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WPCNR PRESS BOX. By John F. Bailey. Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2002 UPDATED 11:00 PM EST: Three big touchdown plays by Spencer Ridenhour, Darrell Mack, twice, and a classic goalline stand by White Plains, held off the innovative passing game of the Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders today before over 1,500 fans at Parker Stadium, as the Tigers won 19-14 in the Annual Turkey Bowl Classic.
FIRST DOWN! Spencer Ridenhour strains to the 13 yard line for the clinching first down on 3rd and 1 at the Tiger 12, with little over a minute to go in the football game, to clinch the Turkey Bowl. The Tigers ran it out of trouble after holding Stepinac off at the goalline to deny them the winning touchdown. Ridenhour had a 91 yard touchdown run for the Tigers first touchdown. Darrell Mack, in his last game for the Tigers, had a 76-yard run for a touchdown, and a 45-yard touchdown pass reception in the marvelous contest.
Photo by WPCNR SPORTS
After trailing 19-7 at halftime, the Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders pulled to within 19-14 midway through the third quarter on a 15-yard drawplay up the middle with Frank Scuderi carrying the mail untouched into the endzone, to make the score 19-14 with the extra point.
The score was set up by an interception of a Mike DeVere pass by Yonkers’ Rich Pedilla as he waited on Mike’s flat pass to the near flat intended for Evan McGuire, cut in front of Evan on the near sideline, picking him off, returning the ball to the White Plains 35.
After a running play was futile, on the second play from scrimmage, Greenburgh’s Wendell Barbour, the talented scrambling quarterback in the Fran Tarkenton tradition, hit White Plains’ own Billy Flooks with a 21-yard crossing pattern to the far sideline, putting the Crusaders on the Tiger 15.
On the next play, Barbour delayed to the fullback Scuderi, completely fooling the spread Tiger secondary. Up the middle the “Bronx Batterer” cruised for the touchdown that put the Crusaders back in the game with 9:18 left in the Third Quarter. 4 plays and a touchdown. Three plays, 7 points.
Stepinac Stalls the Tiger Ground Forces
The Crusaders stopped the Tigers on the next series, with Spencer Ridenhour’s short punt (He slipped on the frozen tundra), setting the blue and scarlet up on their own 42. Tiger fans were apprehensive.
They had every reason to be, with QB Barbour mixing up flat passes to the White Plains ends, Griffin Nugent and Billy Flooks, Stepinac moved to the White Plains 25. Barbour to Nugent for 14 yards. First Down on the WP 46. Barbour to Nugent for 18 yards.
First down on the WP 27, where the Tigers stopped them on downs as two passes to Nugent fell incomplete. The Tigers had held off the challenge for the lead. It was the second time the Tigers had stopped Stepinac in the red zone. In all on the day, Stepinac only converted once in 3 tries after reaching the White Plains 25.
TIGERS RUN CLOCK. The Tigers running game settled things down when Ridenhour rumbled for a first down to the Tiger 35, and QB Mike DeVere trapped, rolled and picked his way for another first down to the Tiger 46. Then the Crusaders toughened up and stopped the Tigers on downs at the Crusader 48. Forced to punt, the Tigers coughed up the ball to Stepinac on the Stepinac 35. Ridenhour punted extremely well most of the morning on the frozen field, handling snaps deftly and getting kicks off with reasonable 30 yard distance from scrimmage.
Photo by WPCNR Sports
The Drive.
After White Plains had stopped Stepinac on downs and was forced to punt again, Stepinac got the ball back on their own 25 with 8:30 to go in the contest.
Given new life, the short scramble and pass game that Wendell Barbour, Grif Nugent and Billy Flooks had been working to torment the Tiger secondary the whole day, got into high gear, and drove 72 yards in 13 plays and came up just short of a miracle.
This was a classic sequence, replete with amazing third down plays. Barbour to Flooks for a first down on the 35 on a third down play. Barbour on a scramble run for a first down on the White Plains 45 on a do-or-die 3rd and 13. Barbour finding Nugent in the near flat, and the nimble Nugent deking and dodging and feinting tacklers on a first down play to the Tiger 36.
The dogged Tiger secondary zone was being skillfully sliced apart by Barbour’s accuracy and ability to elude the Tiger pass rush, giving either Flooks or Nugent to time to work themselves free. On 2nd and 1 from the Tiger 36 with 4:13 to go, Barbour rolled right almost in the grasp of two Tiger rushers only to hit Flooks in the left flat who turned up field and cruised to the Tiger 25.
On the very next play, the snarling Tigers covered the pesky Flooks-Nugent combination, but the pass rush could not get to Barbour who faked four or five tacklers out of their cleats in an amazing combination rollout-quarterback draw and scramble dashing all the way up the middle to the Tiger 3 yard line. Incredibly the Crusaders were knock-knock-knocking on Heaven’s Door.
The Stand
First down the Crusaders handed off to Scuderi up the middle. No dice, losing two yards.
Second down, Barbour scrambled right threw left. Incomplete.
Third down, Barbour dropped back, two Tigers were coming on, he pitched the ball forward and we believe it was Nugent getting the ball back to the three.
The Crusaders called timeout.
