WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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WPCNR PHILADELPHIA INQUISITOR. By John F. Bailey. October 5, 2004: WPCNR has learned that the University of Pennyslvania Penn Health System  in Philadelphia expects to break ground on a 1,000,000 square foot facility in July, 2005, beginning with construction of a proton accelerator treatment center to start the project. The new proton accelerator will be a competitor to the New York Presbyterian Hospital proposed facility, because it is within 90 miles of  the NYPH White Plains campus, and the Philadelphia facility expects to be treating patients by mid-2008.

 

The proton accelerator planned to begin construction in Philadelphia duplicates the on-the-drawing-boards treatment center planned by New York Presbyterian Hospital, the site plan extension for which, was approved Monday evening at the White Plains Common Council meeting.

 

Nothing Has Changed?

 

During the Monday evening meeting it was cogently argued by Commissioner of Planning Susan Habel and four Councilpersons (Arnold Bernstein, Benjamin Boykin, Larry Delgado, and Robert Greer) buttressed their approval of a site plan extension on the premise that “nothing had changed” in conditions in the city environment since the last proton accelerator site plan renewal was approved last year. They also agreed with the Planning Department spin that the time the New York Presbyterian Hospital has had to take in drawing up approach road, landscape, storm water retention pools was a situation caused by the Common Council and the Department of Environmental Conservation storm water retention standards.

 

Meanwhile, at a hospital a mere 90 miles away…

 

WPCNR, in an interview with Susan Phillips, Chief of Staff for Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, has also learned that the facility has been in the planning for the last two years, and is expected to be completed in 2008. Phillips said Penn Medicine is in the final stages of selecting the vendor  the proton accelerator.

 

Asked where the proton accelerator expected to draw patients from, Phillips said the facility would be the only proton accelerator in the “Northeast Corridor,” but also expected to draw patients “from all over.”

 

Ms. Philips declined to discuss the costs of the facility with CNR, citing the sensitivity of the proton accelerator supplier selection process she described as being in its final stages.

 

Penn’s Accelerator May be treating while NYPH model may still be under construction

 

Ms. Philips reports the Penn  proton accelerator construction is on target for a mid-to-late 2008 opening.

 

 “A proton accelerator will be acquired by Penn. We have not decided on the vendor yet. We are constructing it as part of a major ambulatory care center. It is a three-year construction period at this moment. We have already started clearing the site and the construction will commence as soon as the site is cleared. I’d say, in the next six to nine months (July, 2005).”

 

Funding Not Clear at this time. Vendors Vie.

 

WPCNR asked about how the proton accelerator (estimated by vendors Hitachi and ACCEL to be in the neighborhood of $160 Million), would be funded, Phillips said

 

“We’re funding it, obviously, a significant portion will come from our own operations and fundraising,” Phillips said.

 

Asked if the funding would consider a supplier who also invests in their own projects, such as Hitachi, (which is building the M.D. Anderson proton accelerator in Houston, and holds a financial stake in the facility), Phillips said,  “ I’m speaking about the entire facility, not just the proton department, if you will, within this large facility. Once a vendor  (for the proton accelerator) is selected, we’ll have more definite information on those points.”

 

WPCNR asked if ACCEL of Germany, Udo Klein’s company putting together the proton accelerator for the Rinecker Proton Therapy Center in Munich, was being considered by Penn, Phillips said she could not comment on that. Asked what type of accelerator (cyclotron or synchrotron ) Penn Medicine was looking at, Phillips declined: “I’m not going to comment on any specifics. We’re in a very intense phase right now, I hope you’ll understand.”

 

Asked the cost of the proton facility, she said, “that depends a lot on equipment. That will become clear shortly.”

 

The Selection of the Proton Accelerator Vendor Process

 

She said Penn expects to select the proton accelerator supplier within the next six months.

