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ROME, New York - CLASH OF CLASS D TITANS AS DOGS AND JUGGLERS HOOK UP
WESTMORELAND VS. NOTRE DAME EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE RIGHT HERE!

FRED MILLER
MHTS

Football
Posted Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:11:10 CT


ROME, New York - FRIDAY 10/30

Westmoreland(8-0)#1 SEED VS NOTRE DAME (7-1) #2 SEED

Pre-game 4:40PM Kickoff 5:00PM

Announcers: Vinny Spadafora and John Theall

TALE OF THE TAPE:

Westmoreland: (8-0)

Schedule
Date Loc Opponent Score
9/19 @ Catholic 59-0 (W)
9/26 vs. Morrisville-Eaton 54-0 (W)
10/2 @ Hamilton 50-0 (W)
10/10 vs. Waterville 42-12 (W)
10/17 @ West Canada Valley 66-0 (W)
10/24 vs. Dolgeville 25-6(w)
10/30 vs. Notre Dame @ RFA

Notre Dame (7-1)

Schedule
Date Loc Opponent Score
9/25 vs. Little Falls 21-20 (W)
10/2 @ South Lewis 32-18 (W)
10/10 @ West Canada Valley 40-14 (W)
10/16 vs. Oriskany 42-0 (W)
10/24 vs. Waterville 26-0 (W)
10/30 vs. Westmoreland Pregame

Last weekend's game stories:

NOTRE DAME 26 WATERVILLE 0

TOM GIGLIO STARS AS NOTRE DAME REACHES CLASS D SEMIFINALS

Did you ever wake up in the morning and just have that feeling? You know, the shower water feels great, your breakfast cereal is extra crunchy, and you just leave the house feeling like a super hero. Ever have one of those mornings? I bet Tom Giglio, Notre Dame High School's Mr. Versatility 2009 award winner, did.

The odds are pretty good that Tom's coach, Byron Abraham, will make sure his sensational senior does it the same way all week long, as #5 and the rest of his white-hot Notre Dame teammates prepare for a heavyweight rematch with the state's #1 ranked Westmoreland Bulldogs in the Class D South/East Conference Semifinal.

The two state ranked squads, ND is #13, both cruised to quarterfinal wins on a rainy, late fall, Saturday afternoon. Wins that were eerily similar in style and substance, as well. As we kept up with the Bulldogs via text messages with our Stream Team crew in Westmoreland, the numbers and tone of both games held a similar pattern.

After all, 25-6 and 26-0 are pretty close right? After all, both defenses dominated their opponents right? Right!

The mighty Bulldogs, clad in green, mud stained uniforms held a pretty good Dolgeville Blue Devil offense to just 148 yards of soggy real estate. Notre Dame's riled up defense forced five Indian turnovers and never allowed the purple and white one trip inside its redzone.
Amazing how things worked out, as both games kicked off at the same time and ended within minutes of each other. Next Saturday can't get here soon enough.

As fans of both teams know, Notre Dame has reeled off a lucky #7 wins since a season-opening 44-14 loss to Westmo, back on September 4th.

A lot has changed since that battle. Westmoreland is better and that is just scary and Notre Dame is better, a lot better, and that should scare the Dogs. Can you scare the dogs?

Back to Tom Giglio. Super Tom had a month's worth of big plays in just one game, as Notre Dame dispatched Waterville and left them feeling all wet, after they fell 26-0 to the #2 seeded Jugglers.

Waterville was also its own worst enemy as the offense sputtered all game long, despite excellent field position when the game mattered early.


Waterville's defense led by #72 Brett Sutton, who can suit up for my team any day, did a good job keeping UND's offense and QB Tom Appleton in check and kept coach Jerry Corigliano coaching his team hard until the final horn sounded.

They also did a great job corralling explosive running back Colin Hulser and linebacker Ross Rashford and his fellow backers keyed on Colin all day.

So back to Tom Giglio, I can just hear him at his twenty year reunion. "Hey guys, hey coach Abraham, Byron will be old then, do you remember that day back in '09 when I...."

When I rushed for 97 yards and a 9 yard TD scamper...When I picked one off and raced 62 yards to the house with a pick 6... When I picked another one off to stop a drive...When I returned a punt 68 yards for a score on a play I wasn't supposed to be on the field on... When I ran over, around and through the Waterville defense on the way to the endzone...When I scored three Td's. That's the day I'm talking about guys... you remember that day, right?

Football is a team sport and Giglio had plenty of help from players like Mike Gaglianese, who scored Notre Dame's first touchdown on a 16 yard bust up the gut, following an offensive line that gets better every time out.

That unit deserves some credit. So give credit to center Sean Hulser, left tackle Ted Kondzielawa, left guard Nick Allen, right tackle Neil Maxwell and left guard Jake Livingston, who all played well.

