Notre Dame downs McClintock to advance in 5A football playoffs

· Yahoo Sports

Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep Head Coach George Prelock had some concerns about whether his team would be rusty against McClintock on Friday, after the Saints went three weeks without a game.

Any such concerns were quickly put to rest in the Nov. 13 5A playoff game, as No. 3 seed Notre Dame (8-2) scored on its first drive then capitalized on Chargers' turnovers for a big second quarter en route to a 42-14 victory over No. 19 McClintock (8-4) in the second round of the 5A state playoffs at Scottsdale Notre Dame.

Visit turconews.click for more information.

The Saints last played on Oct. 23. Their Oct. 30 game against Desert Mountain was canceled due to weather and last week they had a first-round playoff bye.

Key plays

Early in the second quarter, with Notre Dame Prep leading 7-0, senior Matt Higby picked off a McClintock pass in Saints territory. That led to a four-yard touchdown run by Decker Haskins-Smith with 9 minutes left in the quarter to put his team ahead, 14-0. 

.oembed-frame {width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;border:0;}

Just 90 seconds later, the Notre Dame Prep defense picked off another McClintock pass. This time it was junior Austin Bush who got the takeaway, which led to Bush scoring a five-yard rushing touchdown. 

The two defensive takeaways set the table for a 21-point second quarter that put the game out of reach for McClintock. The two takeaways were also part of seven overall on the night. 

Key players

While Notre Dame Prep got key contributions from its defense, Haskins-Smith was a leader on offense. The senior had three touchdowns on the night, which included a two-yard rushing score that came with 8:21 left in the opening quarter, a four-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter, and another rushing touchdown that put the Saints ahead, 42-14, with 3:14 left in the contest. 

McClintock began to show signs of life late in the third quarter thanks to star Aidan Whitaker. The senior, who entered the game leading the Chargers with 17 touchdowns on the season, had an 11-yard touchdown pass to senior Jesus Otero to cut the Notre Dame Prep lead to 35-7. In the fourth quarter he had a seven-yard rushing touchdown to cut the Saints lead again, this time to 35-14. 

Quotes 

“We really just work every day and nothing at practice stops us. We’re always competing, we’re a tight team, and our defense is unstoppable.” - Notre Dame Prep senior Matt Higby on his team’s defense

“We were just prepared and our defense is always opportunistic. When they had the opportunity to go and get the ball, they did. When they had a strip they made sure that they jumped on it. So, I’m pretty proud of how our defense played tonight. Anytime they get seven turnovers it’s absolutely incredible.” - Notre Dame Prep Head Coach George Prelock on his team’s defense against McClintock. 

Up next

Notre Dame will host No. 11 Glendale Cactus on Nov. 20 in the 5A quarterfinals. The Cobras defeated No. 6 Desert View 22-20 on Nov. 13. The teams did not meet in the regular season.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Notre Dame downs McClintock to advance in 5A football playoffs

Read full story at source