 

WPCNR asked if Ms. Phillips had taken a look at the Rinecker Proton Therapy Center in Munich, Germany, under construction. She answered, “Yes, we’ve been touring. I can’t really go into greater detail. We have been to several proton facilities.”

 

I inquired,  “But not the Munich one?”

 

Ms. Phillips laughingly said, “I’m not going to go there, John.”

 

Walk-in Center

 

Commenting in general on the new facility Penn is about to start, Ms. Phillips said:

“It’s going to be a center for advanced medicine We’re very excited about it. It’s going to be adjacent to our hospital quite an excellent location for the kind of care we deliver at Penn. It’s (going to be) across the street from HUB (Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania), our main teaching hospital.”

 

(The Penn Health system flagship hospital is the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania), and is rated one of the nation’s “Honor Roll” hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Penn’s School of Medicine is ranked # 3 in the nation for receipt of National Institute of Health research funds, and #4 in the nation in U.S. News ranking of top research-oriented medical schools, according to the Penn Health System website, www.uphs.upenn.edu )

 

The Penn Ambulatory Care Center which will house the proton accelerator is a much larger more detailed project than the New York Presbyterian Hospital Facility and has taken three years from conception to imminent start of construction.

 

Phillips aid the new facility would house all Penn Hospital’s  advanced out-patient treatment centers.  She reports the proton accelerator facility will be “contiguous” to it:  “We’re building a complete ambulatory care center in four phases, and when it’s completely built-out it will be one million square feet.”

 

Ms. Phillips declined to say how many patients she expected the new facility to attract.

 

Three Years in the Making.

 

On the planning stage for the facility, Ms. Phillips commented, “The planning for the building has been about three years. The earnest planning for the site and the building has been the last 24 months. Once we select a vendor they will be intimately involved (in the proton accelerator construction design).”

 

What marketing area would the proton facility be serving, WPCNR asked.

 

Phillips characterized the Penn Proton Accelerator this way:  “This will be the only facility of this kind in the northeastern corridor, MidAtlantic, but patients who want to come to Penn Care will come from all over. “

 

A Treatment of Great Worth.

 

I asked if she had any medical information on the accelerator and its medical performance as a cancer treatment.

 

She said, “We’re not going to making statements at all until we finished the vendor selection. We’re at the stage where we want to be focused on selecting the right vendor. Obviously we would not be moving forward if we didn’t think it was a  treatment therapy of great worth.”

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. October 5, 2004: After approximately 10 citizens spoke out strongly against the city renewing the New York Presbyterian Hospital site plan approval for another year, because the city environment had changed and there was question about the commercial partners of the project,  the council voted 5-2 to extend it.

New councilmen Arnold Bernstein and Larry Delgado (both of whom had the excuse of not being present at the original approvals) chose to extend the plan, along with Mayor Delfino, Robert Greer and Benjamin Boykin. The Councilmen voting for the extension said the hospital had been diligent, and that

Rita Malmud voted “No” because she said the project had definitely turned commercial in nature, in her opinion, and Tom Roach cast a “No” vote because of significant change occuring in the city. Roach also accused Planning Commissioner Susan Habel of misinterpreting the intent of the city zoning code to allow the extension. WPCNR asked Benjamin Boykin why the council did not table the matter for a month to get more information from the hospital, and Mr. Boykin started to answer then said “No comment,” and walked away from this reporter.

IN THE FIRST TRAFFIC STUDY IN REAL TIME SINCE DEVELOPMENT BEGAIN IN THE WHITE PLAINS  RENNAISSANCE, Tom Soyk, Commissioner of Traffic, reported to the Council that “real time” traffic counts taken from the traffic signal sensors that record traffic at the four major intersections around New York Presbyterian Hospital, show that traffic volumes had reached 47% of the anticipated volume in the year 2006, based on the New York Presbyterian Hospital study at this time. (That is 47% before the City Center towers are filled, before the Cappelli Hotel and Condominiums are built.) Photo by WPCNR News. 

