A look back at the first seven games of the West De Pere-Green Bay Notre Dame football series
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
When the Green Bay Notre Dame and West De Pere football teams face off in the WIAA Division 2 state title game Nov. 21, it will be the eighth all-time meeting between the programs.
The Tritons and Phantoms have never played in the regular season, but there have been some memorable postseason games in the last 20 years for schools separated by just 8½ miles.
“I think some of the local community might have a little bit more interest in it or a little bit more emotion tied to it,” said Notre Dame coach Michael Rader, who has been part of the Tritons staff for every game in the series. “A lot of it depends on the relationships between the kids. We have some longer-term friendships and relationships out there.
“They are all good for the area. They are all good for the sport. We’ve had a lot of interesting games, some blowouts here and there, but they have all been fun. At this point, as much as you want to win the game, it’s just a really cool experience for both schools.”
Here’s a look at the seven times the teams have met, all of which occurred in the Division 3 playoffs.
2005 second round: West De Pere 28, Notre Dame 20
The Phantoms lost their final two games of the regular season, but after beating No. 2 seed Luxemburg-Casco in a first-round game, they pulled off another upset against No. 3 seed Notre Dame.
West De Pere struggled to move the ball early, failing to get past midfield the first 24 minutes.
But the third quarter belonged to the Phantoms.
West De Pere forced a fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half, and four plays later, quarterback Tom Tollefson tied the game at 7 with a 1-yard touchdown run.
On the first play of West De Pere’s next possession, the junior ripped off a 58-yard TD.
Not to be outdone, running back Tony Kazik had a 61-yard score with 2 minutes, 55 seconds left in the third quarter, and suddenly West De Pere was up 21-7.
Notre Dame got to within a point in the fourth quarter, but it missed an extra point attempt and couldn’t get closer.
Kazik finished with 100 yards on 12 carries.
“It was a fight all game long, and we knew all week that it was going to be,” Tollefson said after the game. “These guys are tough. This was a fun win.”
2007 first round: Green Bay Notre Dame 34, West De Pere 27
Back when only the top four teams were given seeds in each eight-team playoff bracket, the unseeded Tritons traveled to De Pere to face a Phantoms squad that was the No. 1 seed.
Notre Dame started the season 0-4 but made the playoffs and pulled off a thrilling upset over the Phantoms by scoring 20 unanswered points.
Running back Robert Moore was the center of it all.
Moore — who was hampered by a shoulder injury earlier in the season — was a workhorse against the Phantoms, coming up huge in the biggest moment of the game when he broke through West De Pere’s line for a 22-yard TD that put Notre Dame up 28-27 with 1:30 remaining.
The Tritons recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, taking over at the West De Pere 7. Three plays later, quarterback Matt Meyer scored on a 5-yard run to give the Tritons a seven-point lead.
West De Pere had one more chance, but its final drive was stopped on an incomplete pass at the Notre Dame 35.
Moore finished with 247 yards on 29 carries.
“That’s been the nature of these kids,” legendary Notre Dame coach John Nowak said afterward. “They don’t give up. Obviously, after going 0-4 and being where we are now, it’s just a great job by them all.”
2009 second round: West De Pere 42, Green Bay Notre Dame 21
Two years after the Phantoms were upset by the Tritons, they got some revenge, going on the road and dominating Notre Dame at Ted Fritsch Field.
Behind a strong and sturdy offensive line, West De Pere running back Beau Bellmore had one of the best games of his career, rushing 39 times for 316 yards and three TDs.
The 5-foot-9, 165-yard senior had 41 touches in all, just two fewer than Notre Dame’s entire offense.
The Phantoms outgained the Tritons 425 to 276 in total yards and held the ball for more than 30 minutes.
Notre Dame couldn’t stop the run, allowing 362 yards on 60 carries. Most of it came from Bellmore, who had TD runs of 3, 8 and 53 yards while dealing with a few bruises and a stinger along the way.
“I got pretty beat up, but our offensive line kept us in it the whole game,” Bellmore said afterward. “As long as we win.”
Notre Dame started well, going up 7-0 just 1:51 in. It needed four plays to cover 96 yards, with standout running back David Ihlenfeldt rushing three times for 47 yards before quarterback Jordan Hoerning found tight end Joe Weiss for a 49-yard TD.
But the Tritons quickly lost their rhythm, and by the time they got it back in the fourth quarter, the game had been decided.
