By Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

FRANKLIN FURNACE — Second verse same as the first.
Well, almost.
Portsmouth Notre Dame beat the Green Bobcats 29-21back on Oct. 1 and four weeks later the Titans visited Green in the first round of the Division 7 playoffs.
This meeting had more offense but the Titans were able to rally in the fourth quarter and beat the Bobcats 45-36.
Green lost its fifth straight after starting the season 6-0. This marks the Bobcats fourth playoff appearance with the others in 1989, 1990 and 2018.
The Titans are also 6-5 and now travel to top-seeded Newark Catholic in the quarterfinal round.
Green actually outgunned the Titans 327 to 318 but a kickoff return for a score and an outstanding TD catch by Dylan Seison just before the half proved to be the difference.
Green racked up 298 yards on the ground with Abe McBee rushing 15 times for 167 yards and 4 touchdowns. Nathaniel Brannigan had 67 yards on 16 carries while Landan Lodwick ran 7 times for 76 yards and a score.
Seison ran 6 times for 38 yards and 2 touchdowns and caught 2 passes for 36 yards and a score. Gavin Hart had 140 yards on 22 carries with a pair of scores for the Titans. Quarterback Wyatt Webb was 7-of-12 passing for 136 yards.
Notre Dame scored less than 4 minutes into the game.
A 48-yard pass from Webb to Luke Cassidy got the ball inside the 10-yard line. Seison scored on a 9-yard run with 9:44 on the clock. The conversion kick failed.
The Titans got the ball back after a Green fumble and Hart ran 2 yards for the touchdown and the conversion to make it 14-0 with 6:16 on the clock.
Green battled back as Lodwick bolted 56 yards for a score and Green was down 14-6 with 5:17 left in the quarter.
Notre Dame came back with another scoring drive capped by Seison’s 12-yard scoring run and Coleman Shaffer’s kick pushed the lead to 21-6 with 1:23 left in the first quarter.
McBee took over and put Green right back in the ballgame as he broke free for 63-yard scoring run. Branningan ran for the conversion to make it 21-14.
It didn’t take long until McBee struck again and help Green take its first lead. This time McBee ran 54 yards for the score and Brannigan’s conversion run put Green up 22-21 with 9:03 left in the half.
But Shaffer hit a field goal with 3:44 to play and put the Titans back in front 24-22.
The Titans drove deep into Green territory and Webb threw a pass into the end zone with Seison surrounded by 3 Green defenders. But Seison went up into the air and managed to make the catch with 15 seconds left.
Shaffer’s kick gave Notre Dame a 31-22 lead at the break.
The Bobcats drew within 31-28 with 6:35 to go in the third quarter on an 8-yard run by McBee. The kick was blocked.
But Green took its first lead since early in the second quarter when McBee ran 3 yards for the touchdown. He also ran for the conversions and it was 36-31 just 4 seconds into the fourth quarter.
The lead evaporated quickly as Seison took a handoff on a reverse and went 80 yards on a kickoff return for the score. Webb ran for the conversion and a 39-36 win.
Seison — also had 2 interceptions — returned a punt 54 yards to the Green 15-yard line and set up Hart’s 10-yard scoring run with 7:47 left and it was 45-36.
Notre Dame 21 10 0 14 = 45
Green 6 16 6 8 = 36
First Quarter
ND — Dylan Seison 9 run (kick failed) 9:44
ND — Gavin Hart 2 run (Gavin Hart run) 6:16
Gr — Landan Lodwick 56 run (kick failed) 5:17
ND — Dylan Seison 12 run (Coleman Shaffer kick) 1:23
Second Quarter
Gr — Abe McBee 63 run (Nathaniel Brannigan run) 10:14
Gr — Abe McBee 54 run (Nathaniel Brannigan run) 9:03
ND — Coleman Shaffer 29 field goal 3:44
ND — Dyan Seison 28 pass from Wyatt Webb (Coleman Shaffer kick) 0:15
Third Quarter
Gr — Abe McBee 8 run (kick blocked) 6:35
Fourth Quarter
Gr — Abe McBee 3 run (Abe McBee run) 11:56
ND — Dylan Seison 80 kickoff return (Wyatt Webb run) 11:41
ND — Gavin Hart 10 run (kick failed) 7:47
—————
ND Gr
First downs 16 15
Rushes-yards 35-182 43-298
Passing yards 136 29
Total yards 318 327
Cmp-Att-Int 7-12-0 1-3-2
Fumbles-lost 2-0 5-2
Penalties-yards 9-61 6-40
Punts-average 3-15.3 1-34.0
Individual Leaders
RUSHING–Notre Dame: Gavin Hart 22-140 2-TD, Dylan Seison 6-38 2-TD,Wyatt Webb 6-3, Myles Phillips 1-1; Green: Nathaniel Brannigan 16-67, Abe McBee 15-167 4TD, Landan Lodwick 7-76 TD, Blake Smith 3-19, Jon Knapp 1-minus 10, team 1-minus 21.
PASSING–Notre Dame: Wyatt Webb 7-12-0 136 TD; Green: Jon Knapp 1-3-2 29.
RECEIVING–Notre Dame: Luke Cassidy 3-60, Dylan Seison 2-36 TD, Carter Campbell 1-26, Landon Barbarits 1-14e; Green: Gabe McBee 1-29.