Notre Dame grounds Falcons in quarterfinals

Notre Dame put the freeze on St. Thomas Aquinas on a chilly Friday night playoff matchup at Gardiner Memorial Stadium.
The Notre Dame defense iced down the Falcons offense and controlled field position for the Pios’ offense that rushed for 308 yards in a 42-7 Notre Dame win.
“I stressed all week and Coach Lew(Cook) kept telling me we are going to be all right,” noted Pios coach Lewis Cook with a little laugh after the game. “They played hard, and they got after us pretty good. I just thought it was a good overall effort and was proud of our guys.”
St. Thomas Aquinas took the opening kickoff and ran for 12 yard gains on each of the first two plays.
The Pios’ defense said that was enough for that series and pretty much the rest of the night.
Of their 11 possessions in the game, the Falcons crossed midfield twice. Once on a trick play and the other time on an onside kick to start the second half.
After forcing a punt, the Pios went for a quick score and QB Nick Swacker’s deep pass to Zach Lamm was just off the fingertips. On the next snap, Lucas Simon started left on a stretch sweep and got blocks from Luke Schultz, Brayden Broussard and Luke Bertrand that opened a running lane.
Simon took it the distance for a 70-yard TD run. He then added the point after for a 7-0 Pios lead.
“Lucas breaking that play was huge for us and really got us going,” added Cook. “We just hope he will be alright. He was injured later in the game, and it looks like he sprained something in his foot arch. It seems like we always get to St. Charles and are short handed in some way.”
On the next series, Alex Stevens chased the Falcons quarterback out of the pocket and caused a third down incompletion. Three plays and eight yards would be a familiar story on the game for STA possessions.
Jake Brouillette and Lucas Simon each rushed four times as the Pios marched 41 yards in eight plays. Simon got his second TD from five yards out and booted the PAT to make it 14-0.
Three plays later, STA tried to execute a middle screen and Alex Stevens was the beneficiary of a defensive lineman’s dream, intercepting the pass at the Falcons 25.
Thomas Meche got the handoff three times gaining nine and five yards and scoring on an 11 yard run up the middle with a quick left cut to avoid a tackler. Simon made it 21-0 with the point after.
“We knew they would have a hard time blocking us,” explained Cook. “It was really awesome to see how our defense controlled the field. We just hoped coming in we could keep from giving up any big plays.”
Those concerns were supported on the next series. St. Thomas Aquinas went to their trick play stash and came out lined up with a center, quarterback, and halfback in the middle of the field and four guys flanked out wide on either side. Falcons QB Drew Milton took the snap and threw backwards out to runningback Kendrell Perry. Receiver Case Reed streaked past a confused secondary and hauled in Perry’s pass for a 75 yard score.
Notre Dame responded with a nine play, 58 yard drive, highlighted by Nick Swacker passes of 39 yards to Luke Bertrand and 18 yards to Zach Lamm. The Pios came up short on fourth down from the nine and again on the next series failing to punch it in on fourth and goal from the two.
“It’s not hard to call offense and run plays when you get the ball in the middle of the field every time,” Coach Cook pointed out. “I was a little disappointed the two times we got down there and couldn’t finish, but we were there with the chance.”
The Pios defense continued to control play with an all-out rush on fourth down that caused a 12 yard punt. At the STA 30, Cook dipped back into the playbook for a pass that had worked earlier.
Zach Lamm came off the snap on a go route and turned back toward the line of scrimmage. QB Nick Swacker fired a pass for a 22 yard completion.
“It’s a comeback route where he gets the defender running down field and then breaks it off,” explained Coach Cook. “That’s what you are trying to have happen and Zach does it well in selling the play.”
Swacker went back to Lamm on the next play for am eight yard TD pass. The senior receiver had three catches for 48 yards on a night that saw the Pios so successful on the ground that they only attempted ten passes. Cameron Fuselier added the point after for a 28-7 Notre Dame halftime lead.
St. Thomas Aquinas went back into the trick bag with an unexpected onside kick to start the second half and recovered at the Pios 49 yard line. QB Drew Milton threw to Chase Daigle for 22 yards on first down. Milton then scrambled away from pressure by Luke Hoffpauir and Tripp Mixon for 24 yards and first and goal at the Pios three.
Enter the Notre Dame defensive front four. Standouts Alex Stevens, Jeremy Prevost, Karson Broussard, and Ross Miller put the stop on the Falcons. With a little help from linebacker Hudson Leblanc, STA was stopped three times trying to power in for the score.
On fourth down, QB Milton rolled out on a run pass option and was pressured by Broussard. His pass into the back of the end zone was off the mark.
“After the first two plays, the defense really dominated them,” Coach Cook added. “That one time they got down to the goal line and couldn’t punch it in says a lot for our defense.”
Prevost led the Pios with nine tackles, a sack and three tackles for loss. Miller had five stops with two for a loss and Stevens made four stops with a sack, two tackles for a loss and an interception. Davis Trisler was in on 7 tackles and Karson Broussard added three.
Aside from the trick play yardage, the Falcons gained just 90 yards on 36 plays. Notre Dame did not punt until there were six minutes left to play and coaches had called off the assault.
Notre Dame took over at the PIos four and RB Jake Brouillette got the offense out of the hole with a ten yard run up the middle. On the next play, Brouillette followed the same path behind blockers and dragging a tackler with him downfield somehow found a way to break loose and race for an 86 yard touchdown run.
Brouillette led the Pios with 142 yards on 13 carries. The ND offensive line sparked a ground game that averaged 8.1 yards a carry.
“They have grown up a whole lot and they battle every play out there,” Cook noted about his offensive line. “We are without Christian Breaux who played the first eight games, and we have sophomore Luke Schultz out there. We now have another week to bring them all along a little further.”
Notre Dame added another score with Thomas Meche carrying from one yard out for his second TD of the night. Cameron Fusilier added the PAT for the final 42-7 score.
Notre Dame will prep this week for another semifinal pairing against St. Charles Catholic. It’s another familiar Friday after Thanksgiving game.
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Coach Lewis Cook concluded. “We live for another week and that’s all you can do. I think it will be a defensive game and I know our guys will give their all. Hopefully, we will get this one. Our guys will be ready to go and it’s time for us to get one.”