race with winning times of 17:03 and 17:04 respectively.  Other Irish finishers included:
8th    Matt Jackson          18:00
14th  Kevin Pawlak         18:25
15th  Eric Shormann      18:33
16th  Nate Flumerfeldt   19:03
27th  Taylor Alexander   20:17
30th  Andy Fischer        20:40
34th  Vince Stadler        21:17
35th  Matt Sausner        21:18
49th  Conlan Edwards    31:15
50th  James Barcomb    41:31
 
In the girls action, HFL's Jessie Brunett was the race winner in 20:03.  Jill Marshall of Notre Dame took over the reigns for the Irish for the slightly injuried Ashley Calarco (don't worry, nothing major).  Jill finished in 8th place to lead the Irish in 22:20.  Other Irish finishers included:
Meghan Zickl (23:57)  16th
Rachel Berggren (25:10)  23rd
Teresa Jackson (29:17)   32nd 
Tia Arnold (31:39)   35th
LeeAnn Tindell (33:24)  37th
 Kate Spadaccia (33:52) 38th.
 
The Irish Harriers are in action this Saturday at the Pembroke Invitational.

Fighting Irish turn off lights in Holley

By Brian Hillabush

 The Holley football team was playing under rented lights Friday, and from what I've been told there were not enough to make the game watchable on that field.

There was no scoreboard rented for the game, so the Hawks hosted yet another game without anybody knowing how much time was gone in each quarter.

But those lights that were rented by Holley were turned off in a hurry as Notre Dame nearly doubled the offensive production the Hawks had and picked up an easy 34-14 victory.

The Fighting Irish led 14-0 after the first quarter, 21-6 at the half, 28-14 after three and then 34-14 at the end.

Notre Dame had 330 yards of offense while Holley could muster just 180.

Kevin SChildwaster led all rushers with 18 carries for 120 yards and three touchdowns with Mike Pratt pitching in 102 yards and two scores on 15 attempts.

Nick Bochicchio completed 7-of-8 pass attempts.

Kyle Steadman led Holley (0-5) with 40 rushing yards on seven carries with Sean Baylor leading all tacklers with 12.

Rick Lair had eight tackles to lead Notre Dame (3-2).

Trojan girls learn to win in cold

By Brian Hillabush

 The Alexander girls soccer team had some key players out with injury and had to fight through the rain and the cold wind that Genesee Community College's fields produce, but gained the experience of playing in those conditions to beat host Notre Dame 5-0.

The Trojans lead Division I of the Genesee Region League with an 8-4-2 record.

While the temperatures were cold at the start of the game, it didn't take long before the wind picked up and the rain started coming down. 

The conditions led to some sloppy play over the first 10 minutes or so, and both squads had opportunities to score off corner kicks but were not able to convert.

But Alexander settled in and took over after a few minutes.

Sophomore midfielder Tessa Bigelow took a pass from freshman forward Julia Pettys and scored 11:53 in.

Pettys then scored 14 minutes later to give the Trojans a firm 2-0 advantage.

Morgan Mattice scored 29:21 in off a pass by Savannah VanSon.

Exchange student Anni Lehtola pitched in a second half goal and Pettys assisted another Mattice goal in the closing moments.

Hannah Wilson only needed to stop one shot to earn the shutout for Alexander.

Notre Dame keeper Nicole Guilds stopped 10 shots in the contest as the Fighting Irish fall to 1-10.

 

Updated with video. Sorry for the poor sound quality. The wind was out of control.

 

 

Week 5 Notre Dame at Holley preview

By Brian Hillabush

 Notre Dame (2-2) at Holley (0-4)

7 p.m. Friday

The Fighting Irish lost against Pembroke in the opening week of the season and bounced back to beat Attica.

They lost to Oakfield-Alabama last week and will now be looking to get back to winning against a Holley squad that has yet to win a game.

ND played a solid defensive half and held the Hornets to just seven points, then had a chance to tie the game early in the third quarter when a halfback option call backfired and led to an interception near the end zone.

O-A rolled after that and Notre Dame had what was probably its weakest offensive game of the season.

A weak offense shouldn't be a problem this week against Holley, which is playing under rented lights. Hopefully the school rented a scoreboard as well because watching a game there is painful without a game clock.

