St. Ed's failed conversion gives Sorin 7-6 victory
By RACHEL BIBER
Sports Writer
Sorin's duo of Luke Beuerlein and Greg Carney started right where they left off last week.
Carney hauled in a long pass downfield from Beuerlein on the opening play of the game. Receiver Antoine Tobias, however, put the points on the board this time, allowing Sorin to squeak by St. Ed's 7-6.
After Beuerlein's opening bomb to Carney left the Screaming Otters at first-and-goal, Beuerlein connected with Tobias for the score.
"Luke just drilled it in between the two defenders," said Tobias. "It was a great throw."
Carney kicked the extra point, which proved to seal the win in the tight game against the men of St. Ed's, who now tumbled to a record of 0-2.
Solid defensive play by Ernesto Lacayo set up St. Ed's only score in the fourth quarter. Lacayo intercepted a pass intended for Carney, allowing quarterback Tim Greene to hit Mike Pontius for the six points.
Going for the win, the men of St. Ed's failed to convert on a two-point conversion when the pass to Nick Sciola was broken up near the end zone.
"There was confusion on the sidelines," said Sciola, captain of St. Ed's. "It was a nice play by the defensive back."
Sorin's win was not assured until the last offensive threat by St. Ed's was squelched in the fourth quarter by the strong play defensive play of Brent Smith. With St. Ed's plowing downfield as the seconds ticked away, Smith intercepted a pass to ensure an Otter victory and a team record of 2-0.
"The ball kind of floated out there," Smith said. "And I ran up and picked it off."
Fisher 0, Seigfried 0
The game pitting the Green Wave of Fisher against the Ramblers of Siegfried showcased a defensive battle.
Both offenses failed to score, causing the game to end in a 0-0 knot. Both teams fell to 1-0-1 with the tie.
The defense in Sunday's game highlighted the play of both teams.
"It was a well fought game," noted Fisher captain Dean Korolis. "Our defense played well."
Yellow flags were a constant sight in the game, preventing both sides from surmounting a strong offensive drive.
Ramblers running back Travis Smith felt the distress of the missed opportunities.
"We played well on defense, but penalties kept us from putting it in the end zone," Smith said.
Some last minute offensive sparks almost sent the Ramblers off the field in victory celebration. Peter Aguiar missed two 40-yard field goals.
"I hit the kicks solid," Aguiar said, "but I should have made them."
With 1:31 to play, Siegfried retrieved the ball off a Fisher punt, and on fourth down, Aguiar's field goal went wide left from the 45-yard line.
After a turnover by the Green Wave with 13 seconds to play, the Ramblers' attempt at victory was sunk when Aguiar's 46-yard field goal attempt fell very short.
The Ramblers' offensive woes are a continuance from last week's performance, and they have yet to score a touchdown this season.
"We had a positive defensive showing," said Smith, "but our offense has to step it up if we want to win the championship."
Knott 7, Zahm 0
The bizarre play of the day occurred in Knott Hall's 7-0 blanking of Zahm, evening the Juggernauts record to 1-1, and sending the Zahmbies to a record of 0-2.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Zahm sent a punt into the Juggernaut's territory and watched as it rolled towards the sideline.
Assuming the ball would be downed, Zahm's special teams acted as if the play were complete, and then just watched as Brandon Landas swiped the ball and sprinted downfield for a Juggernaut score.
The Zahmbies stood silenced and stunned as the Knott Hall sideline exploded in celebration.
"The kicking team didn't down it," said Knott Hall captain Mario Suarez. "Everyone assumed it would be downed."
"They were letting it roll dead," said Landas, "so I just picked it up and ran down the sidelines."
The game was sealed late in the fourth quarter when Kyle Trotter knocked the ball from Zahm quarterback Dan Burke on a solid defensive hit in the backfield. Paul Ryan then recovered the fumble, handing the Juggernauts an emotional victory.
After constant taunting by the Zahm contingent, Suarez was impressed by the play and behavior of his team.
"We put in a class act today," Suarez said.
Landas, who ran the ball in for a touchdown, saw the jeers of the Zahm crowd as motivation for his team, making the victory even sweeter.
"It made it fun," Landas said. "It was the icing on the cake when I made the touchdown."
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, September 28, 1999
