Fisher kicker Daniel Manaas just took it like any other kick, only this kick was to determine whether the Green Wave would come away with its third victory of the season or settle for a tie. With the score deadlocked at 3-3 and 10 seconds remaining on the clock in Sunday's match between Fisher and Knott, Manaas lined up for the kick. The ball was spotted on the 21-yard line, making it a 38-yard field goal attempt. The snap was perfect, and Manaas hammered a line drive kick just over the bottom of the uprights to guarantee a Fisher victory at 6-3.
This was the second of two field goals that he had on the day.
"I didn't think any extra about the kick. I've had great blocking all year by the line and the holder does a great job. I just go out there and have a lot of fun," Manaas said of the final kick.
Freshman quarterback Patrick Gotebeski led the drive that ended in Fisher's game-winning field goal. He drove the Green Wave from its own 34 to the 21-yard line of Knott in a little over four minutes. On the final drive he completed 4-of-5 passes for 25 yards and rushed for 18 yards. The most crucial play of the drive came on a 3rd-and-5. Gotebeski juked up the middle for a seven-yard gain and a first down.
"The offensive line was doing a great job blocking all game," Gotebeski said.
"They were opening up holes so that we could rush it up the middle. We were just working for field position, hitting those short routes."
Fisher got on the board first after a 43-yard field goal by Manaas early in the second quarter. The drive that led to this kick almost did not happen as a Knott cornerback intercepted the ball a little past mid-field. But a roughing the passer call negated this interception.
Knott scored on its next possession on a lengthy drive engineered by quarterback Justin Gillett. He went 4-for-8 with 30 passing yards to propel the Juggs to Fisher's 23-yard line. The Juggs were aided by a 15-yard roughing the passer call on 2nd-and-long to push the ball into Fisher territory. A 40-yard Knott field goal tied the game at three, the way the game would stay until the final minutes.
The Fisher defense slowed up a Knott offense coming off a 28-point victory last week. Knott was hindered by the absence of sophomore running back Justin Lyons due to a separated shoulder. The Juggs could not get anything going on the ground, forcing Gillett to go in the air most of the game.
Next week Knott will take on Sorin. Fisher will go head-to-head in a match-up of undefeated teams with the Vermin of Carroll.
Zahm 14, Sorin 7
They ran, they ran again and then they ran some more, and on the way, the Rabid Bats picked up a much-deserved win over the Otters of Sorin.
The Zahm offensive scheme was so run-oriented that quarterback Sean Wieland only attempted five passes the entire game, not completing one until late in the fourth quarter. Wieland was intercepted once, but this occurred on a long fourth down pass, turning the interception into a rather lengthy punt, which pinned Sorin at its own 1-yard line.
The Rabid Bats ran right from the get-go, with Corey Brisee taking the first two carries for a combined 32 yards and John Souder taking the ball 33 yards for a touchdown on the game's third play.
Sorin's first drive showed signs of a well-balanced offense, as the Otters combined running play to both sides of the field with short pass attempts and finally maneuvered their way into the end zone to tie the score.
At this point, it appeared as though defense would be nonexistent throughout the contest. But the Rabid Bats defense rebounded from what surely was a disappointing performance on the first drive to keep the Otters from scoring again. Sorin fumbled three times in Otter territory, two of which were recovered by Zahm.
Zahm also had some help from the Sorin offense, which looked desperate on its subsequent possessions, attempting two inconsequential reverses and a failed halfback pass. Sorin was more successful with regards to the passing attack, as quarterback Collin O'Keefe completed 5-of-13 attempts for over 70 yards. The rushing numbers, however, were so stacked in Zahm's favor as to render this meaningless.
Using four different backs, the Rabid Bats combined for 200 yards rushing. Both of their scores came on the ground. The game-winning score was a breathtaking 70-yard run by Brisee, which featured multiple broken tackles. In total, Brisee rushed for over 130 yards in the victory.
Carroll 14, St. Edward's 0
Carroll is now a legitimate contender.
After pummeling St. Edward's Sunday afternoon there is no doubt that Carroll is for real.
"It was really nice to get in there and show them we're here to play. Carroll is not a push-over," freshman defensive lineman Karl Liebenauer said.
Two standouts for Carroll were quarterback and captain Kory Wilmot and freshman running back Jimmy Buffi. Wilmot completed 5-of-11 passes, gaining 65 yards. He also rushed for 48 yards and scored one touchdown. Buffi had 11 carries including one touchdown.
Buffi was a menace on the field, the Stedsmen couldn't get a good handle on him all game.
"I gotta give credit to the offensive-line. They opened up big holes and I just ran through. It was a great feeling," Buffi said.
St. Ed's offense and defense were both lackluster. The offense earned only 55 yards, much of which occurred near the end of the game. Quarterback John Brewis had a rough time as well, throwing only 3-for-8 and giving up two interceptions to Matt Wormington and John Tira.
On defense the Stedsmen may have only given up two touchdowns, but the score was much closer than the game as they gave up eight first downs.
Between Brewis' two interceptions and three sacks there are very few positives that St. Ed's can pull out of this game. The Stedsmen quarterback was sacked twice by Vermin defensive linemen Karl Libenauer and once by James Guier. It was the persistent Carroll defense that destroyed Brewis' offense.
Despite his third loss of the season and still no victory, coach and captain Matt Weber remains positive.
"We played pretty well, they got a couple good drives together and beat us on those," Weber said. "We need to just go out there and keep playing."
The Vermin plan to infest the playoffs and prove to the league that they are truly a force to be reckoned with. And even for the smallest dorm on campus, Carroll can certainly pack a punch that will make teams run for cover.
"Two-and-oh is big. We didn't want a letdown after last week. We need our defense to keep showing up," captain Wilmot said.
