Notre Dame took a title home today at the state level. A division three bout with Catholic Memorial left them as the state champs.
Trailing by 5 in the fourth quarter a game saving moment for the Tritons happened when Jack Drake picked off an end zone pass to keep the game close.
Then with just three minutes to play, Robert Petitjean puts on the cape as he finds Jonathan Santaga in the end zone putting the Tritons on top with a win 19-17.
That victory marks the first state title for Notre Dame since 2003 which seems like yesterday, but is actually just 12 years ago.
The fans of Notre Dame Academy didn't let the state champs come back home to an empty house. Hundreds welcomed them back to Green Bay this evening with a big party.
Welcoming back the victorious Tritons sounds a bit like you would expect. Cheering, chanting and of course firing up the band. Let’s just say the fans, even the band, had a feeling a victory was within their grasps.
"With the guys surrounding me I always had this dream and I knew there was a possibility it could come true. It's absolutely a dream this is amazing," says Alex Malcore a Senior on the football team.
The celebration was written on everyone’s face in the audience tonight. While the team did the heavy lifting on the field, it was these fans who gave the boys, that extra push when the game came down to the wire.
"I’m still kind of in shock. That game had so many twists and turns in it," says Triton coach John Nowak.
"The fans are loud the fans are proud and they are the backbone of this team and they're what makes this special," adds Malcore.
"Fans… the best around! NDA fans are the best without a doubt. They get ya going and towards the end of the game when you need to keep going… They got your back," says Blake Olejniczak.
Taking the lead with just 3 minutes remaining may have left some in the stands nervous late in the game. But for a coach who's been there before, he was left reflecting on a team that he won't forget anytime soon.
"They made coaching football one of the most enjoyable years of my life," says Coach Nowak.
And as these young men recall the game of their lives down the road, it's safe to say they too will remember that feeling they got from the school that supported them until the end.
"Seeing this community come around and supporting us every game, every Friday night and them coming back here to celebrate like this.... Unreal," adds Olejniczak.
So let the trumpets sound not just for the champs, but for the fans as well. Because playing a game really wouldn't’t be what it is, without the support you get from those in the stands pulling for you.
Notre Dame ended the season with a 12 and 2 record and the state championship. Congratulations to the whole squad.
