Dundalk Schools 3-11 Gormanstown College 0-11: Dundalk Schools progressed to the third qualifying round of the Leinster schools' senior championship football with a comfortable victory at Páirc na nGael, Dundalk, yesterday afternoon.
The home side took a while to settle as Gormanston raced into a 0-3 to 0-1 lead but a Jamie Faulkner goal set Dundalk on their way after 11 minutes.
Two points each from Bernard Osborne and Mark Geraghty and another point from Faulkner put Dundalk in the driving seat, before Dermot MacArtain netted with just two minutes left in the half to stretch their lead to seven points at the interval.
Gormanston again started the brighter in the second period and switching Ciarán Kelly to centre forward proved fruitful as he pointed four points early in the half. However, Dundalk raised their game again and a third goal, from Gareth Moran, quickly quelled Gormanston's revival.
DUNDALK SCHOOLS: G Smyth; D Whately, J Lyons, N Mulholland; P Crewe, A Hickey, M Geraghty (0-2); M Noonan (0-1), R Brennan; B Osborne (0-3, two frees), J Faulkner (1-2), B Piper; D MacArtain (1-1), G Moran (1-1), A McCabe. Subs: J Clarke (0-1) for McCabe (15), D Maguire for Piper (44), S O'Connell for Faulkner (52), P Byrne for Moran (59), P Corcoran for Mulholland.
GORMANSTON: M Sherlock; D Rooney, J Macken, R Kilgannon; E Reilly, D Hagan, J Sheridan; J Murphy (0-2), C McMorrow; E Whyte (0-1, free), D Reynolds, A Smith; G Kearney, C Kelly (0-8, four frees), R McGinty. Subs: B White for Sheridan (14), M Metcalfe for Kilgannon (h-t), S Keeling for Rooney (47), D Callaghan for McGinty (56)
Referee: S McCormack (Meath).
