Naomi Matusow Concedes. Will Not Contest Result.

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WPCNR 5 O’CLOCK LIGHTNING NEWS LEADER. From the Naomi Matusow Press Office. September 24, 2002: Naomi Matusow, in a statement released Tuesday afternoon moments ago, has conceded the 89th Assembly Primary to Adam Bradley.



TEN YEAR INCUMBENT BIDS FAREWELL. Naomi Matusow today conceded defeat in the 89th Assembly District Democratic Primary. She will complete her term in Albany, serving through the end of the year, at which time, Adam Bradley, of White Plains, should he win the November 5 election, against the Right to Life Party candidate, will take over her seat. Ms. Matusow is shown at the Board of Elections last Wednesday afternoon during the examination and counting of the absentee/affidavit ballots that determined the election. Her concession statement follows:
Photo by WPCNR


Ms. Matusow, in a statement released to the media said,

“The primary election is over. The margin was 22 votes.

While there are numerous voting irregularities that would likely narrow the margin, they would not, in my opinion, be sufficient to alter the outcome.

I have called Mr. Bradley and offered my congratulations.

Those who supported me throughout this campaign and the post-election activity have my heartfelt thanks.

I remain committed to the political process and the Democratic Party. I intend to work hard for the success of the McCall/Mehiel/Hevissi/Spitzer
ticket and to remain active in the areas of public policy and Democratic politics.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my ten years in the New York State Assembly and take pride in the many good things that I have accomplished for the people in my district, Westchester County and the state of New York.

I thank everyone whose efforts and support over the years has given me the opportunity to serve.”

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Pesky West Nile Mosquitoes Still Around Til First Frost.

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Westchester County Department of Communications. (Edited) September 24, 2002: The Westchester County Department of Health has received notification from the New York State Department of Health that there has been one more mosquito pool and six more birds found in Westchester County that have tested positive for West Nile virus.
The mosquito pool was collected in Yonkers on September 13.

Two birds were found in Rye and one each were found in Yonkers, Greenburgh, Hastings-on-Hudson and Harrison. The birds were found on August 9 and 11. No spraying is planned at this time.

41 Mosquito Pools Test Positive to Date.

With the addition of this new positive mosquito pool, a total of 41 mosquito pools from Westchester have tested positive for the virus this year. To date, out of 643 mosquito pools submitted for testing, 633 have been tested for West Nile virus, of which 592 have tested negative.

128 Infected Birds.

With the addition of these six birds, a total of 46 dead birds from Westchester have tested positive for the virus this year. To date, out of 3,496 dead birds reported to the Health Department and 189 submitted for testing, 128 birds have been tested for West Nile virus, of which 82 have tested negative.

One Victim.

There has been one human case of West Nile virus reported in Westchester County this year.

Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua Lipsman again urged residents to take personal protection measures against mosquito bites while in their homes and when spending time outdoors. “It is particularly important that residents remain vigilant in their efforts to reduce their risk of West Nile virus infection until the first sustained frost because there is still risk from mosquitoes during this time,” said Dr. Lipsman.

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Matusow’s “Irregularities” May Be Normal Irregularities.

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WPCNR Afternoon Trib & Post. By John F. Bailey. September 24, 2002: An election machine inspector Tuesday told WPCNR that differences between the number of registered voters signing in to vote at a polling place and the total amount of votes recorded on an election machine are normal occurrences every election.



PROTECTIVE COUNTERS, an example of which is shown here are (located at the top of one of the White Plains voting machines used September 5) at the heart of Naomi Matusow’s protest that more votes are recorded on Assembly District 89 machines than there were registered voters. An Election Inspector calls this normal.
Photo by WPCNR


The issue is alive because Naomi Matusow in a television appearance yesterday, said, “The machine count has more votes on the machines than can be accounted for by the poll rosters.” Because of this discrepancy, Ms. Matusow, who trails her primary challenger, Adam Bradley by 23 votes, is calling for a new primary.

Mr. Bradley, in his television appearance, said “The charges were without merit.”

