HS FOOT: Notre Dame leads 21-14 over Fountain Valley at half

The game could not have started worse for Notre Dame. On the opening kickoff, Fountain Valley recovered an onside kick, and on the first play from scrimmage Kyle Middlebrooks broke a 50-yard touchdown for a quick 7-0 lead.

But Notre Dame rebounded with consecutive touchdowns to go ahead 14-7, scoring first on Kenny Boggs' 1-yard run, followed by a 21-yard scoring pass from Ryan Kasdorf to Tyler DiVincenzo.

Middlebrooks scored again on a 57-yard run, as Fountain Valley drove 80 yards in five plays to forge a 14-14 tie.

With less than a minute remaining in the first half, Notre Dame drove 69 yards on 13 plays, scoring on Kasdorf's 1-yard run. The key was and end zone interception by Fountain Valley's Justin Browley that was nullifed by a penalty, giving Notre Dame new life. The 1-yard touchdown two plays later, as Kasdorf took a shotgun hike and broke two tackles on his scoring run, giving the Knights a 21-14 halftime lead.

Middlebrooks rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries through two quarters. But he did not get much help, as Dominic Ragland completed just 2 of 6 passes for 21 yards in the first half.

Kasdorf totaled only 55 yards in the first half, but he was extremely efficient, completing his first seven passes and finishing 8 of 9 at the half.