Learning curve for Irish offence
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish senior football team is a work in progress as it looks for its sixth Niagara Catholic Athletic Association championship in the past seven years.
“We have some athletes but it depends whether they become football athletes,” Irish head coach Tim Bisci said. “We don’t look bad and I don’t think we are in a bad situation, it’s just guys have to play football and be athletic as opposed to just being athletic.”
Bisci agrees he is not as confident as in seasons past.
“Defensively we can be good because we have athletes who can play. Offensively, if the learning curve is there, I think we will be able to move the ball,” he said. “It is going to come down to what our quarterback play is like — we need better quarterback play this year — and we are going to be running back by committee. We have two or three guys who can run the ball and we are happy with that but we have to find one guy who can do it (in games).”
Last season, the Irish’s offence was too one-dimensional and never hit on all cylinders.
“I don’t think we were ever in sync. We could move the ball but we could never finish and that is unlike us in the last seven or eight years. We moved the ball, we finished, we busted big runs, we made big plays and we were able to drive the ball on seven-, eight- and 10-play drives,” Bisci said. “Last year we had those drives but we didn’t score and that is one of the big things we have to bear down on.”
All of the above happened as the rest of the league continued to get better.
“I say it every year that our league is good. We play against good teams and we beat each other up. It is tough and I am sure it will be the same again this year,” Bisci said. “There are athletes all over the place. Saint Francis has a good group and with Rick (Oreskovich) there, Saint Paul will be good and it moves from there.”
In order for the Fighting Irish to defend their title, a number of things will need to go right.
“Number 1, we have to play real good defence. We have been doing that and we have to continue that tradition. And on offence, we have to find guys who will make plays for us.”
Notre Dame lost a number of talented players on the line to graduation but there is a good core of graduating juniors and some 12B experience available.
“Every year is the same. You are begging for linemen and you hope you find them. I think we’ve got seven that can really play and if they can, I think we will be alright.”
Notre Dame’s offence will be lead by returning quarterback Ben Tsanoff and a running back committee headlined by Everett Hemauer and Benric Lanzer. Trent Groulx will lead the receiving corps.
Groulx will also play free safety for Notre Dame.
“Both sides of the ball he is just an athlete,” Bisci said of Groulx. “On defence, he is a ball-hawking player who goes after the ball and a lot of scouts have talked to him already. On offence, he is a go to guy. He catches the ball and he is a tough kid. He can block well and he does a lot of good things for us.”
The 17-year-old, Grade 12 student is a lot different player compared to his rookie season in 2023.
“I am way more mature this year and I feel that being a captain on this team is a big thing,” the 6-foot-2 165-pounder said. “I want to show the new guys that this team can go a long way.”
Last year, he was anything but confident on the field.
“At the start of the year, I was really nervous and I didn’t want to go in for reps and plays but the seniors made me comfortable in my own shoes. They showed me I could be myself and I want to do the same for this team. I feel 100 per cent comfortable this year.”
He has also improved his skills from a season ago.
“I worked all summer at it doing reps and all that and the whole team is looking really good for this season.”
He is happy to play wherever he is asked to by the coaches but prefers defence.
“It’s more of a free range for me. I get to see the plays and I like breaking down defence more.”
His goal is to play defence at the university level and is unsure whether he will return for 12B in 2025.
“I will see what happens and decide if I want to keep playing but there is a great coaching staff here and they have really shown me a lot. One more year would be awesome because I would learn the game even more.”
His goals for 2024 are straight forward.
“I just want to get better and make this team better,” he said. “I think we are going to have a great team this year. The young guys coming up are awesome, the old guys still here are awesome and the coaching staff we have is great. They always have our back.”
Groulx describes the long run of success the Irish has had as good pressure.
“The coaches know what they are doing and that goes a long way when they know what they are doing.”
Among the other key players for the Irish are: offensive lineman Peyton Stegner; defensive end Peyton Gaetano; lineman Luca Vaddichino; linebacker Quinten Hemauer; linebacker Cole Stewart; and, defensive back Wyatt Brown.