An election inspector who determined that the voting machine in dispute in the Larry Delgado-Glen Hockley election case last year in White Plains was jammed, explained how such differences may occur:

He said there are two counters on each machine. The top counter is called the “Protective Counter,” which is never set back to zero, and contains the number of votes recorded on the election machine during the lifetime of the machine. He said that this total is recorded on an official envelope prior to the start of any election day voting, then when the polls close, the new total on the Protective Counter is recorded.

A Double Check Prevents Run-ups

He said the Protective Counter number showing at the start of voting is then subtracted from the new Protective Counter Number showing at the close of the polls. The new number should equal the number of votes showing on the lower counter on the voting machine, the “Public Counter.” The Public Counter, our inspector said, is set back to zero at the start of the Election Day, and records each vote cast that day.



THE PUBLIC COUNTER is the official record of votes cast that day, according to WPCNR’s election machine consultant. It is set to zero before the start of the day’s voting and each voter from either party is recorded.
Photo by WPCNR


The Public Counters on all machines in the 89th Assembly District recorded both Republican and Democratic voters that day. The inspector said what might account for the difference between signed-in voters at the poll check-in desks, and votes registered on the machine would be persons not voting in an Assembly race, for example, accounting for a discrepancy between number of votes registered in the Assembly race and the number of total votes on the machine. He also noted a difference can occur when the Protective Counter number is written down incorrectly at the beginning of the election day.

Reading errors do occur.

Reading off a number from a machine incorrectly either before the polls open or after they close is not uncommon, our expert said. WPCNR noted two instances of numbers being read off incorrectly when I observed the recanvass in White Plains last Tuesday. Each time the read-off error was caught by representatives from both the Bradley and Matusow camps, one read-off error would have cost Mr. Bradley 100 votes.

According to the WPCNR court observer yesterday, Ms. Matusow’s attorney was making the case that there were differences between Protective Counter Counts and signed-in voters across all towns, including Pound Ridge and North Castle, and not just White Plains, a difference of 76 votes across an estimated 100 voting machines.

Unceremonious Bumps Bump the Numbers?

Clerks have told WPCNR that when machines are returned from polling places, occasionally counters are nudged and move up a notch, when machines are loaded onto trucks and moved back to storage. This also could account for 1 and 2 vote differences in the “Protective Counter” which should show up on the recanvass, increasing the total voter count. In fact, this was mentioned during the actual recanvass of the White Plains machines on September 17, one week ago, when just such a discrepancy between a Protective Counter Number and a Public Counter was noted by the recanvassers. The Election Inspector said the Public Count was the official count and it matched what was recorded out of the machine on Election Night on the various lines.

This exchange between Election Inspectors September 17 observed by WPCNR is standard procedure. According to our Election Inspector consultant, the “Public Counter” on the bottom is the official record, and any differences caused by transportation of the machine would be highlighted in the recanvass. There were no differences between Public Counter numbers and recanvass results which across all towns in the 89th District except in one case: the 9th and 13th districts in White Plains.

“Protective Counter” counts held up in all towns, North and South in the 89th District except on one machine in White Plains, where Mr. Bradley was found to receive 145 votes to Ms. Matusow’s 35 in the 9th and 13th Election Districts that enabled him to overtake Ms. Matusow.

Back to the Numbers

Both contestants and the Board of Elections will go over the numbers Tuesday and Wednesday and report back to Judge Orazio Bellantoni in Supreme Court Thursday morning.

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Riverkeeper Whistle Blower Critiques FEMA DRILLS

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WPCNR Morning Sun. From Riverkeeper Press Office. (Edited)September 24, 2002:Speaking in White Plains, the day before the Federal Emergency management Agency (FEMA) conducted a test of their Indian Point evacuation plan today, Riverkeeper and a group of elected officials raised concerns regarding weaknesses of the program.
Speaking at the press conference was Doug Harnett, national security
campaign director at the Government Accountability Project.

