Notre Dame

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.

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.

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.

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.