Speaking of Kondzielawa, the senior also recovered an early fumble that helped set up the Jugglers first scoring drive, capped off by Mike Gagliense's TD scamper.

Speaking of playing well, senior Jake Livingston led the way with 12 tackles and Matt Smith had a pick of his own for his Alma Mater.

Tom Appleton threw for 66 yards and was 5 of 8 in the air on a day when it was better to run, and run the Jugglers did all the way to a rematch with the big, bad Bulldogs. Should be a good one sports fans. Class D East Champs (ND) against Class D South Champs (Westmo).

Notre Dame (7-1) 26 Waterville (5-3) 0


1 2 3 4 Total

Waterville 0 0 0 0 0

Notre Dame 0 12 7 7 26

WESTMORELAND 25 DOLGEVILLE 6

The Westmoreland Bulldogs, New York State's #1 ranked Class "D" Football Team, hasn't lost a game this season. Entering today's Section III South/East Conference Semi-Final game against Dolgeville (6-1), Westmoreland hadn't even been tested this season, defeating their opponents by an average of 33 points per game on their way to a perfect (7-0) record.

Dolgeville's lone loss, a 12-6 decision to Utica Notre Dame, on the second week of the season has been rolling the last 5 games itself, going undefeated in that time and vaulting to a #15 State ranking. It was a meeting of defending champs, Westmoreland Class C and Dolgeville Class D, and something had to give.

Mother nature would definitely play a role in the outcome of this one, as monsoon conditions poured down on the "dog pound", as these two clubs took the field.

The first quarter saw both teams try to stick with the ground game. Both defenses played the run perfectly and didn't give an inch in the trenches. The first quarter would come to a close with neither team mounting a serious scoring threat.

For the first time this season, the Westmoreland Bulldogs were held without a point in the first quarter and for the hundreds of Dolgeville fans who made the trip with their Blue Devils, an upset was within reach.

The second quarter saw the rain slow to a drizzle and Westmoreland Head Coach Tim Gates switch from the ground to the air on offense.

The Bulldogs second possession of the second quarter was led by quarterback Dan Smith, who connected on 17 and 14 yard passes to set the home team up at the Dolgeville 4 yard line.

On the second play from scrimmage, Westmo's Christian Deroche punched it in for a touchdown. The extra point by Kevin Eisnor was good and the Bulldogs took a 7-0 lead with 4:23 to go in the first half.

As has been the case all season, teams playing Westmoreland seem to fold up their tents when the Bulldogs get their first advantage. The fact that the vaunted Dog's defense held the Blue Devils to 148 yards of total offense didn't hurt either.

Not so with Dolgeville today. Blue Devils quarterback Zach Goyette efficiently moved the visitors down the field and into Westmoreland's red-zone. With 1:03 remaining in the first half, Dolgeville had the ball first and 10 from the Westmoreland 11 yard line.

The Blue Devils had five chances to score, as time wound down in the half, but the Bulldogs defense stood tall and sacked Goyette on 4th and 10 from the 6 yard line as time expired in the half.

Leading 7-0, Westmoreland took the second half kickoff and went 11 plays, grinding out 68 yards and taking 3 minutes and 12 seconds off the clock, culminating in a 2 yard quarterback keeper by Dan Smith to put the home team up 13-0. The extra point was blocked.

After a three and out by Dolgeville on their next possession, Westmoreland took over at their own 38 yard line. Five plays later, Dan Smith hit Christian Deroche with a 4 yard touchdown pass to put Westmoreland up 19-0 with 3:47 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

The two point conversion failed. Dolgeville was unable to mount any more offense in the third quarter and that's the way we'd head to the fourth.

After trading punts, Westmoreland put their second possession of the fourth quarter to good use. On third and four from his own 48 yard line, Dan Smith hit a streaking Justin Becker on a 52 yard touchdown pass to give Westmoreland a 25-0 lead with 11:01 to go in the game.

A team like Dolgeville doesn't find itself down by 25 points in many centuries and this Blue Devil team didn't quit today, despite the reading on the scoreboard.

Dolgeville's Alex Snyder returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a Blue Devil touchdown. The two point conversion failed and the Devils pulled within 25-6 with 10:43 remaining.

Neither team was able to get any significant scoring threat together after that and the Bulldogs walled off the muddy field with a 25-6 playoff win over a very tough Dolgeville team.

Westmoreland improved to (8-0) and will face Utica Notre Dame (7-1), 26-0 winners over Waterville today, next Saturday and site to be determined. Dolgeville ends its season at (7-2).

Dan Smith finished the day 12 of 19 passing for 245 yards and 2 touchdowns. Smith also ran for a score and tallied 67 yards on the ground. Christian Deroche finished with 59 all purpose yards and two touchdowns on the afternoon.

Dolgeville's Zach Goyette led his team with 7 carries for 31 yards and passed for 54 yards, completing 7 of 20 attempts.

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