“We have had scores of whistleblowers come forward that worked in
nuclear weapons and energy facilities, in FEMA, the NRC and other
agencies to expose the lack of preparedness, and the absurdly contrived nature of the exercises that are used to reassure the public,” Doug Hartnett said. “Since September 11, the Government Accountability Project has had a dramatic increase in whistleblowers from nuclear facilities across the country. They have been warning their supervisors for years, but after the terrorist attacks, they simply could no longer allow the threats to be ignored or downplayed.”

Local Whistle Blower Speaks.

According to federal whistleblower Linda Lewis, an eight-year veteran
emergency programs specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the REP program and drills fail to protect public health and safety.

“In total, the problems with radiological emergency preparedness and
evaluation describe a public safety program that has lost credibility,”
said Linda Lewis, who in 1998 was an evaluator assigned to the Rockland County Emergency Operations Center during an Indian Point drill.

No Evaluator Feedback?

Linda Lewis’s overarching concern is that in numerous situations FEMA and other federal agencies have failed to incorporate evaluator feedback on REP drills over the years.

Several of Linda Lewis’ specific concerns regarding REP drills and plans are that they:

* Fail to adequately address the needs of unsupervised children,
which includes “latchkey” or “self care” children.

o This poses a dilemma in certain fast-breaking scenarios, for
instance when a radiological emergency occurs when children have
returned home from school in the afternoon and are without adult
supervision, because their parents are still at work.

o The REP plan allows for early dismissal or cancellation of
school activities in the event that an emergency is anticipated or
underway.

o Emergency booklets, if available to a child, are not written for
a young child’s reading level. Although NUREG-0654 requires state and local authorities to have plans to evacuate other special populations with similar needs, children who lack adult supervision for part of the day are excluded from consideration. The REP program requires preparedness to consider the needs of children only when they are physically in school. Moreover, exercise scenarios rarely, if ever, occur in the late afternoon or summer, the times when children are most likely to be home alone.

o According to the Westchester and Putnam chapter of United Way,
in their Issues and Resources Assessment, there is a “lack of accessible and affordable childcare.” This suggests that many children are unsupervised at times.

* Fail to adequately address how visitors or even local people, who
are away from home, would know the evacuation routes.

* Fail to adequately address protective actions for the “ingestion
zone.”
The Cow Factor Alleged Not Configured

The Ingestion Zone goes out to 50 miles. It’s the area within
which people could be at risk if they eat or drink contaminated food or
water. Contamination occurs when airborne radioactive materials come to rest on crops, pasture, gardens, lakes and rivers. For example, people can be affected if they drink milk from a cow that ate contaminated grass. Over, 11,000 dairy cows exist in New York state counties within a 50-mile radius of Indian Point. According to new data from the USDA (updated January 1, 2002):

* Orange County has 8000 Dairy Cows

* Dutchess County has 2500 Dairy Cows

* Ulster County has 600 Dairy Cows

* Westchester, Rockland, Putnam Counties has 100 Dairy Cows

Dramatizes Deficiencies

“Today’s event illustrates the grave concerns that experts and citizens
alike have about the effectiveness of Indian Point’s evacuation plan,”
Alex Matthiessen, executive director of Riverkeeper told reporters.

“Our message to Governor Pataki and other top elected officials like
Senators Schumer and Clinton is simple and clear — this evacuation plan doesn’t work and it’s a travesty to continue allowing Indian Point to operate without a plan in place that would protect millions of New
Yorkers from the horror of a nuclear accident. The writing is on the
wall. It’s time to shut Indian Point down.”

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White Plains East End Changes Day-by-Day

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WPCNR WHITE PLAINS PICTURE NEWSPAPER. Photos by John F. Bailey. September 24, 2002:



SLEEK WESTCHESTER ONE STOP N SHOP GARAGE RISES behind Key Cadillac on Westchester Avenue, across from The Westchester Mall on the Westchester Avenue gateway to the city.



THE GOOD SHIP FORTUNOFF TAKES SHAPE at anchor on the corner of Bloomingdale Road and Maple Avenue.

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Matusow Concerned About Irregularities. Judge Asks BOE to Match Numbers

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WPCNR EVENING CITY STAR REPORTER. From a WPCNR Court Observer. September 23, 2002: Naomi Matusow expressed concern about “irregularities” in the total persons recorded as voting in the September 5 primary and the number of registered voters signing in a cross-section of election districts in Assembly District 89, in proceedings at Supreme Court in White Plains Monday.

