Notre Dame dominates Birmingham in 44-0 shutout victory

By Sean Ceglinsky Special to the Daily News

By most accounts, Notre Dame is considered to be one of the premier prep football teams that the San Fernando Valley has to offer. And the program did little, or nothing, to tarnish its growing reputation on Friday night.

The Knights were impressive from the opening kickoff until the final seconds ticked off the clock in a 44-0 intersectional victory over visiting Birmingham. A running clock was used in the fourth quarter.

"We try not to listen to what people say, all of the hype, our approach is to remain humble and hungry," Notre Dame coach Kevin Rooney said "We had no reason to take Birmingham lightly tonight, I'm proud of the way we played."

With the outcome of the game seemingly no longer in doubt, and the Knights (3-1) staked to a 41-point lead with 5:52 left in the third quarter, the coaching staff decided to rest the starters. Senior quarterback Kelly Hilinski watched his backup and brother Tyler Hilinski, a sophomore, run the offense from the sidelines for the rest of game.

Lucas Alfonso kicked a 24-yard field with 3:37 remaining in the third quarter and the Knights started the fourth quarter with a 44-0 lead.

Kelly Hilinski finished 15 for 18 with 187 yards and three touchdowns against the Patriots (3-1). In limited action, Khalfani Muhammad had 74 yards on nine carries. He scored in the first quarter.

"It did not matter what was on the scoreboard, we were not going to let up," Hilinski said. "We have a tradition around here and we want to uphold the legacy. We took a step in the right direction tonight with a win like this against Birmingham."

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