Soyk told WPCNR that if the hospital project was not built by 2006, traffic could be expected to exceed the volumes anticipated by the hospital traffic study in subsequent years, when the project comes on line. WPCNR estimates the proton accelerator/biomedical research facility will not be compelted until 2008 or 2009. The Traffic Study, according to Rick Ammirato of the Mayor’s Office will be available at 12 noon.  The Common Council also approved the contact for the Civil Service Employees Association granting wage hikes totaling 19% out through 2007.

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. From Inspector Daniel Jackson, White Plains Department of Public Safety. October 4, 2004 (EDITED):  A first-in-the-nation public safety summit will convene Thursday, October 14, 2004 from 9 am to 5 pm in White Plains at the Pace University graduate center, 1 Martine Avenue. The conference will feature presentations by senior public safety officials from Phoenix, Charlotte-Mecklenburg and the White Plains Department of Public Safety on the issue of coordinating public safety efforts, followed by discussion.

Mayor Joseph Delfino of White Plains, (Left)  with Deputy Public Safety Commissioner Charles Jennings intoducing the coordinated, newly commissioned Police and Fire emergency response vehicles in July, which respond as a team to fast-breaking emergency events. Photo WPCNR News Archive.

Federal homeland security and domestic preparedness officials, plus high-level police, fire, EMS and private sector executives from mid-sized cities with populations between 50,000 and 250,000 throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have been invited to attend by the cosponsors: the White Plains Department of Public Safety (which coordinates its police and fire bureaus under a Public Safety Commissioner); two leading national organizations, the Police Executive Research Forum and the International Association of Fire Chiefs; and Pace University, through its Edwin G. Michaelian Institute for Public Policy and Management. One hundred have signed up to attend the conference as of this date, which is free to officials who were invited. The conference is not open to the public.

 

Promising models of coordination already exist, notably in White Plains, New York, Phoenix, Arizona and Charlotte-Mecklenberg, North Carolina. To encourage officials to explore these and other models, deliberately postponing New York City’s unique issues for a later day, the organizers have invited a who’s who of  public safety to share in a series of presentations.

 

 From the recent report of the national 9/11 commission to the McKinsey and Co. examination of on New York City’s response to the disaster, 9/11 has spotlighted the importance of police, fire and EMS coordination for homeland security and emergencies — and on the difficulties of achieving it.

 

 “Building blocks.”

 

 Broader context will come from two nationally-recognized experts on emergency preparedness — Arnold Howitt, Ph.D., executive director of the Taubman Center for State & Local Government at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and Jerome Hauer, former director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and now director of the Response to Emergencies and Disasters Institute at George Washington University Medical Center.

 

White Plains Commissioner of Public Safety Dr. Frank Straub at the Department of Public Safety at recent Promotion Ceremony for Fire Fighters.

Photo, WPCNR News Archive.

 

“We hope to help leaders in public safety identify collaborative models that police, fire, EMS, municipal governments and the private sector can use to prepare for and respond to critical incidents,” said White Plains Public Safety Commissioner Frank Straub, the former Deputy Commissioner of Training and Assistant Commissioner in the New York City Police Department’s Counter Terrorism Bureau. He holds a PhD. in criminal justice and is an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.

 

“Police, fire and EMS leaders haven’t dropped the ball,” added Brian Nickerson, Director of Pace’s Michaelian Institute – “it’s that few institutional frameworks have been established to help them jointly identify the issues, get feedback from one another and coordinate their efforts into a plan.”

 

The conference will stress “building blocks” that can lead to opportunities for collaborative emergency preparedness such as routine police-fire problem solving, “Weed-and-Seed” initiatives, safe housing, and joint all-hazards planning.

 

New foundation created.

 

The conference is an early result of a three-way partnership created this spring between Pace, the White Plains Department of Public Safety and a new foundation, The Foundation for Emergency Preparedness, established with donations from members of the Fenway Charitable Foundation and other private benefactors.