The Immaculate Knockdown
On the final play, Barbour threw to the right into endzone traffic trying for Nugent in Coffin Corner, and without maneuver room, the Tiger secondary was all over him, Mike Lane knocking the pigskin to tundra to deny the bid, according to Mike’s dad who was sitting behind me.
It was a Goal Line stand to remember.
The Tigers took over on downs and ran out the clock. Spencer Ridenhour carried three times to chew out a first down on the 13 with a minute to go to avoid a punt from the Tiger endzone.
BIG PLAYS IN FIRST HALF ELECTRIFY THE MULTITUDES: The defensive drama of the second half was in direct contrast to the offensive dazzle of the opening stanza. Here the standing room only crowd takes in the action.
Photo by WPCNR Sports
After Stepinac was stopped on their first series, Frank Scuderi intercepted Mike DeVere’s pass to the near sideline at his own 40 yard line and returned it to the White Plains 15. On 4th down at the Tiger 9 Barbour hit Nugent high in the back of the endzone, and he could not hang on to the ball, ending that drive.
Ridenhour Rumblin’ and Stumblin’ 91 yards to Glory
After the touchdown drop, Spencer Ridenhour on a simple off tackle play emerged from a pile of blue jerseys and was gone racing 91 yards up the middle being pursued by a posse of Crusaders and outrunning his nearest pursuer for 6 points and the first score. The point by Tony Ciarmella made it 7-0.
Mack’s 76-yard run makes it 13-0.
Stepinac and White Plains each exchanged punts. In the early going in this game, the White Plains line easily handled the Crusader running game, and the Barbour-Nugent-Flooks aerial madness had not gotten in gear.
When Stepinac coughed the ball up on downs again with 9 minutes to go in the half, the Tigers took over at their own 26. Handoff: Darrell Mack. The senior halfback bounced into the line darted right down the sideline and the race was on down the far sideline. They did not get him, and the Tigers were on top 13-0, on a 76-yard run off tackle. Tiger fans were complacent.
Not for long.
Coach Mike O’Donnell cranked up his Air Barbour game and within seconds Grif Nugent had slipped behind the Tiger deep man, and with no Tiger within 10 yards of him caught Wendell Barbour’s lofted pass and gleefully romped to a quick 6. The point made it 13-7, with 8:41 to go in the half.
Crusaders denied at 3-minute mark.
Taking the ball over at their 23, Stepinac drove to their 49 yard line, when Barbour hit Nugent for a 31 yard pass play setting them up at the Tiger 19. After one play, Barbour found Flooks at the 15, it looked as if Stepinac was going to tie it up.
Ridenhour to the Rescue.
Then Barbour, looking for Nugent on the goal line threw it over the middle and Spencer Ridenhour picked it off at the goaline, lit out for the far sideline and we went the other way. The big greyhound returned the pick 101 yards, only to have it called back for a clip on the Stepinac 31.
DeVere to Mack
After a penalty, Mike DeVere drifted back, having enough time to take a Regents, and found Darrell Mack at the Crusader 25 in the near flat, complete! Mack spun, busted a move on his would-be tackler, leaving him spinning like a top. and followed a convoy to the endzone for a 42-yard touchdown pass and run. His second touchdown of the quarter. The half ended, 19-7, White Plains setting the scene for a second half to remember.
Most intricate passing game this season.
The Crusaders, finishing the season at 4-6, played a terrific game and unofficially we have Wendell Barbour passing for over 200 yards. Coach Mike O’Donnell’s plays involving his brilliant ends Flooks and Nugent were intricate, sophisticated and well executed against a bigger Tiger line. Barbour, Flooks and Nugent are all Seniors, and their final game was one to remember.
The Tiger defense was brilliant in the first half and hung on doggedly to contain the relentless air game in the second half.
THE WHITE PLAINS HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING BAND, under the direction of Leslie Tompkins produced college quality marching entertainment before the game and at halftime, forming a “WP” and a big “W” at halftime with a fine rendition of “Mr. Touchdown,” big brassy themes from “Shrek,” “Austin Powers,” and a choregraphed “Jungle Boogie.” The White Plains Cheerleaders warming up for the Cheerleading Championships Monday performed high-jinks.
Photo by WPCNR BandCam
Press Notes
The crowd was a big one, arriving well before game time and we estimate the crowd to be approximately 1,500 persons.
In pregame ceremonies the Turkey Bowl Game was dedicated to Reverend Monseignor John J. O’Keefe for his ten years of leadership of Archbishop Stepinac, and Frank McMahon, the recent inductee to the White Plains High School Hall of Fame.
The White Plains Tigers completed the season with a 7-4 won-lost record. Senior Darrell Mack had perhaps his most spectacular game as a Tiger with two touchdowns.
We say so long to Seniors Tony Ciaramella, Terrell Smith, Matt Jones, Adam Reiss. However, coming back will be Spencer Ridenhour, Mike DeVere, Evan McGuire, Sean McLaughlin, Mike Lane, Ike NDuka and the usual suspects for a great run next year. They’re learnin’.
THE BAND IN A “WP” PLAYS THE WHITE PLAINS ALMA MATER, start of a perfect football day.
Photo by WPCNR BandCam