Otters drop first game of the season to Juggernaughts
By RACHEL BIBER
Sports Writer
During an afternoon dominated by rainy weather, the Sorin Otters' finely-tuned offensive machine, led by quarterback Luke Beuerlein, began to show signs of rust, as the Knott Hall Juggernaughts ran away with a 14-7 victory.
The rain was a nuisance for the Sorin offense, wreaking havoc on its normally strong passing game. The beating the Otters took from the Juggernaughts also did not allow them to repeat their past successful performances, causing them to fall to 2-1.
"We couldn't throw well," Sorin captain Fred Faber said. "And they beat up our line."
For the first time this season, the Otter offense was overshadowed by the play of their opponent, as quarterback Mario Suarez and company led the Juggernaughts to victory, improving their record to 2-1. Suarez, captain of the Juggernaughts, was very impressed with his team's performance.
"Our offense and defensive line dominated the field," Suarez said.
Knott Hall put points on the board first by a second quarter touchdown set up by an interception by Terry McElroy. A Suarez pass into the hands of receiver Looe Baker in the end zone gave the Juggernaughts six points, and runningback Pat Virtue added an extra two on a successful two-point conversion.
The Juggernaughts doubled their lead in the third quarter due to another touchdown pass from Suarez to Baker. The pass ended a solid drive featuring consistent passing from Suarez and dominating running from Virtue.
The Otters struck back in the fourth quarter when Faber ran for a touchdown, but failed to mount a successful comeback when a fourth down pass from Beuerlein on their next possession was batted down in the end zone.
Even though Sorin suffered its first loss, Faber was pleased with his team's performance, but sees room for improvement with his team's strength.
"It was the best game we played all year," Faber said. "But they beat up our line. That's all we are going to do next week — is beat each other up and get a little stronger."
Fisher 14, Zahm 0
Luckily for Fisher, Steve Doherty had the game of his life.
Without Doherty's stellar performance, Fisher's 14-0 defeat of Zahm would have been impossible.
Doherty was in the spotlight the entire game, making critical plays on offense and on defense to help the Green Wave improve their record to 2-0-1.
"He played a great game," Fisher captain Dean Korolis said. "He came ready to play."
After Zahm took possession of the ball on its 1-yard line in the first quarter, Fisher sacked quarterback Dan Burke in the end zone to take a 2-0 lead on a safety.
Doherty then began to heat up on a frigid, rainy day, leading Fisher to its win. A second quarter interception by Doherty sparked the Green Wave's next scoring drive, and his diving catch from freshman quarterback Rick Ysasi put the team in and excellent position to score.
Six Fisher points were then insured by a Doherty touchdown reception, which was marred by an excessive celebration penalty.
Doherty attributed his success to the dominating play of the Fisher offensive line, giving them all the credit.
"Our offensive line played really well," Doherty said. "It was the first time our quarterback had time to throw."
Fisher's second touchdown was again provided by Doherty, but this time a 40-yard touchdown pass from Ysasi led to the score.
Zahm failed to piece together a productive offensive drive for the second straight week in a row, suffering another shutout and causing its record to fall to 0-3.
Siegfried 24, St. Ed's 12
Siegfried's offense surged during its matchup against St. Ed's on Sunday, rolling to a 24-12 victory and an a record of 2-0-1, while St. Ed's dropped to 0-3.
The Ramblers finally succeeded in pulling all their strengths together on offense, defense and special teams, and displayed an all-around solid performance.
"Today we put it all together," Rambler coach Jamie Bordas said.
A quick score by St. Ed's in the first quarter motivated Siegfried to get its offense fired up.
Rambler quarterback Tim Greene's pass to Nick Sciola from the 15-yard line was intercepted by Sciola and returned all the way for the score, frustrating the Rambler sideline and causing them to quickly strike back.
"On defense we were disappointed by the quick score," Bordas said.
Siegfried's next possession resulted in a score when the offensive line created huge holes for runningback Travis Smith who took the ball all the way from midfield in for a touchdown. Kicker Peter Aguiar then connected on the extra point, putting the Ramblers on top 7-6.
As the seconds ticked away in the first half, Aguiar put the Ramblers further ahead by sending a 47-yard field goal straight through the uprights. Aguiar had a perfect day, making three of three extra points and the long range field goal.
The Ramblers started right where they left off in the opening of the second half when a strong offensive drive ended in a rushing touchdown for runningback Smith.
"Travis Smith did a great job running the ball today," Bordas said.
Siegfried's offensive torrent continued in the fourth quarter when quarterback Rob Plumby connected with wide open freshman T.J. Fontana in the end zone for the touchdown.
Siegfried was at last able to see all its potential put into action as they reeled off 24 points — eight times as many points as they had scored all season.
"It was good to get some points on the board," Smith said. "It made the work pay off."
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, October 5, 1999
