The Irish earned the Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference senior boys Division 1 high school football title and a berth in the Golden Horseshoe Bowl semifinals next week at St. Marcellinus Secondary School in Mississauga. The Irish faces Our Lady of Mt. Carmel at 2 p. m., after the host school plays Lakeshore Catholic in the other semifinal at 10 a. m.

Dennis’s three points didn’t clinch the victory — that was left to his teammate, defensive back Andrew Surya, a couple of minutes later — but it did give Notre Dame its first lead of the ball game.

“I trust Steve with anything,” said Irish coach Chad Wozney. “I was ready to kick it at 45 yards, so any closer is just a bonus.”

Dennis described the kick as the biggest of his life, a no-pressure chip shot if a regional championship didn’t happen to ride on his right foot.

How close to the goal line did he want his teammates to advance the ball before the game-deciding kick?

“As close as humanly possible,” said Dennis. “I was confident. I’m most consistent at 30 ... the 40s are a bit iffy.”

Dennis then turned the hero’s crown over to Surya.

The Knights advanced the ball to the Notre Dame 40-yard line before stalling with 36 seconds remaining on the clock.

At third and 10, Knights quarterback Victor Raso attempted a first-down pass to Ryan Christie that would have put the Hamilton team in field-goal range, but Surya was waiting at the 15-yard line to intercept the pass and clinch the win for the Irish with 28 seconds remaining.

“We knew they were going to take a shot,” he said. “I was just in the right position at the right time.”

Sudden death, rather than victory, is the proper term for this playoff game, as More’s season ended while the Irish move on.

The Knights crushed the Irish 43-14 last year in the GHAC final and whipped the Nelson Lords 19- 2 in the 2006 final. The abrupt ending to the season had a few Knights players in tears following the game.

“I told the players there would be no easy games in the playoffs,” said St. Thomas More coach Claudio Silvestri. “In the playoffs it often comes down to turnovers and special teams. We didn’t do as well as them. Notre Dame made the bigger plays.”

The Knights scored all of their points in the first quarter, when star running back Tyrell Wilson kicked a 23-yard field goal and added a 75-yard touchdown run. He finished the game with 120 yards on 10 carries and caught three passes for 14 yards.

Notre Dame finally got on the scoreboard in the second quarter when Chris Pezzetta ran 17 yards for a touchdown, Dennis converting.

The third quarter was scoreless, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by Wozney.

“Our offence didn’t do much to help the defence the entire third quarter,” said Wozney. “They (the defence) hung in there for us.”

Notes: Notre Dame’s go-to running back, Keith Lagace, gained 70 yards on 14 carries as both teams ran for more than 150 yards. The Irish’s passing game was more effective, with Billy McPhee hitting 10 of 15 for 121 yards, although he threw two interceptions. Knights’ Victor Raso was 4-for-12 with one pick.

Knights’ Christie, an end on defence, committed a costly penalty in the dying minutes when his roughing- the-passer infraction gave the Irish a first down at the Knights’ 20-yard line. Three plays later, Dennis kicked the winning field goal.

The penalty was one of only 11 by both teams in what Wozney described as “a fantastic, clean game right from the opening whistle.”