Hailing from extreme sides of campus, Knott and Carroll are preparing for what could prove to be an exciting game on Sunday at Riehle field.
"These are two totally different football teams," Carroll captain Kory Wilmot said.
And they come to the field with two different goals.
Carroll posts a 2-1 record with a loss only to Zahm in the first game of the season.
The team hopes to advance its standings for the playoffs, this being its final game of the regular season. Knott, on the other hand, is looking for at least one win this season. Having lost both of its games this year, Knott is more focused on securing at least one victory.
"Carroll has obviously had more success than we have so far this year, so they are probably the favorites on Sunday, but we are going to go out and give it our best shot," Knott captain Dan Gray said.
Carroll hopes to continue utilizing its passing offense, which, besides its first game, has proved successful.
The squad came away with a six-point victory against Siegfried and a 28-point blowout against Fisher last week. Ironically, the two teams that Carroll has beaten are the two that defeated Knott.
Carroll wants to chance to prove its skill.
"[We want to take] another opportunity to show everyone that we are as good as any team in interhall," Wilmot said.
And each team seems confident in the improvements it has made so far this season.
Even though Knott comes into the game on Sunday as the underdog, Gray is optimistic.
"We've made some improvements in the last two weeks and hopefully we can translate them into a win," he said.
Fisher vs. Sorin
The Sorin Otters (1-2) will take on the Green Wave of Fisher Hall (1-1) Sunday in a Blue League contest that has playoff implications for both squads. Sorin would be out if it loses. If Fisher loses, they are essentially out of the playoffs, barring a miraculous series of events in the final set of games that would get them in due to a technicality.
Sorin is looking to jump-start an offense that has only one touchdown in three games. The Otters feature Stu Mora at quarterback and Pat Lopez at running back.
"We're trying to make the offense a little more productive," Sorin captain Pete Lavorini said. "Hopefully, the defense will play as tough as it always has and our offense can live up to its potential."
The defense thus far has one shutout and has given up a combined 22 points in Sorin's two losses. Lavorini said his team understands how crucial it is to win this game, but it doesn't feel any added pressure.
"We're just going to go out and play our best," he said.
Fisher opened its season with a 6-0 win over Knott and is looking to avenge a 28-0 defeat last week at the hands of Carroll. On offense, Fisher features sophomore Patrick Gotebeski at quarterback and running back Tom Sullivan.
"This week at practice we focused on fundamentals and we feel ready to go," Gotebeski said.
On defense, Fisher hopes to fix a pass defense that surrendered four touchdown passes last week to Carroll. The Green Wave features the tough linebacking corps of Andrew Lorenz, Tommy Bufalino and Mike Bufalino.
The game will be held at 3 p.m. on Riehle North Field.
Siegfried vs. St. Ed's
Siegfried (2-1) looks to end its regular season by clinching a playoff berth against St. Ed's (0-2) this Sunday at 2 p.m. With a win, Siegfried will punch its ticket for the playoff, while another loss leaves its destiny hinging on the result of other games. At 0-2, St Ed's playoff ambitions are on life support - the Stedsmen need a win and help from others to have a chance.
Siegfried will depend on its juggernaut defense to carry it Sunday, as it has all year.
Throughout its offensive troubles, Siegfried has forced turnovers and made defensive scores to carry it to the brink of a playoff berth.
Siegfried's offense has managed only one touchdown all season, and has gotten just as many points this year from kicker Pablo Diaz as it has from offensive skill players. The squad is hoping that it can work out its difficulties against St. Ed's defense before moving on to the playoffs.
The St. Ed's defense desperately needs to forget the 29-0 razing it received at the hands of Zahm and return to more consistent play.
After holding Sorin to one touchdown, the Stedsmen got torched by Zahm's rushing attack, giving up big plays by the fistful. Adding to the issues that the Stedsmen have is the fact that they have yet to put any points on the board yet this season.
After a sloppy close loss to Sorin and a drubbing at the hands of Zahm, a season that started with playoff ambitions is now in danger of being effectively ended.
If the Stedsmen want to play after fall break, they will need to overcome a powerful Siegfried defense.