As a result, Judge Orazio Ballantoni, according to the WPCNR observer asked for a third comparison of signed in voters and registered voters at the Board of Elections to be completed by Thursday. No winner was officially declared in the close election between Ms. Matusow and Adam Bradley, though Mr. Bradley picked up one more vote, an emergency ballot, increasing his margin to 23 votes.

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Scarsdale to Take Up Nursing Home/Senior Housing at Saxon Woods Thursday

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WPCNR NEWSREEL. September 23, 2002.: The Scarsdale Planning Board will meet Thursday evening at Scarsdale Town Hall, and may approve the senior housing complex proposed by REALM, Inc. for the wooded property adjacent to the Ethical Culture Society of Westchester property off Saxon Woods Road.

White Plains has opposed the project and approval may set up a court battle between the two communities, since access to the property, as well as water supply, must be obtained from the City of White Plains, which has gone on record as being unwilling to grant road access off Saxon Woods Road.

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Aircraft Noise Levels Reduced at HPN

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WPCNR WESTCHESTER COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From County Department of Communications. September 23, 2002: Noise levels in the communities of Harrison, Rye Brook and North Castle, surrounding the Westchester County Airport, have gone down significantly, according to a study commissioned by the county that was released today.
The study, by TAMS Consultants Inc., of New York City and Harris Miller Miller & Hanson Inc. of Burlington, Mass., looked at existing sources of noise at the airport and helped identify future sources based on aircraft operations at the 700-acre airport in Harrison, Rye Brook and North Castle. The $78,000 study was commissioned in early 2000. The last such study was done in the mid 1980s.

“It’s good to see that our hard work is paying off,’’ said County Executive Andy Spano. “In 1999, this administration instituted a “Good Neighbor Policy” to reduce noise and other pollution affecting communities surrounding the airport. We have worked with commercial carriers and charter fliers to educate them on the importance of abiding by our voluntary curfew, and we are making progress.’’

Transportation Commissioner Larry Salley said, “This study clearly demonstrates that noise impacts generated by aircraft operations at the County Airport have been significantly reduced since 1988, and will continue to decline through 2005. This is another example of the County Executive’s initiatives to implement his Airport “Good Neighbor Policy.”

The report said quieter aircraft, reduction in the use of certain runways and changes in aircraft approaches have helped to reduce noise levels significantly since 1988, when the last study was done.
According to the study, Day/Night Noise Levels were lower in areas surrounding the airport. The Day/Night Noise level is a formula which takes into consideration that noise is more disturbing at night than during the day.

This is the measurement that is recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration as the most accurate way to quantify how aircraft noise affects surrounding communities.

The study looked at Day Night Sound Levels in 1988, 1999 and gave projections for 2005. What it found was that noise did not travel as far outside the airport in 1999 as it did in 1988.

The Numbers

A breakdown of the Day Night Sound levels showed that:
• In 1988, the area around the airport in which airport sounds reached 60 decibels was about 9.39 square miles. That shrunk to 4.16 sq mi by 1999 and is expected to shrink to 3.62 square miles by 2005. As of 1999, about 477 households with 1,431 people were within the 60-decibel range.

• 65-decibel sounds reached 3.44 sq mi. outside the airport in 1988, but only 1.78 sq mi in 1999 and are expected to reach only 1.50 sq mi by 2005. As of 1999, about 268 households with 804 people were within the 65-decibel range.

• The 70-decibel range shrunk from 1.58 sq mi. in 1988 to 0.74 sq mi in 1999. It is estimated to shrink to 0.66 sq mi. by 2005. About 262 households with 786 individuals were within that range.

• The 75-decibel range shrunk from 0.71 sq mi in 1988 to 0.34 sq mi in 1999 and is expected to shrink again to 0.32 sq mi by 2005. There are no homes within that area.