2011 semifinal: West De Pere 53, Green Bay Notre Dame 0
With a trip to the title game on the line, the Phantoms completely dominated on their way to a second straight D3 championship.
West De Pere led 6-0 after the first quarter, put up 20 points in the second and another 27 in the third to run away.
Star quarterback Jay Tollefson, who at the end of the season was named The Associated Press state player of the year, threw for 125 yards and two TDs and rushed for 191 yards and three scores on 18 carries.
The offense produced 504 total yards, including 379 on the ground, while the defense had five takeaways.
“It was pretty awesome on both sides of the ball,” West De Pere coach Bill Turnquist said.
2015 first round: Green Bay Notre Dame 49, West De Pere 13
This was another blowout in the series after the Tritons scored four TDs in the second quarter.
West De Pere rode star running back Matt McNabb to a touchdown on the game’s opening drive. There were 10 plays called on the march to the end zone, and each was a run by McNabb.
He rushed for 65 yards on the drive and 84 yards in the first quarter, but almost everything went bad for the Phantoms after that.
The Tritons’ offense exploded in the second quarter, needing just nine total plays to take a commanding 28-7 lead at the half.
Notre Dame started the barrage with a 43-yard TD pass from senior quarterback Robert Petitjean to junior wide receiver Ryan O’Connell in the opening seconds of the quarter.
After Notre Dame forced a punt on West De Pere’s ensuing possession, it needed just three plays to take a 14-7 lead on a drive that ended with a tackle-breaking 31-yard TD run by junior running back Nate Ihlenfeldt.
The Tritons scored their next TD on two plays, this time on a 43-yard run by Ihlenfeldt.
Notre Dame defensive back Johnny Santaga then intercepted a Phantoms pass to give the Tritons the ball at the West De Pere 25.
Three plays later, Petitjean connected with O’Connell for a 24-yard TD and a commanding lead.
The Tritons put up 234 yards of total offense in the first 24 minutes. It included 125 rushing yards from Ihlenfeldt, who finished with 148 on 18 carries.
“As an offense, we are very explosive,” Ihlenfeldt said. “The line was getting great push, the holes were fantastic. Guys pulling and everything. It was great.
“I thought Robert and all the receivers did a great job and saved us a bunch with long touchdown passes.”
2017 quarterfinal: Green Bay Notre Dame 28, West De Pere 7
The No. 3 seed Tritons upset the No. 1 seed Phantoms in Rader’s first season as Notre Dame’s head coach.
Notre Dame dominated on defense.
Senior linebacker Grant Shilbauer had eight total tackles and a fumble recovery, senior defensive back Jack Allen had eight total tackles and an interception, senior lineman Isaac Sidon had seven solo stops and junior defensive back Matthew Re came up with a pick.
The Tritons outgained the Phantoms 356-220 in total yards, while the defense and special teams combined to force three turnovers.
Notre Dame took control early, scoring a touchdown in each of the first two quarters to take a 14-0 lead at halftime.
Although the Tritons are often known as a running team, Notre Dame quarterback Wes Glime completed 18 of 22 passes for 184 yards and two TDs while rushing for 37.
Michael Gregoire added 116 yards on 30 carries.
“It’s great to have that balance,” Glime said. “Defenses can’t basically do everything. When you have a great running game that just sets up the passing. The offensive line performed really well.”
2018 quarterfinal: West De Pere 17, Green Bay Notre Dame 3
One year after being eliminated by the Tritons, the Phantoms got payback.
They held Notre Dame to its fewest points in six years in a defensive battle.
West De Pere still rushed 52 times for 190 yards while being led by Sam Mommaerts. The junior finished with 102 yards on 20 carries, which included a 7-yard TD run.
Sophomore quarterback Josh Blount completed 4 of 5 passes for 59 yards in the win, including a huge 37-yard pass to Garrett Kempen while facing second-and-a-mile in the fourth quarter.
It set up a 22-yard field goal from Sawyer Grovogel with less than 5 minutes remaining that put the Phantoms up by two touchdowns.
“Yeah, I will be honest with you, I did not look at this as a redemption game,” West De Pere coach Jack Batten said after the win. “We want to get to state, and regardless of who it is, we have to beat them. Now, Notre Dame, we have had some really good football games the last 10 years.
“It is kind of a rivalry game, but really, the key part was just to keep winning and play another week. If it was Notre Dame in our way, then it was Notre Dame.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: A look back at the West De Pere-Green Bay Notre Dame football series
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos