The Silverdale Baptist Academy football team's up-tempo, run-heavy attack found a rhythm in the second half Friday night and sparked the Seahawks to a 31-13 win at Notre Dame in the Division II-AA East Region opener for both teams.
After producing only a field goal in the first two quarters, Silverdale's offense racked up 242 yards in the second half.
"We've been trying to teach our guys that they're going to have to earn everything they get. They're starting to realize that and they're wanting to earn some respect," said first-year Seahawks coach Mike Connor, whose team improved to 2-1. "Our stonecutters on the offensive line kept pounding and pounding all game until things eventually broke for us."
Both offenses started sluggish with three-and-out series until the Fighting Irish (1-1) worked their way downfield before Bennett Brinson spun a 36-yard pass into the hands of Charlie Menham for the game's first score.
Both defenses held strong late in each of the first two quarters until Brinson found loads of running room on multiple draw plays. Leading 7-3 with less than two minutes until halftime, Brinson found George Fillauer on a 28-yard fade pass to Silverdale's 1-yard line. Then, after being sacked, Brinson scrambled to his left and threw a passed that was intercepted by the Seahawks' Cameron Mullins, ending the half.
"We had too many opportunities to take control of this game; that interception late in the first half was just one of them," Notre Dame coach Charles Fant said. "Too many mistakes with no execution. We were making some plays to have good sustained drives, but then we'd have that penalty or turnover to push us back."
The Irish coughed up the ball on their first two possessions of the second half via two sack fumbles. After the second, Silverdale took its first lead with a 27-yard touchdown pass from Turner Junkins to receiver Noah Bowen.
The Irish regained the lead on their next drive late in the third quarter with a 1-yard plunge from running back Khalil Spence after a long series, but two touchdown runs from Silverdale's Connor Delashmitt and another touchdown toss from Junkins late in the game sealed the visitors' win.
"You don't rise to the moment, you rise to the level of training," Coach Connor said. "We've tried to put our kids in every possible scenario, and tonight they rose up because of that training."
Delashmitt had a game-best 152 yards and two touchdowns on the ground on 34 carries. Junkins went 7-for-16 through the air for 134 yards and two touchdowns.
Contact John Mitchell at sports@timesfreepress.com.