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Brewster Rockets Start Fall Ball Exhibition Season

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. September 22, 2002:



BREWSTER ROCKETS IN ACTION Sunday against the Newtown (CT) Heat. The 14-under Rockets, NY Challenge, NY Legends and the Heat worked out their 2003 squads in perfect fastpitch softball weather. The Rockets showing a versatile and dedicated group of young 14-unders, looked good in the field and in running the basepaths. The pitchers were ahead of the hitters for the most part. Katy Slingerland pitched a strong complete game for the Rockets in the opener, and Kaleigh Burke tuned up in the nightcap. For more on the Rockets, visit their website at www.brewsterrockets.org

Photo By WPCNR

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Tigers Fail to Get a First Down in 2nd Half, Lose to Ramapo, 29-20

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. By John F. Bailey. September 21, 2002: Mike Lane took the kickoff on his own 15 yard line on the opening kickoff, picked his way gingerly along the far sideline through heavy Gryphon traffic broke out of the scrum at his 45 and rumbled into the endzone for a 75 yard kickoff return to put White Plains up 7-0 before Ramapo could get started. Two sustained drives by White Plains with Spencer Ridenhour scoring both touchdowns on short runs, put the Tigers up 20-7 at the half.



THAT’S “FREIGHT TRAIN” LANE TAKING THE OPENING KICK-OFF! Lane, at far left of picture, just starting his run, neatly deked, ducked, bounced and moved into high gear, cruising 75 yards through the Gryphon Team with a great special teams effort for a 6-0 Tiger lead at Ramapo High School Saturday afternoon.
Photo by WPCNR

But, that was the end of offense for the Tigers for the day. White Plains had the ball 5 times in the second half and went 3-and-out each time, gaining, actuallty losing approximately a minus 25 yards, unofficially in the entire second half.

Led by their talented 440 speedster and roll-out specialist, Ylvans Lewis, Ramapo took the lead with two touchdowns in the third quarter and added a third TD in the final stanza to defeat White Plains, 29-20.

Tigers lead by 14-0 after First Quarter

After Lane’s electrifying kickoff return, White Plains defense and Ramapo’s traded stops, until Ramapo fumbed on their own 39, with the Tigers recovering. White Plains then marched 39 yards in 12 plays to score on Spencer Ridenhour’s 6-yard run, to make it 14-0 with 2:28 to go in the first Quarter.



RIDENHOUR OFF TACKLE AND INTO THE ENDZONE: With Evan McGuire (13) and Darrell Mack(17) clearing the middle Spencer capped the time-consuming drive in the first quarter, punching it in for a 13-0, soon-to-be 14-0 lead. Ridenhour’s legs can be seen in the middle of the huge hole cleared out by the Tiger pitmen. Ridenhour carried six times on this drive, making runs of 9, 2, 5, 4, and a 2 yard run. With fourth and 2 on the 33, Ike Nkuka ran 15 yards to the 18, then 6 yards for a 2nd down on the 12, then for 5 more yards for a first and goal on the 7, and Ridenhour took it over in two carries. The Tigers added the point and it was 14-0.
Photo by WPNCR


Ramapo was back on their heels at this point and on the kickoff took over at their 45 yard line. White Plains was looking for their third stop of the day with Ramapo with third down and 10 on the White Plains 39 when the First Quarter ended.

Touchdown on a Scramble

On the first play of the second quarter, 3rd and 10, the Tigers covered the Gryphon receivers perfectly and Ylvans Lewis, the Ramapo quarterback was lined up for a sack in the backfield, actually in Tiger paws. He slipped the Tiger tackler, and lit out around left end towards the far sideline with all of White Plains on the near side of the field. Lewis turned on his 440-speed (a Ramapo fan said Lewis is 4th in the state in the 440), outrunning the last Tiger, squeezing in at the goal line flag. Touch-DOWNNN! 39 yards!

The point kick made it 14-7 with 11:47 to go in the half. The sight of Lewis rolling out was going become all too familiar in the second half.

White Plains Consolidates, Takes 20-7 lead at half.

Ramapo intercepted a Mike Devere pass for a first down on the Tiger 45, but White Plains held them off, and took over in Tiger territory at their own 38.

