Hits: 0
WPCNR PRESS BOX. By John F. Bailey. October 4, 2003: White Plains held off Mount Vernon, 35-13 after Joe Vitanza recovered a key fumble in the last minutes of the game Saturday afternoon with the Tigers leading 21-13 which lead to a 53 yard pass to Ryan Smalls to set up the clinching touchdown.
White Plains achieved their fifth consecutive victory, remaining undefeated.
Spencer Ridenhour’s guts and power chewed out two key third down first downs deep in Tiger territory just prior to stem Mount Vernon’s momentum. In the first half, Ryan Smalls set up the second Tiger TD with a spectacular catch at the 3 yard line. Earlier Mike Devere connected on a sensational 50 yard touchdown pass to Evan McGuire for the Tigers’ first score. White Plains lead 21-0 at one point, but touchdown passes at the close of the first half and midway through the third quarter got Mount Vernon back in the game.

SNAG, LAND, SPIN, BULL AND DRAG: Greg Harris of Mount Vernon is trying to bring down the relentless Ryan Smalls in First Quarter Action at Memorial Stadium in Mount Vernon Saturday. Smalls has just leapt high at the 10 yard line to snare a Mike Devere pass, spun as he landed, eluded two tacklers, on his way to the 3 yard line. Ryan’s magnificent extension set up the Tigers second touchdown. The big cats held on to win 35-13. Evan McGuire is just behind Smalls, Joe Vitanza (Number 75) watches Smalls punish the Knights secondary.Photo by WPCNR Sports.
This was a strange game on a brooding, overcast afternoon before about 500 fans who watched a game many thought would never end.
White Plains had a 21-0 lead midway through the Second Quarter thanks to three “ Tiger bust-a-move” plays. The Memorial Stadium scoreboard was not operating and time was loosely kept on the field by the officiating crew once the Tigers moved ahead by three touchdowns. All three quarters after the first quarter seemed to last a very long time, and appeared to be at least 5 minutes longer than the regulation 12 minutes.
A Tiger Test
Coming into the game, the Tigers were wary of Mount Vernon, but stopped the Purple Knights cold on their first series. A 15 knot breeze blew out of the South under the overcast to begin the game and would complicate the afternoon, knocking down Jason Indelicato’s punts into the wind, and making Mike Devere’s passes with the wind, sail.
The Tigers’ field position game was severely challenged. As it turned out the Tigers had to win this game by making first downs late and making two huge plays with less than 4 minutes to go to ice the game that the officials seemed to be enjoying so much they never ran the clock.
Like Patterson and Basilio
The first quarter began with the teams wary and feeling each other out like the Floyd Patterson and Carmen Basilio fight. (Where Patterson started slowly and knocked down Basilio in the early rounds, piling up points early.)
The Tigers moved to their 48 on their first possession, only to have Mike Devere sacked on his first pass attempt on first down, moving the ball back to the Tiger 43. A pitch to Ryan Smalls only got them back to the 49 and Indelicato punted to the Mount Vernon 16.
On the Knights’ second series, Joe Vitanza sacked Marquis Long back at the 10. Indelicato and “Rumbles” Robles then stopped Vernon for no gain, and a third down run got them back to the 19. Mount Vernon got off a terrific punt. Mike “Night Train” Lane took it on his own 38, deked and juked 12 yards to the 50 yard line.
Devere Calls in an Overhand Left.
The Devere Squadron strikes without warning. On first down, QB Lefty Devere, the long tall tactician smoothly fakes a handoff to his right, holds the ball on his left hip with Ridenhour acting perfectly, while Devere pivots 360 degrees, looks straight over the middle, fires an overhand left strike to tight end Evan McGuire running a post pattern right through the middle of the secondary.
As Evan splits the safeties cheating up close to stop what they think is Spencer Ridenhour running on first down, he turns and takes the pass shoulder high and is GONE right down the middle for 6 points. It is a 50 yard touchdown pass, and Evan’s second touchdown reception of the season.
Pablo “The New Toe” Siaba splits the uprights and the Tigers have a 7-0 midway through the first quarter. The Grandstand Offensive Coordinators who convoyed from White Plains are stunned. So is Mount Vernon. It looks like Gorton and Lincoln all over again. Little did they know.
“The Prosecutor” Stops a Drive and Completes a Haymaker.
Mount Vernon returns the kickoff to their 35, and a 15 yard flat pass sets them up with a first down on the 50, with Spencer Ridenhour pushing the offending receiver out at midfield. Two plays later, after a penalty made it 3rd and 17 on the 40, “The Prosecutor” Ryan Smalls issues his first indictment of the proceeding.
He blitzes in on Marquis Long the Knights quarterback from the right side and subpoenaes the QB chasing him back to the 30 yard line. The Knights punt from the 30, only getting off a 20 yard punt into the wind and Ryan Smalls returns the ball to the Mount Vernon 43, as the first quarter ended and the Tigers turned it around and were going into the South wind, moving left right.
Devere then pitched back to Ridenhour who dashed to the Knights 33. A Devere Pass to Smalls at the goaline sailed on him due to the wind. A run by Smalls failed to gain and it was third down and 10, White Plains from the Mount Vernon 30.
Another “Bust-a-Move” play on Third Down.
Devere moves back with style into the pocket like a minister in a pulpit and lofts a floating Y.A. Tittle alley-oop pass intended for Ryan Smalls at the 10 on the sideline, far side.
Ryan goes high, two arms up. Two defenders go up with him. The Smalls kid comes down wrestling the ball from the defenders and miraculously keeps his feet. He churns, spins, lunges away from them and drags them with him to the Mount Vernon 5. It is a first down. It is another “Smalls Snare to Share” and the Tigers are in business on the 5.

TouchDOWN! TouchDOWN! QB Devere handed off to Spencer Ridenhour for a routine blast up the middle for the touchDOWN after Ryan Smalls Third Down Grab and Drag. The Tiger front line of Joe Vitanza, Smalls, Robles was just blowing the Vernons off the ball in this first 20 minutes. Siaba rung up the point and it was 14-0 with about 9 minutes to go in the first half. Photo by WPCNR Sports
Footeball
Raeshoon Foote will have to forgive me that subhead, because the senior fullback made the next “Bust-A-Move.”
Mount Vernon’s Greg Harris caught the Tiger coverage on the far side of the field on the ensuing kick off and seemed long gone for a kickoff return but Keith Shaw and Mike Lane out ran him and shoved him out of bounds at the Tiger 23. Mount Vernon needed a score now and Lane and Shaw made a great save. White Plains causes a fumbled snap by Marquis Long on the first down and it is second down 15 on the Tiger 29. It looks as if Vernon is going to get back in the game.
Again Marquis Long drops back, but the Tigers are coming bowling aside the blockers. Long retreats, holding the ball one-handed and Raeshoone Foote and Evan McGuire have him on the run…McGuire tears the ball out of his hand from behind. Long drops the ball, frantically trying to dive on it.
He can’t get it. He falls by the wayside into turf, but Raeshone Foote picks it up on the 40 and starts rumblin’ stumblin’and steamin’ with it towards the South End of the Stadium. They’re not going to get him, and Raeshone rambles in for a 60 yard touchdown fumble recovery. It is a big play as it turned out. Pablo Siaba converted and the score was 21-0 with what we thought was 5 minutes to go in the half. Easy right?

TIGER SPECIAL TEAM PREPARES FOR KICKOFF
Photo by WPCNR Sports
Mount Vernon Gets Up off the Canvas
The clock being kept by the referees seemed to crawl. Mount Vernon was able to get off 14 plays in those last 5 minutes. Finally with 2nd and 15 on the White Plains 45, Marquis Long hit Greg Harris all alone behind the Tiger secondary the far side at the Tiger 5. He waltzed in for the touchdown, which with the point made it 21-7,White Plains at the half.
Third Quarter Moves Slower. Seconds last minutes.
White Plains started with the ball in the second half, and could not move it. Neither could Mount Vernon. Again White Plains could only move the ball to their 16 and punted into the wind short and Mount Vernon took over with a first down at the Tiger 45. On third down on the Tiger 37, a run around left end by Greg Harris gave MV a first and goal on the Tiger 9. On third and goal, Long threw a screen pass to Harris in the left flat near sideline and he walked into the endzone, for the touchdown that made it 21-13. The kick failed, but with short time left in the third quarter, the Tigers had to move the ball.
4th Quarter Drama
Ater two plays from the White Plains 34, the third quarter ended. White Plains, punting with the wind this time was forced to punt, and the Purple Knights had a chance to get the tying touchdown as they set up on their own 30. It was a 35-yard punt from scrimmage by Indelicato and White Plains needed it.
Mount Vernon made a first down on the 43, and White Plains defense held at 3rd and 6 on the MV 48 as Spencer Ridenhour and Ryan Smalls combined for a chase and sack.
On the ensuing punt Mike Lane returned the ball nicely to the 18 out of trouble but a very questionable “immaculate clip” penalty put the Tigers back on their own 8 yard line. Any mistake here with about 6 minutes to go, and Mount Vernon could tie it with a 2-point conversion, or at least get the ball in great position.
Ridenhour to the Rescue: 2 Third Down Classics.
Ridenhour lugged the ball off tackle to the 16 on the first play. A pass to Ryan Smalls over the middle was incomplete almost picked. It was 3rd and 2 from the Tiger 16. Devere handed to Ridenhour and he moved the mess of tacklers very close to a first down.
Officials called for a measurement. Silence descended. The chains could not be shortened. Mike Devere signaled first down! Then the Ref signaled. Spencer had gotten the first down by the nose of the football. First and 10 on the White Plains 18. Four more downs. Word was there was two minutes to go.