 

Pace’s Michaelian Institute has been working with municipal governments to address these issues for the last three years, having presented a half-day conference on emergency preparedness in 2002. More recently it worked with Commissioner Straub and the new foundation to conduct a focus group of emergency responders to highlight issues in need of further attention.

 

“We hope this model, and variations of it, will set a pattern for and help to facilitate improved public safety coordination all across the country,” said Straub.

 

 As of today, a spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety said “We are expecting around 100 attendees or so, and a schedule of speakers and topics will be forthcoming. The topics will be geared towards theory and policy rather than technical aspects.”

Officials attending from out of town will be accomodated at the Crowne Plaza. To register for the conference, contact Inspector Daniel Jackson or Detective Donnelly at (914) 422-6358.  The summit is free to invited attendees, who are from the “executive levels” of the organizations the Department wanted to participate in the conference, and “a  few select partners from the corporate world.”

The Summit is not open to the public, but is open to the media.

Date:               Thursday, October 14, 2004

Time:              9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Location:        Pace University Westchester Graduate Center

                        1 Martine Avenue

                        White Plains, New York 10601

Title:                “Building Sound Homeland Security Foundations: Effective Models

                         for Mid-sized U.S. Cities”

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE By John F. Bailey. October 3, 2004: The New York State Police staged a relentless display of speeding enforcement Saturday on Interstate 684 between White Plains and Brewster. A dozen Trooper cars picked off speeders at the rate of  16 an hour all Saturday morning and were still at it at 12:30 P.M. It was the most aggressive, relentless and effective enforcement this reporter who rolls up and down 684 with alarming frequency all summer long has seen.

The Man In Gray Writes Up a “Hotches” Driving Too Fast in 684 Sweep Saturday 12:15 P.M.. Photo by WPCNR News

At 10:30 A.M., WPCNR rolling North noted four pull-overs Ticket Awards in session simultaneously with 4 troopers writing up four different cars between Westchester Avenue at the “Jackknife alley” and the Westchester County Airport exit on Southbound 684.  Two other Black & Golds were posed at a crossover to pickoff any more “hotches driving too fast.” WPCNR could not help but thinking that if the New York State Police targeted 684 and the Sprain Brook Parkway regularly like this, New York State Budget problems would be solved.

FREEWAY FLYERS IN THEIR BIG BLACK AND GOLDS “GOT YOU” on 684, Saturday, 12:30 P.M. near Exit 3 Photo by WPCNR News

 

Returning from the Brewster area at 12 noon, WPCNR noted the Freeway Flyers were still in action, spotting a task force resting their right arms at  the rest stop near Katonah gearing up for more action.

 

 

 

 

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. By John F. Bailey. October 2, 2004, Updated with Second Photo, UPDATED with More Coverage 9:45 A.M. E.D.T.:  Brian Mix fooled the Tigers on a trap play that had been killing the Orange and Black all second half, and romped untouched for the winning touchdown in the second Overtime Exchange Saturday afternoon to end a thriller for the ages with a 38-32 victory. Tiger Fans thought the Tigers had won in regulation on a Point After Touchdown that was called good by the Referee standing behind the kicker, but was ruled no-good by another official positioned to the left on an angle. That sent the game to Overtime, tied 26-26.

RACING FOR THE WINNING TD: Brian Mix leaves the Tigers behind, breaking out of the backfield on a trap, uses speed to get outside and is about to head into the endzone for the Winning 6 to end the second overtime Saturday afternoon. Photo by WPCNR Sports

CONOR’S CATCH TIES SCORE IN FIRST OT EXCHANGE: Kevin Avery threaded the needle to Conor Lantier (running to camera being congratualted by Tommie Lee (21)in the back of the endzone in traffic on 4th Down from the 4 to tie the Knights 32-32. Pablo Siaba’s try for the winner went left, and they went to a second overtime exchange to decide the contest. Photo by WPCNR Sports

