ND tries to blaze trail for titles

~ The school could be the first to win state championships in boys soccer and basketball.

Only four boys basketball teams in Missouri have run "The Gauntlet" with basketball and football state titles in the same school year.

There is no catch-phrase for winning boys soccer and basketball state titles in the same year because it has never been done before. Notre Dame will try to become the first school to accomplish the feat when the Bulldogs make the trip to the state final four today.

Notre Dame will face St. Charles in a Class 4 semifinal at 9 a.m. today at Mizzou Arena. The championship is 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.

"We're going to try to go after that," Notre Dame junior Ty Williams said. "It would be a pretty amazing year."

Added sophomore John Unterreiner: "It's definitely something to aim for. I think we all want to win both."

In the fall, Notre Dame brought home the program's second soccer state title, capping a 26-1 campaign. Five players from the basketball squad took part in the soccer title, including four of five starters.

Abe Dirnberger, Williams, Ryan Willen and Unterreiner were four of the top five scorers on the soccer team and also are among the scoring leaders on the basketball squad. Dirnberger, Williams and Willen all earned all-state honors in soccer.

Top reserve Mark Himmelberg, who has chipped in some key minutes this winter, served a similar role in the fall. He scored the game-winning goal in the state championship soccer game despite playing a limited role for the Bulldogs during the regular season.

The success of the soccer team in the fall helped prepare some of the players for the pressure of the basketball postseason.

"There's a lot of pressure up there," Unterreiner said. "It helps you just get used to the atmosphere."

While the soccer success gave the players experience in pressure situations, it also served as conditioning for the season.

"I think soccer is a lot more physical than people think it is, and it's nonstop 40 straight minutes a half," Unterreiner said. "You can't take a play off. It definitely translates to basketball."

Notre Dame coach Paul Hale, who had to wait on his soccer players before being able to start full bore into basketball practice last fall, recognizes the importance of the state experience.

"It's not going to hurt," Hale said. "They've been around the title pressure. It's got to help some."

Just by making it to the final four the Bulldogs will take home their third state trophy this season. Notre Dame finished third in cross country in the fall.

A state title would be the ninth overall for Notre Dame, and third in boys basketball. Notre Dame won back-to-back state titles in 1986 and 1987. Last year, Notre Dame's boys cross country program brought home its first state title.

"We've had a lot of good teams so far this year," said Hale, who also is the athletic director. "We have a lot of good coaches, but the secret is the kids. They have a very good work ethic. They want to be good. That's in every sport."