The Notre Dame Irish put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. In a tight match that could have gone either way, they made off with a 35-34 win over Hopewell Valley Central. This was one game where the offenses had no trouble playing at a high level.
Despite the loss, Hopewell Valley Central still got an impressive performance from Ben DeCore, who rushed for 210 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.2 yards per carry.
Notre Dame's victory was their sixth straight at home (dating back to last season), bumping their overall record up to 9-0. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 2-9 Hamilton and 2-7 Ewing (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 38% over those games). As for Hopewell Valley Central, their loss dropped their record down to 7-2.
Notre Dame will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Paul VI at 7:00 p.m. on November 3rd. One thing working in Paul VI's favor is that they have now posted big point totals in their last three contests. As for Hopewell Valley Central, they will look to defend their home field on Thursday against Pinelands Regional at 6:30 p.m.