 

EVERYONE THOUGHT IT WAS GOOD BUT ONE REF WHO RULED IT WIDE: The Winner that wasn’t. White Plains tied the game 26-26 in regulation on a 3 yard TD by Ike Nduka. Pablo Siaba’s extra point was signalled “good” by the Referee behind the kicker, Siaba. There were no other officials behind the goal post. An official onthe line by the red shirted spectator on the far sideline ruled the kick was “wide left.” A technician video-taping the game said his tape showed the Referee signaling “good,” and the kick going through. Mount Vernon players were dejected walking off, thinking they had lost. But, NO! The line positioned official rules the kick no good and the Referee changes his call. The lower photo clearly shows no officials stationed underneath the goal post. An official speaking to WPCNR said on a point-after-touchdown one official should be stationed under and slightly behind the goal post to back up the Referee behind the kicker. In the fateful PAT in the photo,  two officials are on either side of the line of scrimmage and a third is by the far sideline. The referee is standing on the 7. Photos by WPCNR Sports

This contest which ended so improbably, began as a trim, tight defensive, disciplined contest, very similar in tone to the 1958 Giants-Colts “Greatest Football Game Ever Played,” which also began the same way. The first quarter ended scoreless,  and the Tigers had to punt way from the Tiger 40.  The Tigers stopped Mount Vernon on three series. The Tigers drove to the Knight 39 in their first series but were forced to punt away.

 

In the Second Stanza,  a Tiger drive stalled on their own 40, and the Knights took over after a short punt on their own 40. After a long run by Greg Harris was called back on one of the first of many illegal procedure penalties on the Knights, Harris fumbled on his own 30 yard line and Gerard Bryant recovered it at the MV 33 for the Tigers.

 

After Jaime Logan tipped away what looked like a sure TD pass from Mike Lane who had gotten behind Logan, Ike Nduka took matters into his own hands. The Tiger line outmuscled the Knights with “Nuke” running for 7 to the 26, 5 to the 21. On 3^rd and 5 from the 18, Nduka dragged tacklers to the 12, and on 4^th and inches from the 12, Nduka went off-tackle to the 6 for first and goal. He surged again to the 1 and jammed it in on 2^nd and goal for a 6-0 lead, White Plains at 7:10 to go in the half. Pablo Siaba added the Extra Point.

 

The Trap is Set

 

Then the complexion of the game turned around on the very next series. On second and 10 from the MV 30, Greg Harris took a stealth handoff from QB Rodney Mack described as a trap play by one of the Tigers,  and sliced off tackle into a vacant Tiger secondary and the race was on. Diagonally to the far side he ran finally being pulled down by a trio of Tigers in pursuit at the Tiger 23. After a 5-yard penalty, Harris turned the corner and loped 28 yards into the end zone to make it 7-6, added the point to tie the score at 7-7. The Purple Knights had gone 70 yards in four plays.  This was to set a disturbing pattern. The Tigers grinding it out with the Knights explosive running game creating big plays.

 

Harris Electrifies Crowd

 

The Tigers went three and out and Mount Vernon got the ball back and moved to the Tiger 45 where they had to punt. Only the Tigers caught a break. A bad snap was muffed by the punter, Brian Mix and the Tigers took over, but could not move it and punted.  Greg Harris caught Siaba’s punt at the 10, and lit to the near sideline, cut back, and headed back across the pursuit to the far sideline breaking clear at the Tiger 40 and DOWN the sideline he flew…35-30-25-20…put on a blaze of speed outdistancing a desperate Mike Lane, and into the end zone for a 90-yard touchdown run to give the Knights a 13-7 lead at the half.

