Football: Crespi's miracle ending

Here's the play that will live long in Encino Crespi lore. The Celts scored on the final play to beat Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 34-28.

-- Eric Sondheimer

 

Comments

[Arnie Moore]

From an ND POV this year has been more than different, having a 2-8 record.
ND came out and played their best football of the year (I'll wager that Crespi fans would say their Celts played their worst half of the season having heard all of it from the vositor sidelines), leading 28-7 at the half, and the Crespi score was on one long play. Other than that, ND's offense and defense were playing the best they had all year.
3rd Q begins and ND can't move the ball, Crespi takes over and scores, 28-14.
Same results next time ND and Crespi exchange. 28-21.
4th Q...ND still shoots itself in foot with dropped passes and dropped potential interceptions (plays they made in the 1st half) and can't move the ball, but holds C scoreless.......until Crespi takes over at it's own 12 yd line with 5 min. remaining. They drive the field, to score with about 2 min left. They line up to kick tying extra point from the 3 yd line, but ND is called for Offside...ball now at 1 1/2 yd line, so Crespi decide to try to two (and probably the win), but CRESPI is flagged for Delay of Game, and so ball went to 7, from where they kicked to extra point........28-28, 2 min. remain.
Looks like overtime (which, considering the momentum, I'd think C would be favored), but if ND can move the ball to the C 30, they could take a shot at a winning field goal....but no.,...dropped passes and an ineffective running game (which had been just the opposite in the 1st half), and ND punts. With 17 seconds, Crespi has one last play, and score a long tackle-eluding run as time expired. Crespi didn't take the lead, the final lead, until there was no time left on the clock.
Someone else mentioned a game of two
distinct halves and I agree. What happens at half time? Adjustments by the coaching staff. If tha's so, kudos to Coach Mack and his crew. I've got to give credit to Caoch Rooney for that fun throw-back screen to Latheruas. Looking at the play head on, I had hopes it would score, but a C player had a good angle as well as the speed to hold it to a 1st down.
Wrong team won, but that was a GREAT game.
ND got a season-long lesson in humility. Teaching moments. They're great kids. I saw them grow. They'll be a lot better next year.
GO KNIGHTS

[redskins fan]

The 1983 Redskins did not win super bowl XVII. The 1982 Redskins won that one. The 1983 Redskins lost super bowl XVIII to the LA RAIDERS 38-9. Laufenberg was a rookie on the latter. He was not a member of any winning super bowl team. Greg, get your facts straight.

[Matt Wuliger]

CRESPI VS NOTRE DAME HIGHLIGHTS PROVIDED WITH LINK INCLUDES WINNING PLAY. ENJOY

[Greg]

Babe Laufenberg was a member of the 1983 Washington Redskins that won Super Bowl XVII. He was also the starting QB for the Chargers in 1988 against the LA Raiders on one of the hottest days an NFL game was played. It was 108 at kickoff.

[max meredith]

This was painful to watch sitting on the ND side, as was most of the season.
Almost all of the ND team will be back next year with alot to make up for. This was indeed a learning endeaver and will ultimately make a much better team in the coming season.
Watch out for the Knights in 2011.

[Mo Fighter]

Great game - phenomenal finish. Obviously the wankers compaining about the officials have never played the game and/or are blinded by their bitterness. The refs are part of the game - win with, without, or inspite of them, the weather, whatever.

What they should be frustrated with is pissing away a 28-7 lead and letting Crespi get in a position where they could win the game on a single play (how about runing out the clock on the series prior?).

As for the play itself, the Celts had blockers hustling down the field (watch the quarterback get up off the ground, run 35 yds down field and chip #41 - who also got up after being decleated - to free up Mike for the last cut prior to the lateral). Bottom line, Celts never gave up and delivered, ND just didn't/couldn't stop Crespi...Into the history books where it can never be taken away...

[escalante]

his rookie season they got crushed by the raiders in '84 super bowl('83 season)

[escalante]

greg,
back to laufenberg; he never won a super bowl ring. the'88 super bowl{'87 season } 3QB'S for skins: d. williams, schroeder, mark rypien. never on a super bowl roster. what's up w/the bogus info?

[Shane]

I must say it did look like pop warner all over again, but it was a win. Kenny did an excellent job staying up and finding Mike to pitch the ball to. Mike is small enough to get pass the players to be able to pitch the ball to Terry. Terry had momentum enough to get to the finish line. Now let’s keep pushing forward. Looking forward to a win on Thursday!!! Celt Pride.....

[Crespi alum]

Hahaha I would love to see where Terry Williams #44 stepped out of bounds? As for him not getting in?? Please Tell me your joking right? ND lost fair and square I know it's tough for the homers but watch it again you'll see no out of bounds at all ND can't tackle and are really slow Crespi took advantage of it Crespi score 28 unanswered points the talent showed up in the second half ND probably had a lot of adrenaline and Crespi probably watched ND getting waxed by every team they played and came out cocky and flat

[Observantcat]

That is the most ridiculously slow defense I've seen all year. It looked like Pop Warner all over again.

[johnny]

out of bounds at the 20? what video are you watching dude? Didnt get in? wow, its ok to be a homer and root for your team, but dont get so emotional and let that cloud your vision....you're better than that hacks. unreal play, unreal choke job by ND, that play will go was legal and a beauty

[MSM]

Based upon some of the posted comments it appears some Notre Dame fans believe the referees missed some calls, but they didn't. It was a fantastic play and a fantastic game. Tough loss, but it certainly wasn't because of a missed call.

[Albert]

LMAO at ND way to go Mackj!!!!

[Excuse Wagon]

WWWAAAAAHHHHH! Nobody got robbed. He didn't go out of bounds and he didn't fall short. The ref followed him down the sideline and the back judge was on the other side. They got beat. Fair and square. Just as Crespi did last year after the questionable pass interference call set up the late field goal. Karma sucks. You lost. Hahahahahahahahhaha!

[Adam Penner]

you're telling me you can CLEARLY see him step out at the 20? the side judge, who mind you was standing at the 20, didn't say he was out of bounds. so obviously hefe, you have better vision than him and should be a replay offical in the NFL, no questions asked.

[thomas munger]

ND are a bunch of cry baby's How does it feel to be 2-8
Watch the film!

[not a nd grad]

i have a truck load of tissues for all the crying that i am reading. get some class, like the class that coach rooney has. when you pop off about crespi or any other school, you do yourself and your school a disservice. here's an idea: how about giving credit to the winning team. try it sometime. i am ecstatic that crespi won. i also can acknowledge that nd played their hearts out.

[TH]

CRESPI ALUM... All I have to say is the tide has shifted.
Go CELTS...

[Greg]

What was truly amazing was the official who indicated the TD was the back judge. He was not on the Crespi Christmas card list for the first 47:56 of the game. Also remember on the video - the first part was from the other endzone. Only 120 yards away. The central camera was on a lift behind the visiting stands/press box a long way away from the ultimate action. The Crespi coaches were too excited to keep the videographer still for the camera.

[McLovin]

One word: AWESOME!!!!

En tu cara Escalante. Great D and nice sportsmanship flinging the helmet too.

[jrW]

Ummm... he did not get in for the TD. As he dove, the ball landed on the 1-foot line (That's it, play over). His momentum carried him over the line, but that was after the ball made contact with the ground at the 1-foot line. ND got robbed. Would've been a tough call to make, but...

[Hefe]

He clearly went out of bounds around the 20 yard line.

Refereeing has been absolutely ATROCIOUS this season.

What a shame for those ND kids. They were clearly robbed.