Nick Bochicchio has put up more attempts than any other quarterback in the Genesee Region League this season and has compiled 463 yards through the air. He attempted 34 passes in the opening week of the season.

His favorite target is Kevin Francis, who has 242 receiving yards and has the ability to get into the end zone any time he touches the ball on on offense or special teams.

The Fighting Irish rushing attack features two solid runners.

Mike Pratt has 243 yards and five TDs and will bounce off would-be tacklers all day while Kevin Schildwaster is a speedster that has compiled 238 yards and two touchdowns.

Craig Houseknecht, Rick Lair and Greg Barr are the three leading ND tacklers.

The Hawks came close to getting that elusive first win last week against Alexander. Holley was leading 8-6 before the Trojans kicked a field goal with eight minutes left to get the victory.

Guy Hills is the biggest playmaker on the Holley roster, but Mike Pernicano has the ability to bust a run if his line can open a hole.

Notre Dame Boys Roll to Victory

By Eric Geitner
The Notre Dame Boys Cross Country Team improved to 13 - 1 on the season after easy victories over Geneseo, Holley, and Keshequa yesterday at Genesee County Park.  Team scores were:
ND 20, Geneseo 35
ND 15, Holley 49
ND 15, Keshequa 50. 
 
Quin O'Connor finished the course in 17:22 to place second, 20 seconds behind last years' Class D State Champion, Frank Johnson of Letchworth.  The fourth, fifith, and sixth place finishes of Kevin Pawlak (17:50), Matt Jackson (18:01), and Eric Shormann (18.20) sealed the deal for the Irish.  Nate Flumerfeldt (18:32) took the eighth spot to round out the scoring. Conlan Edwards and James Barcomb each had great races chopping off 3 minutes from their best times.  Other finishers for the Irish were:
Taylor Alexander   19:32  (12)
Marshall Argenta   20:11  (14)
Andrew Fischer    20:20   (15)
Vince Stadler       20:59   (18)
Matt Sausner        21:37  (22)
 
The Lady Irish dropped one to a very tough Geneseo squad while getting the victories over Holley and Keshequa.  Team scores were:
ND 40, Geneseo 20
ND 26, Holley 29
ND 15, Keshequa 50
 
Ashley Calarco was third in the race in 20:41 and Jill Marshall was eighth with 22:44.  Meghan Zickl (25:09), Rachel Berggren (25:11), and Teresa Jackson (28:53) rounded out the scoring for the Irish taking 14th, 15th, and 20th respectively.  Other Irish finishers were:
Tia Arnold     31:08   (23)
LeeAnn Tindell 31:16   (24)
kate Spadaccia  35:43   (25)
 
The lady Irish are now 10 - 4 on the season.

Notre Dame Harriers Impressive at McQuaid

By Eric Geitner

The Notre Dame Boys Cross Country Team turned in impressive performances at this past weekends’ 44th annual McQuaid Invitational at Genesee Valley Park in Rochester .  The team raced in the prestigious seeded race going against the State Champions from Pennsylvania and state ranked teams from New York , Ohio and Canada and placed 11th out of the 20 teams.  Quin O’Connor (16:17) clocked the fastest time for any freshman in all races posting a 21st place finish with Kevin Pawlak (16:49) following in 43rd.  Matt Jackson (17:16) finished 66th, Eric Shormann (17:33) 81st, Taylor Alexander(18:23) 105th, Marshall Argenta (18:57) 118th, and Andrew Fischer (19:00) 120th for the Irish.  In the Varisty B race, Matt Sausner (20:25) placed 112th and Vince Stadler (20:26) 114th.  Conlan Edwards made the two mark in 17:45.  

 

The Girls Cross Country Team also turned in some fast performances this past weekend at the McQuaid Inviational.  Ashley Calarco (19:48) came across the line in 7th place to lead the Irish to a 16th place finish.  Jill Marshall (21:58) was 59th, Meghan Zickl (23:16) 102nd, Rachel Berggren (24:18) 138th, and Teresa Jackson (26:19) 187th.  Tia Arnold (19:33) raced to the two mile mark along with Kate Spadaccia (22:25). 

