Notre Dame grinds up Marysville to gain date with top-ranked Marine City

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

PONTIAC — The perfect season will continue and waiting in the wings is another perfect team.

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep opened up the Division 4 postseason with a resounding 47-13 victory Saturday night over visiting Marysville. The Fighting Irish set up a date with fellow state-ranked Marine City next weekend in a battle of unbeatens for the district championship.

Marine City (10-0) is the top-ranked team in D-4, while Notre Dame Prep is ranked sixth. The Mariners defeated Notre Dame 28-14 in a pre-district contest two years ago.

Notre Dame (10-0) never trailed against Marysville, leading 14-7 at the half before opening up the game with a 33-6 second half. The Fighting Irish outgained Marysville, 501-221, in the contest.

Senior quarterback Danny Durkin finished 10-for-13 passing for 183 yards with two touchdown passes while he added 150 rushing yards on seven carries and two more scores. Jacob Romeo had 16 rushes for 99 yards and Troy Sassack added 127 receiving yards on just four catches and two touchdown catches in the route.

“We knew we had some perimeter players that they would have a tough time matching up with. It was just a matter of getting through the rain and running the football through that,” said Notre Dame Prep coach Kyle Zimmerman. “We took advantage of them in some spots later on in the game. Defense carried us (for a lot of the second half). We kept him off the scoreboard and allowed us to get some good field position.”

Notre Dame Prep forced Marysville into four turnovers. Except for two drives, Marysville quarterback Jake Mineau was relatively ineffective. Mineau finished with 137 yards on 27 carries. He was only 2-for-15 passing for 38 yards and two picks.

Notre Dame Prep went ahead 14-7 with 10:20 left in the second quarter, this time with Durkin racing around right on a 22-yard keeper for pay dirt. The rains came after that point and the final six possessions of the half, three for each team, were stalled out.

Notre Dame Prep outgained Marysville, 208-90, in the first half.

In the second half, Notre Dame Prep’s offense was a constant machine, while the defense forced three turnovers.

The Irish struck again on their opening drive of the third quarter, this time with Durkin going to the air with a 4-yard scoring toss to Romeo and a 20-7 lead.

Mineau countered for Marysville with a 26-yard TD sprint with 3:02 left in the third quarter, which trimmed the deficit to 20-13. That was the last threat the Vikings could muster.

The Fighting Irish scored one more time in the third quarter, this time on Durkin’s 20-yard fade pass to Patrick Bartoli.

In the fourth quarter, Marysville was even stopped on the Irish 1, thanks to a goal-line stand on one play and a 15-yard penalty the next. The drive eventually ended with an interception by NDP’s Vinny Famularo.

Notre Dame Prep’s David Terzano recovered a loose ball in the end zone after a bad snap on a punt sailed down to the goal line. That came with 11:45 to play and gave the Irish a 34-13 cushion.

Notre Dame Prep scored two more times, including Sassack’s 99-yard catch off a throw down the middle from Durkin, which is a school record for longest touchdown pass.

The final TD came from Michael Broderick on a 1-yard run.

“We played some outstanding defense,” added Zimmerman.

The Fighting Irish forced Marysville to punt on its first drive, and on thier first possession, took only seven plays to go 98 yards. Dan Durkin scampered 74 yards for the score.

Marysville answered right back with a nine-play 65-yard drive where Brandon Stevenson scored on a 1-yard plunge with 1:16 left in the opening quarter.

Notre Dame Prep has now won 14 straight games dating back to last season, when the Irish started 0-5 but closed with four straight wins.

“I think its combination of a lot of things,” offered Sassack of Notre Dame Prep’s grand turnaround in the past year. “The chemistry, the bond that we have — it’s unreal with how far we’ve come. All of the workouts in the summer, everything. It’s all coming together now. It’s paying off.”

The Irish have their work cut out for them with a road game against unbeaten Marine City.

“You have to play defense. You have to read the keys” said Zimmerman of playing top-ranked Marine City. “You can’t be mesmerized by the smoke from the cannon. You just have to go play football. (Marine City) just plays great football. That’s what we try to do here.”

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Tags: football, high school football, Marysville Football, MHSAA Division 4 Football District, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep Football, prep football

Category: High School, High School (M-Z), Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, Prep Wraps