Football: Week 3 Preview for Lawrence, Notre Dame

After two weeks, the Notre Dame High School and Lawrence High School varsity football teams are still headed in opposite directions: the Irish are still undefeated at 2-0 and the Cardinals are still looking for their first victory. 

Tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 24), Notre Dame will play against Utah’s Jordan High School as part of the XFINITY High School Football Challenge at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. Lawrence, meanwhile, hosts Steinert at 11 a.m. tomorrow.  

Notre Dame (2-0)

After blowing away the competition in their last two games, this weekend should be a much tougher test for the Irish. Not only will they battle a team that is a three-time Utah state champion, they will be faced with the challenges posed by traveling across the country for the game. 

"We can't worry about things like that and as of now I know nothing about that team," Notre Dame coach Chappy Moore said. "We just have to concentrate on playing good football and everything will handle itself."

Everything has gone smoothly thus far this season for the Irish, as they've easily defeated their opponents, dominating on both sides of the ball. The Irish have scored early and often, running a very balanced offense.

"We've done a good job of spreading the ball around and when it comes to passing or rushing the ball both have been very successful," Moore said. 

On the defensive side of the ball, Notre Dame has only conceded six points this season, including a stretch of seven straight quarters where they shutout their opponents. 

Notre Dame was invited to play in Utah due to an alumni connection, as a former Notre Dame student and her husband are involved in the management of Rio Tinto Stadium and wanted to open the stadium up to more events.

"It's been more known as a soccer stadium, but they're doing a good job making it a multipurpose venue," Moore said. "They've put together some nice events for us – we'll have a banquet, do some sightseeing and then play a big game on Saturday."

Lawrence (0-2)

For the Cardinals, the search for a win continues when they host Steinert, a team that is 1-1 on the season and is coming off a 20-13 victory against Rancocas Valley.

The Cardinals improved last week and coach Rob Radice has been impressed with how his team has performed in practice the last two weeks. 

"We're just working towards the next step," Radice said. "I think our young guys have stepped up and matured. They seem just on the edge of being a really good team now."

While Lawrence has been improving, Radice is weary of Steinert, a team that has looked impressive this season. 

"They're a good team, they throw the ball around and I expect them to be a tough team," Radice said. "We'll certainly have our work cut out for us."