Bulldogs hope to rediscover district success

~ Notre Dame is seeking its first district title since winning the Class 2 state title in 2002.

Two seasons have passed since Notre Dame brought home the Class 2 boys soccer state title in 2002.

Since then the Bulldogs have not been able to make it out of their district, falling in the district championship game each of the past two seasons. The Bulldogs had won five straight district titles from 1998 to 2002.

Thanks to a stingy defense, Notre Dame has the top seed in the Class 2 District 1 tournament and appears to be the heavy favorite heading into Tuesday's semifinal game. Notre Dame will play No. 4 Lutheran South at 7 p.m. in one semifinal, and No. 2 Sikeston will play No. 6 Fredericktown in the other semifinal at 5 p.m.

The championship is set for 5 p.m. on Thursday.

"Those things can happen sometimes," Bulldogs coach Brad Wittenborn said of his team's back-to-back district runner-up finishes. "That's why you don't want to take anything for granted. Nobody's going to give it to us. Sikeston's played us tough."

Notre Dame has posted wins of 5-0 and 3-0 over Sikeston this season.

While the Bulldogs feature 10 seniors, only two played in the 2002 state championship game. The lack of playoff success should be a motivating factor for the veteran Bulldogs.

"There were a couple that got in the state championship game. Frankie [Ellis] and Jason [Delgado] played, but that's it," Wittenborn said. "The others certainly remember making the trip and seeing that. They're going to do everything they can to get us back there."

Senior goalie Nathan Kolda has 16 shutouts this season, as Notre Dame has allowed just nine goals. Three of those goals came in a loss to Central, one of just three losses on the season for Notre Dame.

"A lot of that is leadership," Wittenborn said. "We have great leaders in the back with Andrew Buelow, Jacob Wengert and Kyle Schade. We have three seniors on defense, and Nathan's a senior. In the midfield, Tyler LeGrand plays his heart out.

"Defensively, we've played Lafayette and some pretty good schools and really didn't give up any decent scoring opportunities."

Offensively, Notre Dame uses the speed of Ellis and Delgado in its attack. Delgado leads Notre Dame with 12 goals, while fellow forward Abe Dirnberger and Jack Wedemeir have 11 goals apiece. Ellis has six goals and 10 assists.

"We can come at you from a lot of different directions," Wittenborn said.

Senior midfielder Kirk Boeller and junior Wedemeir also have been a big part of Notre Dame's offensive success. The Bulldogs rely on a possession-style game.

"As far as skill on the ground, this is the best we've been as far as possessing the ball and moving it on the ground," Wittenborn said.

Class 3 District 1

Central will attempt to secure its fifth straight district title as the top seed in the four-team Class 3 District 1 tournament at Farmington, Mo. The Tigers will play Poplar Bluff in a semifinal at 5 p.m. today. Jackson and second-seeded Farmington will play in the other semifinal at 7 tonight. The championship is set for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Tigers (19-5-1), a senior-dominated squad, have winning streaks of 12 and five games this season but enter the district tournament riding a three-game losing streak. Central played without senior defender Cody Gaither in all three losses, and will likely play without him today.

Central coach Tom Doyle said he is interested to see how his team will respond once the district tournament starts.

"We'll find out on Monday," he said. "That's what I challenged them with on Friday at practice."

Tyson Whiteside, one of 15 seniors on the roster, leads the area in goals with 21. Fellow senior Lance Altenthal has 12. During their three-game slide, the Tigers did not score a goal.

Central's three losses all came to established St. Louis area programs, including state-ranked DeSmet, while the Tigers have not lost a game to a district opponent this season.

"They think they should win it," Doyle said. "They just have to go out and perform."

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DISTRICT GLANCE

Class 2 District 1 at Notre Dame

Remaining teams: No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 2 Sikeston, No. 4 Lutheran South, No. 6 Fredericktown

* Schedule: Saturday -- Lutheran South 3, De Soto 0; Sikeston 1, Windsor 0; Fredericktown defeated Hillsboro in shootout; Tuesday, Sikeston vs. Fredericktown, 5 p.m.; Notre Dame vs. Lutheran South, 7 p.m.; Thursday, championship, 5 p.m.

* Notes: Sikeston is the defending district champion, having beaten Notre Dame in the final last year. Notre Dame won the state championship in 2002 and has two players -- Frankie Ellis and Jason Delgado -- who saw time for that team.

Class 3 District 1

at Farmington

* Teams: No. 1 Central, No. 2 Farmington, No. 3 Jackson, No. 4 Poplar Bluff

* Schedule: Today, Central vs. Poplar Bluff, 5 p.m.; Jackson vs. Farmington, 7 p.m.; Wednesday, championship, 6:30 p.m.

* Notes: Central has won four straight district championships. The Tigers (19-5-1) have lost three straight games -- to DeSmet, Lafayette and Rockwood Summit -- and were shutout in all three.

-- Southeast Missourian