SENECA, MO –– The new-look Irish traveled to Seneca on Friday night to kick off the 2019 campaign against the Indians. The 2018 matchup between these two teams produced a thriller of a game, with the Irish coming from behind in the 4th quarter to win 50-42. That game yielded over 1,000 yards of total offense. The Irish looked smaller than the Indians and were also significantly outnumbered; the team comparison in pre-game did not look favorable.

The two teams traded series in the 1st quarter but Seneca took advantage of a short field on their 2nd series; starting from the Irish 35 yard line. The Indians quickly scored on 3 rushing plays with three different runners. Seneca continued to gel offensively scoring twice more in the 2nd quarter, extending the lead to 20. 

The game seemed like it had an opportunity to get out of hand but the Irish showed a lot of resiliency throughout the night. Junior quarterback Will Squibb settled in on the ensuing drive, throwing a pair of strikes to Will Morrison and Liam O'Reilly to bring the team to the Indians 4-yard line. Matthew Schmittling would cap off the drive to get the Irish on the board. On the following kickoff, Sam Crain found a soft spot in Seneca's kickoff return team. Crains kick spun high and landed softly allowing Payton James to dive on the ball, giving the Irish the ball on the Indians 23-yard line. Matthew Schmittling and Will Squibb would grind out yardage and the clock, giving the Irish their 2nd score and bringing them within 7 before halftime. 

Halftime proved to be beneficial for the Irish and the team picked up where they left off before half. After trading a couple of penalties, Will Squibb found a streaking Liam O'Reilly for a 44-yard TD pass; tying the game at 20. The Indians would answer with a 13-play drive, covering 64 yards to re-claim the lead 26-20. The Irish would answer with another balanced drive with two key passes to Zach Gebhard for 25 and a scoring 21-yard pass to Matthew Schmittling. Sam Crain and Payton James would connect on yet another kickoff/recovery that gave the Irish a short field and set up Will Squibb's second rushing touchdown of the game. 

The Irish controlled the clock and the defense kept the Indians at bay for the remainder of the 4th. Zach Gebhard put the final score on the board for the Irish, stretching the lead to 41-26. 

Dudes of the game:
Will Squibb: 10/16 214 yards passing 2 TD's, 44 yards rushing 2 TD's
George Hall: 13 Tackles
Liam O'Reilly: 3 receipts for 104 yards & a TD
Sam Crain & Payton James: 2 kickoffs/recoveries that lead to Irish TD's

The Irish move to 1-0 on the season and will host the Cassville Wildcats next Friday.