Defense stellar as Bartlett shuts out Notre Dame

Although it's stating the obvious, Niles Notre Dame football coach Mike Hennessey encapsulated Friday's night nonconference game between visiting Bartlett and the Dons pretty well.

"You can't win games if you don't score points," Hennessey said.

And the Dons (1-1) didn't score as the Hawks' (1-1) defense got the shutout allowing Alex Triantos' 21-yard field goal with 38.2 seconds left in the first half to hold up in a 3-0 victory.

"Anytime you get a shutout against a Catholic League team with a coach like Hennessey, that's a feather in your cap," Hawks coach Tom Meaney said.

From the Dons' 38-yard line with 14 seconds left in the game, Cory Krolikowski made one of Bartlett's many big defensive plays getting past the Dons' front line to strip Notre Dame quarterback Tyler Tsagalis as he was getting ready to pass. The Dons did recover the fumble, but the clock ran out allowing the Hawks to bounce back from a 17-7 loss against Huntley in Week 1.

"That felt great," Krolikowski said. "Coming back from Huntley, our defense played great and our running backs did a great job."

For the second week, the Hawks' offense moved the ball well all game but did not find the end zone.

However, a big difference came in how the Hawks got those yards. Bartlett QB Jordan Flint passed for 384 yards last week, but this week he went 7-for-10 for 46 yards and was intercepted once by Jimmy Finneke.

This week, Bartlett gained 241 yards on the ground which helped keep the clock running in the second half. Kyle Sanft was a key member of the O-line which helped create holes for that yardage.

"It's all about getting the first step," Sanft said. "We were able to get that first step to move their guys out of the way."

Nolan Bernat led that rushing effort with a huge game carrying the ball 36 times for 203 yards. He broke a 30-yard run on fourth-and-2 to keep the Hawks' second quarter scoring drive alive.

"I feel like our offense has been clicking through both games," Bernat said. "We're working very hard, but we need to focus on that touchdown thing."

Bartlett's defense allowed 143 yards with a big game from middle linebacker Daniel Danek, and an interception from Cameron Mays.

Tsagalis went 11-for-27 for 88 yards passing, and he ran for 47 yards to lead the Dons.