 

Tigers Tie in Third Quarter

 

Mount Vernon took the second half kickoff and the Tigers stopped them on downs, and once again a low snap to the punter deep in Knight country, turned over the ball the Tigers on the Knights’ 23 yard line. Coach Santa-Donato called Number 28’s number and Ike Nduka, having a great rushing day, (he carried for we estimate over 150 yards on about 35 carries), responded again. It was Nuke for 3 to the 18; Nuke for 6 around right end to the 12; Nuke straight ahead to the Knight 8; and Nuke dragging tacklers on his back into the end zone for the equalizer with 7:38 to go in the Third Quarter. With the score tied, Pablo Siaba’s Point After Touchdown was blocked. (This would haunt the Tigers later when the long shadows of autumn started to descend on the stadium.)

 

Tiger Trap Moves That Ball

 

After the tying touchdown, the Tigers tried a squib bouncing kick to keep the ball away from the deep threat and Mount Vernon began their series on their own 23. A 16 yard yard pickup on the pesky trap play by Jaime Logan followed by a personal foul from the point of the indiscretion  put the Knights immediately on the White Plains 39 yard line.

 

Two plays saw the Tigers looking at a 3^rd and 5 situation. Again the trap play was called. A Tiger explained to WPCNR what was happening. A fake hand off would lure the Tigers into a rush to the wrong ball carrier.  He said that the quickness of the Knights backs actually getting the handoff enabled them, Logan, Mix, or Harris to slip into the linebacker area, causing the Tiger linebackers to run into each other attempting to counter pursue. The speed of the Knight back enabled them to blow by the linerbackers trying to reverse direction to grab the interloper, springing the Knights for the big gainers.

 

It happened again on that 3^rd and 5. Rodney Mack faked a handoff to Harris this time, and scampered 12 yards to the White Plains 22.  Harris took the ball to the 14 next. And on 2^nd and  2 on the 14, Rodney Mack led Greg Harris beautifully on a pretty floating pass to the far left, Harris behind the defender, turned to his left drew the pass in and loped gracefully into paydirt to give the Knights a 20-13 lead, lead with their extra point with 4:14 to go in the Third Stanza. The Knights had gone 80 yards in 6 plays, and it did not look good.

 

Connor to the Rescue with Key Pick

 

This was such a great game. White Plains was stopped on its next series. Mount Vernon drove to the White Plains 25 but was forced to punt. The Tigers deep in their own territory punted to Mount Vernon who took over at the Tiger 47 when a 15 yard penalty pushed the Knights back to their own 43. Penalties at in opportune times hurt Mount Vernon all afternoon. WPCNR estimates they were called for 100 yards in penalties between illegal procedures, offsides, clips and personal fouls.

 

Attempting to get the penalty back, Rodney Mack threw a pass out to the flat, on the far side and Connor Lantier climbed the ladder snared the missile two handed high over his head, coming down with it and getting to the Knights 40. First and 10, White Plains on the third key Knight turnover.

White Plains had only one sustained drive all day for a touchdown.

 

After first down gained nothing, Mike Lane swept left end to the the 32.  Ike Nduka carried to the 27 as the third quarter ended, 20-13, Mount Vernon.

 

Nuke clear Holocaust.

 

Nduka reminiscent of Walter Payton in this game, blew around left end to the 19, then jigging and jogging ran to the 12. The Knights knew what was coming and it was Nduka but they could not stop him. You know he’s good when the other team knows he’s coming and they still can’t stop him.

 

It was Nduka again to the 6, up the middle. He failed on 3^rd and 1, then Kevin Avery took it on a keeper for a first and goal on the 5. Then gave it back to Nduka for 2, and then Ike lugged it in from the four moving a PILE of Knights with him to make it 20-19. Pablo kicked the point  to tie the score 20-20.

 

Along about this time, you felt this game was something special. Like the Twentieth Century Limited racing the Broadway Limited to Chicago. In the sweep of the old concrete Parker bowl it had a Yale-Harvard feel to it. What was to unfold in the fourth quarter and two Overtime Exchanges to come will be remembered for a long time.

 

The Purple Knights Strike Back!