Oakfield-Alabama survives tough Notre Dame squad

By Brian Hillabush

 The Oakfield-Alabama football team has had the luxury of giving the backups plenty of playing time in the first three weeks of the season.

Not so much on Saturday as the Hornets had their first test of the season in Notre Dame, not passing until the second half. O-A held off a late charge and won 28-6.

Tim Smith actually returned the opening kickoff just over 50 yards to the Notre Dame 29-yard line. Notre Dame's Craig Houseknecht sacked A.J. Kehlenbeck on a pass attempt, but a couple of mid-distance runs moved the ball down to the 2-yard line.

This was where the first half tone was set.

Oakfield-Alabama fumbled the ball away and Cam McDonald fell on it to give the Fighting Irish possession. 

After Kevin Schildwaster popped a 53-yard run, O-A had a sack and fumble that was recovered by Noah Seward.

Notre Dame's defense stiffened up and caused a three-and-out, then ND started moving the ball as Nick Bochicchio found Kevin Francis on a 24-yard pass.

At this point the Irish fans were thinking upset, while the O-A fans were starting to sweat with a 0-0 score after a period of play.

But the Hornets stopped ND's offense and forced a punt. Then Notre Dame returned the favor and made O-A punt.

With just a few minutes left in the first half, Smith took over.

He killed a Notre Dame drive with an interception, had a 24-yard run and then scored on a 6-yarder to make the score 7-0 at the half.

Notre Dame received the second half kickoff and was moving the ball. Bochicchio hooked up with Francis on a 16-yard pass, that was moved to the O-A 28-yard line because of a late hit penalty.

This time the Fighting Irish tried a halfback option that was intercepted by Smith at the 4 and returned to the 40.

Smith capped off this drive with a 21-yard TD run.

Oakfield-Alabama took firm control of the game after a Notre Dame punt when Smith broke a 31-yard run on a fourth-and-1. He scored just moments into the fourth quarter on an 8-yard run.

A Seward sack put Notre Dame into a fourth-and-very long deep in its own territory, so Matt Thompson had to come on and punt.

Smith had a 20-yard return and the Hornets started a drive at the ND 26.

Jason Stanley finished off the O-A scoring with a 21-yard run.

With just five minutes left, Bochicchio got hot.

He had completions to Francis, Schildwaster and Gianni Zambito before hitting Mike Pratt on a swing pass that he took 25 yards for a touchdown.

Derek Hicks blocked the extra point attempt.

The onside kick attempt was recovered by Cody Proefrock and ND was still alive with 3:41 left on the clock.

But a couple of plays into the drive, Hicks picked off a pass to put an end to the game.

Notre Dame falls to 2-2 and will play at Holley Friday nights as the Hawks are going to rent lights for their homecoming game.

Smith - who rushed for 185 yards on 25 carries - and the Hornets improve to 4-0 and move on to play in Attica next week for the Blue Devils' homecoming game. Then comes the annual game with Pembroke that always has Genesee Region League title implications.

 

Fighting Irish volleyball improves to 7-3

By Brian Hillabush

Notre Dame had no problem in beating Kendall 25-8, 25-12, 25-12 Wednesday.

Liz Geandreau dropped in nine kills and an ace and Kendra Wall added 15 assists, a kill and one ace for the Fighting Irish (7-3).

Meghan Fahy had five digs, five kills and a pair of blocks for the Eagles (2-8). 

Notre Dame's Bochicchio starting at Utica

By Brian Hillabush

Notre Dame graduate Christian Bochicchio made his first start at quarterback for the Utica College football team this past weekend.

The freshman stepped into the starting role which was held by Keith Barone, and had a rocky, yet productive, first start.

The Pioneers turned the ball over several times in losing to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, losing a 24-10 homecoming game in front of 2,835 fans.

 Bochicchio - who was the quarterback for the Fighting Irish when the team won the Section 5 Class D championship in 2006 - now looks to be the top option for Utica.

"He can do some things. Right now, he's our guy," UC coach Blaise Faggiano told the Utica Observer-Dispatch after the loss.

Bochicchio went 14-of-24 for 120 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions in his  college debut.

