Keenan shuts out O'Neill, Alumni blanks Keough
By MATT HERRIGAN AND JAMES VERALDI
Sports Writers
The playoff-bound Keenan Knights finished their regular season with a shutout as they beat the O'Neill Angry Mob 14-0 at Stepan Fields Sunday.
Keenan controlled the game from the kickoff, utilizing an oppressive pass rush to keep the Mob out of scoring position. The Knights' defensive front put constant pressure on O'Neill's quarterback, completely disrupting their offensive flow and allowing Keenan to squash any possible shifts in momentum.
"Our defense set the tone for intensity and tempo," said Keenan captain Herb Giorgio. "When our `D' plays well, it gives our offense a chance to regroup."
And regroup they did. Keenan's offense showcased a talented backfield led by quarterback Billy Ellsworth and Mark McNamee. McNamee scored the first touchdown of the game and caught a pivotal forty-yard pass from Ellsworth to set up a TD run by Brian Kunitzer, giving the Knights a 14-0 cushion. Applying continued pressure to O'Neill's passing game, Keenan held on for the win.
There were a few bright spots in the game for O'Neill, however.
The Angry Mob put some pressure on the defensive front. O'Neill sacked Ellsworth three times to keep the Keenan lead from growing even larger than it already was. The Mob's punting game forced the Knights to start deep in their own territory a number of times. And, despite Keenan's overpowering pass rush, O'Neill's quarterback played fairly well by leaving the pocket and throwing on the move to avert pressure.
O'Neill put up a good fight, but for all intents and purposes its season is over. At 0-3, O'Neill is out of the playoff picture.
Keenan, however, is moving on to bigger and better things. This win puts the Knights at 3-1, a record that will have them playing for a title shot after fall break.
Alumni 10, Keough 0
With yet another impressive performance by the Dawgs' defense, Alumni shut out the Keough Kangaroos in a key playoff match-up on Sunday.
The game featured sloppy play and costly mental mistakes, which could be attributed to the freezing rain and bitter cold throughout the contest.
"It was a lot of fun out in the rain today," said Alumni freshmen John Wahoske.
The Kangaroo offense was crushed by two turnovers in the red zone. The first came at the end of the half on an interception by Alumni cornerback T.J. Strachotta at the Dawgs' one-yard line.
The second Kangaroo red zone turnover came on a timely play from Alumni linebacker Bailey Siegfried. He timed the snap count perfectly and pushed through the offensive line to force a Keough fumble that was recovered by Alumni's John Salvino. This turnover all but ended any chance of a Kangaroo comeback.
"We came out and did what we had to do. We got the victory and hopefully clinched a playoff spot," said the Dawg's defensive end Tommy Demko.
Offensively, the Dawgs got the push they needed on three catches by John
Bevilaqua, and a steady rushing performance from Alex Roodhouse and Brandon Nunnink. Their lone touchdown came on a 9-yard pass from quarterback Chris Cottingham to Bevilaqua on Alumni's opening possession.
A botched punt in the fourth quarter by Keough gave the Dawgs the ball on the Kangaroo ten-yard line and led to a Nunnink 23-yard field goal, giving Alumni a 10-0 advantage.
The Keough offense did a very respectable job of moving the ball throughout most of the game. Running backs Kevin MacAbbe and Mike Perrone were able to move the sticks, but the two costly turnovers proved to be too much as the Dawgy D recorded their third shutout of the season.
"It was a good game," said Keough captain Ryan Yorkery. "It could have gone either way. Alumni was just the better team today."
Defensively, Alumni just did what they have been doing for most of the season, which is not giving up the big plays and coming through with big plays of their own when they have to.
"We're coming around. We had some key injuries, but everyone is coming back now," said Alumni fullback Brandon Nunnink. "We're starting to come together."
The victory clinched a playoff spot for the Dawgs as they concluded their regular season with a mark of 3-1. They will now sit back and hope for a high playoff seed before their season resumes after the break.
As for the Kangaroos, the loss put a severe damper on their quest for playoff football. They will have to rebound with a victory against O'Neill Wednesday and need help from Morrissey in its game with Stanford.
"We blew it today," said Yorkery. "When you are forced to depend on other teams to help get you to the playoffs it doesn't look good."
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, October 10, 2000
