Sept 17, 2022
Coach D. Kelly, NDRS | Photography: S. Crema
The Notre Dame Jugglers continued their winning ways in non-conference action this afternoon with a shutout win over W.J. Mouat of Abbotsford.
Building a 22-0 half time lead, the teams played a scoreless second half as penalties and turnovers marred the flow of play.
Recovering a Mouat fumble at midfield, the Jugglers marched the ball downfield and scored on a 9-yard touchdown pass from QB Max Brougham to tailback Vito DeCotiis. DeCotiis then found TE Isaiah Picariello in the endzone for a two-point conversion, making it 8-0 Notre Dame. The drive featured the strong running of DeCotiis and Strachan Liberman and also a nice screen pass executed perfectly by the offense.
Early in the second quarter, the Notre Dame defense came up with a huge play. Relentless pressure resulted in a forced fumble which defensive end Thomas Mustapic turned into a 60-yard touchdown play. It was set up by blitzing linebacker Andrea Ferronato who had two pass knockdowns and several tackles on the afternoon. DeCotiis added the extra point and it was 15-0 Jugglers.
A Mouat turnover on downs at mid-field led to Notre Dame's third and final touchdown. Runs by DeCotiis and fullback Eathen Knutson took the Jugglers into scoring position once again. DeCotiis took it in from 5 yards out and added the conversion to make it 22-0 at the half.
The second half was a turnover and penalty filled exhibition which slowed play considerably. Mouat made some good defensive plays and moved the ball well at times. The Jugglers were victimized several times by costly penalties and were unable to mount an effective attack.
Coach Kelly:
A strong defensive performance overall, but we must be much more disciplined with regard to penalties and ball security. Nonetheless, it was a shutout victory against a scrappy, well-coached Mouat team.
Another non-conference game next week — Saturday, September 24, vs South Kamloops.