Ike Nduka carried for 4 yards. Devere dropped back looked far left had Evan McGuire out there on the far sideline 20 yards downfield but Evan turned the wrong way. It was again third down, and a long 6.
Moving the Chains
Devere handed off to Mr. Touchdown. With Vitanza and Smalls clearing the right side Spencer deftly cleared secondary before they cut him down again very very close to the first down.
The lead stick came down, and Ridenhour again had gotten a first down by a nose. By this point we thought it was time for White Plains to take a knee. Playing with house money, Ike Nduka carried for 4, then carried again for what seemed like a backbreaker gain to the Tiger 45

WHITE PLAINS PARENT AUXILIARY WATCHES NERVOUSLY IN CLOSING MOMENTS WHICH WERE THE LONGEST CLOSING MINUTES THEY’VE EXPERIENCED. Photo by WPCNR Sports
Fumble!
But suddenly the official was signaling first down Mount Vernon after Nduka was down. The Knights got it back with another chance to tie.
On the first down from the White Plains 45, Marquis Long made his third muffed snap of the day handed off and a scramble ensued at the line. The signal was first down the other way. Joe Indelicato was on his back, and we could not see who for White Plains recovered the giveback. In the postgame, Indelicato said it was Joe Vitanza. A kicksave and a beauty. First down White Plains on their own 45.
Smalls Shocker!
After what had seemed like an eternity since the “immaculate clip” call and Ridenhour’s guts third down conversions, Devere took a snap and casually dropped back, looking right, on first down, looking DEEP, real deep.
Down there deep at the Mount Vernon 15 is Ryan Smalls ahead of his defender. He turns to his left gathers in the beauty floater from Pilot Devere and incredibly holds on to the ball as the defender drapes himself with all his weight on Ryan’s back.
But Smalls instead of buckling keeps moving! Another 3 yards, staggering, carrying his tackler. He refuses to go down, churning for 6 yards, 9 yards and a first and goal on the 3. The play covers 52 yards. Another Smalls classic catch of the season in the clutch.
Devere handed to Ridenhour who burst in on first and goal with no resistance for the touchdown that made it 27-13. Pablo converted and it was 28-13 with what we thought was seconds to go.
But the referees were enjoying the game so much that Mount Vernon got off about 6 more plays before White Plains took over on downs at their 30 yard line.
Another 7 Nails in the Coffin.
On first down, Devere gave it to Spencer Ridenhour who burst off tackle, into the secondary and simply out ran Mount Vernon for a 70 yard touchdown run. It was his second touchdown of the long afternoon.
When time finally ran out, the fans could not believe what they had seen: 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters that lasted endlessly. White Plains penalized more than they have been penalized in any game all season. Flagrant pass interferences not called.
Amateur in Truest Sense of Word
Let me repeat, the officiating was terrible in this game.
Sean McLaughlin went up for a pass in the second quarter in mid air and before the catch he was taken out, landing on his back. That is pass interference anywhere but today.
Evan McGuire was going for a pass, hit the ground and the pass defender hit him just before he caught it, and picked up the ball returning it 30 yards. The grandstand defensive coordinators felt that one was pass interference too.
Allowing hits like this makes it a dangerous game for both sides.
There were questionable calls allowing Mount Vernon key opportunities that the White Plains defense fortunately denied. There was a sack that would have killed a Mount Vernon drive giving the Tigers a much better field position at the time of the “Immaculate Clip.” The sack was declared a forward pass, nullifying a 20 yard loss. This was an egregious call.
This was a badly officiated game, with time kept very ineptly by the referees on the field.
When this one ended, the Tigers felt they must have played 5 quarters with at least 3 to 4 minutes added to each of the last three quarters.
Character Building
This fifth win was a win like all others this season: the line, the defense, the offense making big plays, and refusing to give in to fatigue, adversity, or in this case, amateur, in every sense of that word, officiating. White Plains is a superbly conditioned football team. The boys go both ways and have a lot left in their fuel tanks when the other clubs cannot respond.
This was a game where Spencer Ridenhour rose to the occasion for two third down plays that had to be made on third and long. His extra effort after having his ankle hurt in the second quarter was a valiant effort.
But the victory was won by every one stepping up and making plays, doing their jobs, following their assignments. The fumble at the 45 in the last minutes was the first Tiger turnover this reporter can remember in 5 games. That may be exaggerating, but this team makes no mistakes.
Mike Devere passed in the pinch when he had to on a hard day to pass. An oldtimer who played on New Rochelle in the early 60s, remarked to me that Mike did not have the touch when he was missing receivers in the first half.
When he hit Smalls for the 56 yard pass play with the game on the line, getting it to him in catchable position….my oldtimer compadre said, “He’s got the touch all right.”
They all have “the touch.”