The Pioneers (0-3) will be at Springfield College on Oct. 4.

Barker no match for ND running game

By Brian Hillabush

 

After a slow start in the first quarter , the Notre Dame football team had multiple touchdown quarters in the second and third to beat host Barker 37-6.

Kevin Schildwaster started the scoring with a 1-yard dive in the second quarter, with Mike Pratt adding a 13-yard touchdown run in the frame.

Pratt had two touchdown runs and Kevin Francis caught a 3-yard TD pass from Nick Bochicchio in the third quarter.

Matt Thompson nailed a 30-yard field goal in the fourth quarter and also kicked four extra points in the contest.

Ray Paul had a touchdown run for Barker (1-2).

Notre Dame is 2-1.

Kickers can sometimes win a game

By Brian Hillabush

With the rain coming down in buckets Saturday afternoon, it was difficult for either the Notre Dame or Attica football teams to hold onto the football.

But on one key occasion, the Fighting Irish won the game because of the job of the long snapper, holder and kicker.

Matt Thompson's extra point in the final minutes wound up being the play of the game as Notre Dame edged visiting Attica 27-26.

Holder Kevin Francis had issues holding the placement on Thompson's two previous kicks - a shanked 42-yard field goal attempt and an extra point attempt which turned into a botched play.

But after Francis scored a game-tying touchdown with 2 1/2 minutes left, Rick Lair had a perfect snap to Francis, who placed the ball for Thompson, who cashed the game winning kick.

"I just knew I had to dry my hands, relax and get it down so Thompson could kick it," Francis said. 

Thompson has hit plenty of big kicks for Notre Dame in his high school career, but this ranks at or near the top for the junior.

"I had faith in Rick Lair and Kevin Francis," Thompson said. "I just went through my routine, followed through and made it. It was any other PAT. I knew what I was doing."

The kick was the biggest play, but there were several in the comeback effort by ND, one that could have possibly escalated the Fighting Irish into league title contenders. 

"In this league, any win is coveted," ND coach Rick Mancuso said. "The competition is very steep. We are very fortunte to have come out in the second half and put forth the effort we needed to do for the win. I'm very proud of these guys."

The larger Attica squad got a 12-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Rollings to Brock Minnick early in the first quarter. After the extra point attempt was missed, Notre Dame answered back with a Mike Pratt 1-yard TD run.

Thompson added the extra point for the 7-6 lead.

Attica then started taking control of the contest.

Shawn Dupuis returned a punt 65 yards for a score, Luke Pariso intercepted a pass and Dave Jennings scored to give the Blue Devils a 20-7 halftime lead.

Pratt - who finished with 115 yards and three TDs on 22 carries - dove in from a yard out to start the second half after Francis returned the opening kickoff 60 yards.

Notre Dame got an intereception by Greg Barr and was off and running again. After Pratt ripped off a 31-yarder, Kevin Schildwaster dove in the end zone after finishing off an 11-yard scamper.

 

The rain had turned from a slight drizzle into a full-out downpour at this point.

This was when the extra point snap was bobbled and Thompson had to throw the ball way before the old "linebacker kills kicker" thing happened.

Attica and Notre Dame had some struggles until the rain started slowing down a little bit early in the fourth quarter.

Rollings had a 70-yard run on a quarterback keeper for Attica. Notre Dame was penalized half the distance to the goal line because of a facemask call.

On a first-and-goal at the 5, Andy Ruddock eased his way into the end zone. The conversion run failed and Attica led 26-20 with about 10 minutes left.

The two squads exchanged punts and the Fighting Irish started a drive with just over six minutes left on the clock at their own 42, knowing it was now or never.

Without a touchdown, they were going to fall to 0-2 and basically be eliminated from contention in the race for the Genesee Region League title.

There weren't any big yardage plays, but there were two big penalty plays on the drive.

Attica was called for pass interference after an incomplete pass on a fourth-and-3, then jumped offsides on the next play.

Junior quarterback Nick Bochicchio couldn't get a grip on the ball on a first-and-goal from the 9, but shoveled it to Francis, who took scored a touchdown that tied the game at 26 with 2 1/2 minutes left.