They proceeded to drive 62 yards in 12 plays to take a 20-7 lead at the half.

Key plays on this drive were a 17-yard Ridenhour rumble around end from the WP 42, setting the Tigers up with a first down on the Gryphon 42. This was followed by an bullet third and 10 pass from QB Devere to end Evan McGuire on a slant pattern over the middle to give the Tigers a first on the Ramapo 31. Ridenhour broke loose off tackle for another first on the 19, 4 yards more to the 15, then 5 more to the 10. On 4th down, Spencer took it to the 7 for a first and goal.



RIDENHOUR AROUND END AND IN WITH A MINUTE LEFT IN THE HALF: The third Tiger touchdown being scored by Spencer Ridenhour after he’d bulled his way 7 yards to the 1 yard line. It was the last gain of the day for White Plains. White Plains had the ball unofficially for 30 plays to Ramapo’s 21 in the First Half. They would run only 20 plays in the second half, four of them in the last minute of the game.
Photo by WPCNR


A Second Half of Big Plays

White Plains appeared to have Ramapo stopped again at the outset of the secondhalf, but that kid again, Ylans Lewis made a big play again.

With Ramapo at second and 4 on their own 42 after beginning on their 34, Lewis rolled out again. Look out! The kid raced around left end to the far sideline for a 55-yard touchdown run. The point was missed, and with 10:49 left in the third quarter, it was instantly 20-13, Tigers.

A Very Different Ramapo Defense

The Gryphon line tightened on Ridenhour’s first two runs, and a pass on third down, forced White Plains to punt from their 33.

Booming Punt by Ridenhour: 54 yards!

Ridenhour punted the ball away a high drifting punt with lots of leg, and the Gryphon return man misjudged the punt. It went over his head coming to rest on the Ramapo 13 yard line, a terrific punt of 54 yards from scrimmage, 64 yards point-to-point.

The White Plains defense held Ramapo on downs, forcing an equally clutch punt from Ramapo, whose punter boomed one to Mike Lane at the White Plains 43 and they got him.

LOOSE BALL!

White Plains then was caught holding (face mask) on a Darrell Mack running play, and was pushed back by the penalty to the 32. First and 20.

On third and 20, there was a miscue in the backfield which WPCNR could not pick up, was it a straight fumble, a bad handoff, I could not tell. There was a pile. Ramapo recovered the fumble with approximately 6 minutes to go in the quarter.

33 yards in 6 Plays, for TD and 2 Point Conversion, Gives Ramapo Lead.

Ramapo could smell it now. Lewis threw a pass for a first down on the 21. Rolled out himself to get to the 15, and threw a pass to Edison Avalard for a first down on the 3. Lewis rolled right this time and into the endzone for his third touchdown of the afternoon, and added insult to injury by bootlegging left for the 2-point conversion for the lead, 21-20.

Inches from the Lead

On the next and final series of the third quarter, Mike Devere sent Darrell Mack way deep down the left sideline. The double-team Gryph defense was beaten. Darrell had split the defenders was behind them. The pass just grazed his fingertips. Soooo close to the go-ahead touchdown. On third and 2, the Tigers failed and had to punt it away. It was the last threat for the Tigers.

Ramapo clinches.

Ramapo drove to the Tiger 42, was stopped and forced to punt, but missed the coffin corner kick and White Plains took over at their 20. The Tigers could not move it and short-punted giving Ramapo the ball on the Tiger 45.

Ylvands Lewis did it to the Tigers on this drive, too, sprinting around left end, his favorite overland route, 26 yards to the Tiger 2. Lewis scored his fourth touchdown on the next play, to make it 27-0, and then passed for the 2-pointer to make it 29-20.

The Tigers will be having nightmares of green # 7s this evening.

I have White Plains gaining 130 yards total offense in the firsthalf, and a minus 15 yards in the second half. Ramapo totally shut them down.
Saunders Next Saturday

White Plains falls to 1-2 on the year and will travel to Yonkers next Saturday to play Saunders at 1:30 PM.

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