 

Having had success keeping the ball away from the Knight deep return threats, the Tigers kicked off with a squib down the middle. It was picked up by Jaime Logan at the Knights 30.

 

Uh-oh! Logan slipped behind 5 or six Knights and found an alley on the near sideline, he sidestepped two Tiger tacklers at the Knight 40 and DOWN the sideline he went!  50 – 45-40-35-30…25-20-15-10-5 TOUCH DOWN…still on his feet. The Tigers could not penetrate the pursuit and Logan had run 70 yards to put the Knights on top 26-20. But their try for a 2-pointer was stopped as Connor Lantier turned aside the ball carrier. There were 8 minutes and 21 seconds to go in the game and you thought the Tigers were done.

 

But, hey, this is White Plains.

 

Mount Vernon stopped the orange and black on three and out, and took over at their 48, moved the ball in fits and starts to the White Plains 43 but no farther, and Brian Mix punted to the White Plains 6 yard line.

The Tigers had 2 minutes and 53 seconds to go. They were 94 yards from a touchdown, and three time outs left. No problem.

 

The Tigers began a 94 yard drive for the equalizer. Two running plays produced a face mask penalty and a first down on the 15. A run to the 18 and one time out was taken. Nduka ran to the 31 around the end and out of bounds, stopping the clock.

 

A run pickup up four. A pass was incomplete, stopping the clock. Avery completed a pass to Mike Lane for a first down on the 42, and Mike stepped out, stopping the clock with 1:20 left.

 

Avery threw across the middle to Connor Lantier, who turned caught it at his belly and was downed at the Mount Vernon 42. White Plains took their second time out.

 

Ike Nduka scampered out of bounds to the Knight 32 with 1:12 to go. A pass to Lantier got them to the 29 and a third down. Avery nonchalantly faded back as if to pass, looking right and casually handed off to Nduka who rumbled around left end. The Knights had shifted right. And incredibly Nduka was headed to the end zone hauled down at the 5.

 

There were 34 seconds to go in the game. Nudka took one shot and did not get it. Mount Vernon was called for delaying the game, not unpiling quickly enough. A huge break it moved the ball to the 2.

 

Nduka tried again to get it in. No way. White Plains quickly lined up and tried again…and IN he went. Touchdown! TouchDOWN. It was tied 26-26 and the stage was set for Pablo Siaba to win it with a true-blue kick for the PAT.

 

The Good PAT that was “No Good.”

 

After much delay as Mount Vernon tried to freeze Pablo. They finally lined up for the PAT. The snap was back, the kick was up headed to the left upright and to this eye, it looked good. It looked good to the Referee standing behind Siaba. It looked good to the White Plains players. It looked good to the Mount Vernon players who trudged off the line of scrimmage, obviously feeling they were beaten. Not one Mount Vernon player jumped up and down indicating they thought the point was missed.

 

But suddenly a linesman coming in from the far side of the field was signaling with hands down. No good. There was a discussion and Mount Vernon players, presented with a gift started leaping up and down in joy.

 

This was an unbelievable call, because a video tape of the sequence taken by a parent who videos all the games appeared to show the Referee signaling good, and the ball inside the left upright.

 

It was also an unbelievable call because there was no second official standing behind the goal post to back up the ref ‘s call. That is not the way the officials are supposed to line up according to the rule book. But the call stood. The teams went to overtime.

 

The Tigers tied it it up after Mount Vernon scored on their first overtime possession on a 4th pass from Avery to Lantier. This time for the PAT for the win, Pablo Siaba drilled it left and truly missed it. Pablo was holding his head in his hands in misery. But Mr. Siaba has hit many a clutch kick for the Tigers, and he will always be remembered by all who saw this game as the man who kicked the winning extra point that the ref called good and an official from the side called “no good.”

 

On the second exchange,  Nduka could not get a first down to the 10 in the second overtime exchange, and Mount Vernon scored on theirs to win the Second Greatest Football Game Ever Played