This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Sandy • It wasn't pretty, but Jordan football made its first game at the home of Real Salt Lake memorable Saturday, laying 39 points on overmatched Notre Dame (N.J.).
The Fighting Irish, meanwhile, wound up with a score more common to soccer: Zero.
The 39-0 blowout at Rio Tinto Stadium marked Jordan's second defensive shutout of the season as the Beetdiggers improved to 5-1 after last week's loss to Region 3 rival Alta.
"We didn't watch any film on them, really," running back Austin Grant said. "We just focused on what we needed to do."
Grant finished with 148 total yards and a rushing touchdown, while freshman quarterback Austin Kafentzis threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns in the opener of the XFINITY High School Football Classic.
But Kafentzis also threw three interceptions and four times led his team inside Notre Dame's 30-yard line without scoring any points.
That's a major point of concern for Jordan, which reached last year's 5A semifinals and is considered a favorite to again play deep into November.
"When we're playing Alta and Bingham, we're not going to be able to get away with that stuff," receiver Taylor Loomis said.
But Notre Dame made it pretty easy on the Beetdiggers. After scoring 96 points in their first two games against New Jersey teams, the Irish committed seven turnovers in their game in Utah.
Tyler Swan had two interceptions for Jordan, including one he returned 87 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. He had another in the fourth that he took to the end zone, but it was called back on an illegal block by one of his teammates.
The Beetdiggers lost 80 yards on 10 turnovers.
Jordan and Notre Dame played in just the second high school football game in Rio Tinto Stadium's four-year history.
After the game, Jordan players talked about the thrill of playing in the 20,000-seat stadium — which was very empty Saturday — that is less than a mile from their high school. But the focus quickly returned to getting better as the season progresses.
"You always get better," Kafentzis said. "You can't just say, 'Yeah, well, we won by 39.' "
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Highlights
R Jordan improves to 5-1 with win over New Jersey program.
• Notre Dame had scored 96 points in first two games in New Jersey.