"It was raining the entire second half and we weren't throwing," said Francis, who caught six passes for 32 yards. "We tried to catch them off their feet. Bo didn't really throw it, it was like a baseball toss. I saw an opening and got in."

Thompson, who is a true kicker and attended several camps over the offseason, then drained the kick.

Attica did have a chance as Rollings tossed a 32-yard pass to Dupuis and then had a 10-yard run.

But an offensive interference call set up a fourth-and-very long, which was incomplete ending the game.

Bochicchio followed up his 27-of-34 for 182 yards performance in a loss to Pembroke with an 8-of-11, 66-yard day against Attica (1-1).

The Fighting Irish are now 1-1.

News roundup: Notre Dame baseball heads to state finals

By Philip Anselmo

From the Daily News (Tuesday):

  • Notre Dame's Fighting Irish downed Pine Valley in the Class D Regionals 7-3 yesterday to advance to the state semifinals in Binghamton Saturday. It's the first time in the team's history that they made it to the final four. The Fighting Irish will face either Section 9 champion Chapel Field or Section 8 champion Southtown Christian. Check out the great article by reporter Brian Hillabush for all the details of the historic win.
  • Reporter Joanne Beck has a pair of articles on the new chief of police and last night's City Council meeting. Both stories appeared on The Batavian yesterday. (Police Chief Randy Baker had a couple minutes to field a few quick questions from the media between Council meetings last night. We'll be sitting down to get more in depth with the new chief early next week, so check back for that.)
  • Carson & Barnes Circus pulled into town this morning and started setting up the big top, feeding the animals, and getting everything else in gear. Reporter Scott DeSmit was there for a preview of the show. Check back with The Batavian later this afternoon for a guided video tour courtesy of Papa D Clown.
  • Batavia senior Mike Spiotta was honored as the Monroe County Golf League Player of the Year.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

News roundup: Richmond promotes literacy

By Philip Anselmo

From the Daily News (Monday):

  • Richmond Memorial Library has about finished mounting eleven banners on schools, shops and organizations around Batavia. The 9-by-12-foot posters depict blown-up illustrations intended to promote preschool literacy as part of the library's Giving Reading Opportunities program. Check out the article on page A-3 for a full list of sites.
  • Seventy-three years after the Cornell Women's Club of Batavia held its first meeting, it held its last this past weekend. Part social club, part unofficial recruiters for Cornell University, the Women's Club was established on December 15, 1934. Member MaryAnne Sovocool told reporter Joanne Beck: "We may not be meeting together, but we'll never end. We'll be in the meeting room in heaven."
  • Beck also attended the Notre Dame High School graduation ceremony Saturday. Her coverage can be found on the front page.
  • Byron-Bergen student Trent Jeffords got a perfect score and first place at the third annual Dancing Under the Stars at Stuart Steiner Theatre Saturday. His partner was Millie Tomidy, executive director of the Genesee County Mental Health Association. (If anyone got a video recording of the dance, please let us know, and we will post it here on the site for all to see.)
  • A story on page A-7 about Genesee Community College's summer forensic science camps was featured on The Batavian a few weeks ago. Follow the link for more information.
  • Notre Dame's Fighting Irish baseball pulled a come-from-behind victory over Northstar Christian Academy Saturday to advance to the Class D regionals. They will play "Section 6 champion Pine Valley in the Far West Regionals tonight in Jamestown," writes reporter Brian Hillabush.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

Schools News Round Up

By Howard B. Owens

Genesee Community College is hosting a conference on instructional technology.

“It is with great pleasure that Genesee welcomes CIT 2008 attendees,” said Dr. Stuart Steiner, President of Genesee Community College. “We are honored to be the first community college ever to host this event and are looking forward to the wealth of ideas and information that are sure to come out of the experience.”

Notre Dame High School holds its annual 500 Club Dinner and Roast on May 29 at the Holiday in.  More information on this PDF.

From the City Schools Web site:

Coffee With The New Principal @BHS
Saturday, May 10th @ 9:00 a.m. - Cafeteria Stop by to Meet & Chat with our new high school principal, Mr. Christopher Dailey. All parents are welcome and there is no special agenda.

While looking for school news, this picture of the 1925-26 Batavia High School basketball team popped up in Google search.

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