The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
NDCL gets big victory on the road
Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin walked proudly into the night down a service road Sept. 28 after an NCL Blue Division clash at Padua.
With the Parma police officer leading the contingent, it seemed like a parade.
Given the pomp and circumstance that had just occurred, it was essentially the start of a parade, all the way from State Road back to Munson Township.
Nick Gattozzi accounted for four touchdowns, Jack Robinson rushed for 260 yards in a breakout performance and NDCL emerged with a 35-21 win to improve to 6-0 this fall.
“I knew we were going to be in a dogfight,” Lions coach Andrew Mooney said. “Winning by 14 points is a close game in this game. With the two offenses that are in this fight, that was a close game. That was a very close game against a very good Padua team. I am very proud of our guys for getting that done.”
Tied at 14 to start the second half, the Bruins (4-2) faced a fourth-and-3 at their own 47. Zach Urda read a direct snap to Jerome Shaw-Mason and stopped him for no gain – a play that felt big and took on added significance as NDCL took control.
“That was ridiculously important,” Robinson said. “They could have driven, scored and taken the lead on that drive. They gave us the ball right back to us, and we scored off that possession. That was the key point to the game I think.”
Ultimately, the Lions scored on their next three possession to surge to a 3514 advantage.
After the fake punt, Gattozzi connected with David Martin Kosier for a 34yard TD.
NDCL forced a punt, and Gattozzi delivered a masterful read, lane exploitation and 85-yard scoring jaunt to go up, 2814.
Gattozzi, the Lions’ standout senior signalcaller, found Kosier again on a slant for a 40-yard TD strike and a 35-14 advantage.
“Going into halftime, we knew we had to change something,” Gattozzi said. “Our mental state just wasn’t as high as we would like it to be. And coming out, we knew that we just had to punch them in the mouth.
“(On the 85-yard TD run,) some good blocking ... that’s what I saw. I mean, that was just it. It was good blocking in the open field. I just run the ball, and the guys just set it up for me. It’s not that hard. But the guys up front do a really good job.”
Padua made it interesting early in the fourth, capping a 13-play march with Jaxon French’s three-yard TD pass to Daniel Peterson.
But that wound up being the last scoring play, as the Lions forced a punt and took over on downs after Padua fumbled on a fourth-down play at the NDCL 3 with a little more than three minutes left.
The Lions rode Robinson late, who ground out chunks of yardage, especially after first contact. The junior had an early 47-yard TD run and recorded 10 runs of 10 yards or more.
“I really appreciate that (responsibility) from the coaching staff that they have the trust in me,” Robinson said.
“The line was great the entire game. There were holes to run through, and I am very appreciate that I’m given the opportunity to run the ball.”
Gattozzi had 12 carries for 138 yards and a pair of rushing scores and threw for 128 yards and the TD strikes to Kosier.
NDCL has now won five straight against Padua, a signature road win that felt had a parade feel for the visitors at the end.
“This just gives us confidence,” Gattozzi said. “Usually, we play these guys at the end of the season. Getting them the first week of NCL is great, because we know they’re a tough opponent.
“Getting this win is huge for us confidencewise. And we’re looking forward to bringing it into Week 7, 8, 9, 10, and possible in the playoffs.”