The Class 5A top-ranked Irish football team defeated Columbus North 37-13 on Sept. 17 in what seemed to be another uneventful win for the Irish and now set their sights on Homecoming.  

North’s final tally of 13 marked the second highest number of points scored on the Irish defense this season, first being Bishop Chatard who scored 14. 

The Irish defense, despite letting up their second highest amount of points scored this season, seems to be doing business on their side of the ball. Flying to the ball carrier, intercepting passes and sacking the quarterback are all things that the Irish defense seem to be doing on a weekly basis. Head Football Coach Mr. Bill Peebles ‘88 shares his thoughts on his team thus far. 

Peebles said, “I’ve been very satisfied with the way our defense has been playing. We gave up about 21 total yards in the first half against Chatard. We haven’t given up a point in the first half this year. Our first team defense has given up seven points right after halftime to Brownsburg and Chatard. Even those drives were earned for those teams. Other than that, they’ve played stellar the entire season. They’ve played stellar.” 

On the offensive side of the ball, the Irish have made many improvements in the past few weeks. Peebles said, “I think that every week we’ve gotten better. We’ve become more efficient in the running game, which finally started clicking for us. We’ve had really good games running the ball. (Sophomore quarterback) Danny (O’Neil) is doing a good job managing the game, being safe with the ball and hitting guys that are open.”

When it comes to O’Neil, Peebles said he has been really impressed with the leadership role he has taken on the offensive side of the ball. The coach said, “He’s taking over the offense. He’s now in a position where he understands the offense so well that he’s making calls at the line of scrimmage. We’re giving him options to run certain plays depending on what the defense is showing us, and he’s making really good decisions in those situations. He’s taking what the defense is giving him.”

The Irish take on Hammond Morton for the Homecoming game on Sept. 24. Morton is 1-4 after winning their first game last week against Gary West Side. Peebles said, “I know nothing about this team. I have not even seen them on film yet. I don’t even know what their record is.” 

The football team’s motto this year, “Ipsa Duce Non Fatigaris,” has been a pivotal motto in that it has helped the team have that extra grit and desire to go out and do the best they can, even if they may be tired. Peebles said, “In our first two games, it’s been about staying on track, believing in each other, believing in ourselves and trusting each other just as we trust in Mary: ‘With Her Leading, We Shall Not Tire.’ Part of that is just trusting ourselves and following our senior leaders. I think it has tied in really well, both the Westfield and Brownsburg games. In both of those situations, we could’ve folded and we didn’t. We stepped up and we did not tire. We continued to play hard and we didn’t make mistakes. That gave us the opportunity to win those games.”