FOOTBALL
By: Tim Falls
In the beginning it seemed Notre Dame’s passing game would give the Irish the advantage.
In the end it became their undoing.
The Lawrence High School football team started their season with a 35-18 victory over Notre Dame on Saturday.
The Cardinals caught six interceptions and stopped the Irish offense as Lawrence surged in the second half.
"It’s always great to win your first home game," said Lawrence coach Rob Radice. "It’s always great to win the first game of the season. It sets a tone."
Lawrence started last season with a win away at Notre Dame and went on to remain undefeated in the Colonial Valley Conference.
This season, Notre Dame gained a lot of ground early on with its passing game and took a short-lived lead as sophomore Michael Camastra scored on a 10-yard pass from Joe Leone in the first quarter.
Lawrence’s defense blocked the extra point attempt allowing the Cardinals to take the lead when senior Brian Mills scored on an 18-yard pass from junior Anthony Russ in the second quarter. Senior Tamai Young kicked the extra point to give Lawrence a one-point lead.
Another big pass play, a 52-yard touchdown reception by junior Vail Grafton, swung the score in Notre Dame’s favor, but the Irish failed to connect on a pass attempt for the extra points.
Lawrence answered back before halftime as junior Jerry McClure scored on a 55-yard touchdown run and Young’s extra point attempt sailed between the uprights.
"I expected it to be a shootout," said Radice, with the Cardinals holding a two-point lead at halftime.
Notre Dame nearly took the lead before the end of the half, but an interception near the end zone kept the Cardinals ahead.
"We’re honored to get out of this game with a win," said Radice. "Certainly, a couple of breaks could have gone the other way and this could be their win instead of ours."
Lawrence showed its strength in the second half, scoring first in the third quarter on an 80-yard run by Sean Pearson.
"He’s a gamer, he’s a tough guy," said Radice. "He just does everything right for us."
Pearson had 18 carries for 188 yards for Lawrence, while the Cardinal defense held the Irish offense to just 47 rushing yards.
With Lawrence stopping the run, Notre Dame relied on its effective passing game to generate offense. Leone threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns.
Notre Dame gained first downs several times on third-and-long plays as Leone threw for big yardage.
However, interceptions became devastating as Lawrence began increasing its lead.
"What they do is throw the ball," said Radice. "They threw it a bunch, but we caught some too."
Lawrence seemed to have unlimited offensive options with Pearson accounting for 188 rushing yards, McClure recording 159 yards on seven carries, Ken Sherman rushing 26 yards on four carries and Brian Mills gaining 11 yards on four carries.
"We had a total team effort," said McClure. "We did our best and worked together. They didn’t match our intensity so we swept them off their feet."
Anthony Russ also demonstrated his throwing ability, connecting on six of 10 attempts for 76 yards and two touchdowns.
Several Lawrence players credited their preseason training for giving them the advantage in the second half.
"Summer camp paid off," said McClure referring to Lawrence scoring three second half touchdowns and holding Notre Dame to one. "That’s what happens when all the running and training we do pays off."
Chandell Fuqua played a big part in denying Notre Dame its offense with three of Lawrence’s six interceptions.
"They were a big part of our win," said Fuqua. "They were a big momentum swing. Whenever we got one our offense seemed to score."
Coach Radice said his defensive coordinator, Anthony Ammirata, prepared the Cardinals to hand Notre Dame’s passing game.
"My defensive coordinator, Anthony Ammirata preps them well," said Radice. "We give them tape to watch and they study it all week. We know half the plays they’re running before they know it."
Fuqua certainly appreciated that preparation and took advantage of it by pulling down three Irish passes.
"Everybody played their positions," said Fuqua. "Everybody did what they were taught to do. When that happens, we get big plays like those interceptions."
Notre Dame’s Ryan Lynady caught a 21-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, but Keith Sherman caught a 39-yard touchdown pass and Pearson had a 15-yard touchdown run to lengthen Lawrence’s lead.
"All around we did pretty well," said Pearson. "In the second half our defense really stepped up."
Lawrence recorded its 11th consecutive conference victory with the win over Notre Dame, and the Cardinals will try for 12 straight when they travel to West Windsor-Plainsboro South on Saturday.