THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR

WPCNR PRESS BOX. By John F. Bailey. October 6, 2007 UPDATED October 7, 2007 11:30 AM EDT: Yorktown’s Huskers dominated the second half  to overcome a two-touchdown deficit, and a stingy Tiger red zone defense when Brendan Brunell got a step on a lone tiger defender and took a perfectly thrown 10-yard quick pass at the goal line on a 3rd and goal from the Tiger 10 to give the Huskers the lead with a minute to go in the game, 15-14.  A two-point conversion made the final score 17-14.

Yorktown held the ball for 8 minutes in the final quarter on route to the clinching touchdown grinding out first downs at 8 yards a clip on the drive. It was the first home game played at Eastview School in years due to the unavailability of Parker or Loucks Stadium due to synthetic turf conversion.

Number 32 Maurice Thomas Looking like Jim Brown — Rumblin, Stumblin for a 49 yard Touchdown run to put the Tigers up 6-0 in the First Quarter. The Thomas run was a stunner right up the middle.

4th down and 9 Conversion on Husker 24 Sets Up second Tiger TD in second quarter: Mike Howard (15) has just flipped a perfect screen pass to Ray Mitchell, following his Tiger mates, took the pigskin to the Yorktown 10 to keep the Tiger drive alive. Mitchell (33) can be seen falling out of bounds in center of picture.  Billy Dosantos scored on a 7 yard run minutes later to put White Plains up 14-0. A blocked punt gave Yorktown a safety to make the score 14-2 at the half.

Yorktown came back on a drive in the third quarter to close to within 14-9, then after stopping the Tigers on 3 and 2 at the Tiger 41 at the outset of the 4th quarter, Yorktown drove 59 yards in an amazing 17 plays for the winning score with a minute to go. The Tigers after leading the entire game fall to 2-2. They play Horace Greeley next Saturday.

 

 

This game turned around in the Third Quarter when  White Plains took the kickoff at their own 30 and drove in 9 plays to the Yorktown 44 confidently moving the ball,seemingly on route to their third touchdown, when Yorktown stripped the ball and recovered a fumble on the Husker 37.

Yorktown began the drive to get back into the game . The Huskers traded alternative runs getting only to the Tiger 41 when a motion penalty set them back to a 2^nd and 14 on the Tiger 47. Then came the first turning point.  A pass fell short of an intended Huskie receiver on the Tiger 33 with a Tiger defender either falling or inadvertently tackling the receiver and the pass interference flag came out. First down Yorktown on the Tiger 33. However, the ball was thrown  way short, uncatchable. Tiger Coach Skip Stevens protested the call to no avail.

Invigorated, a run got Yorktown to the 15, then a first down on the 5. The Tigers held them for three downs with Yorktown’s second effort by Peter Frank  yielding their first touchdown on 4^th and goal at the 1. With the point,  it was 14-9 with 4 minutes to go in the third quarter.  The Tiger defense was tough inside the red zone today but were chewed up on the Yorktown running game between the 20s.

Mitchell runback called back.

Ray Mitchell broke the ensuing kickoff out to the 50 yard line, but a flag on the far side of the field away from Mitchell’s route, started the Tigers at their 20. The Tigers managed one first down to the 32 then were stopped at the first play of the 4^th quarter on third and 2 at their 42. Yorktown  stopped Mitchell up the middle and forced a punt.

A booming punt set up Yorktown at their own 31. White Plains never touched the ball again for the next 8 minutes, as Yorktown simply chewed up yardage at 8 yards a clip, gaining 7 first downs stopping the clock 7 times  which as it turned out was a huge factor in their winning touchdown drive which consumed 18 plays.

 

Big Overland Gains Highlighted Yorktown winning TD Drive in 4th Quarter, the Huskie backpack ripped off consistent gains of 8 yards on first down.

Ray Mitchell saved a touchdown with a jarring head-on tackle at the White Plains 16, as the Tiger defense valiantly, doggedly attempted to halt the inexorable Huskie drive. After yielding a first down at the 5, White Plains held on two plays with Maurice Thomas sacking the Huskie QB at the 12. A run was stopped at the 10. On third and 6 with a minute and seconds to go in the game, and an almost certain pass, Yorktown went to a tight formation. John Froats looked left. It was a Quick pass to Brunelle on the goal line defended by one Tiger. Froats got the ball in waist high away from the defender and Brunelle stepped into paydirt. Yorktown had the lead and the ball game.

First Half Exactly the opposite.

In the first half Yorktown’s inability to hang onto the football allowed White Plains to control the ball.

After Yorktown went three and out on their first possession, three plays later, Maurice Thomas burst through the center of the Yorktown line and cruised 49 yards for a Tiger touchdown for a 7-0 lead at the 7:40 mark of the opening stanza.

Yorktown then started slicing up the White Plains line, posting three quick first downs, driving to the White Plains 23 with 3 minutes to go in the quarter when  White Plains stripped the ball  with Jean Joseph recovering the fumble on  the Tiger 20 yard line.

The Tigers then drove 80 yards in 12 plays with Billy Dosantos scoring to give the Tigers a 14-0 lead.

This well-orchestrated drive featured two 4^th down conversions by the Orange and Black. The drive started with a 25 yard pitch and outside left end run by Ray Mitchell to give White Plains a first down on the Yorktown 38. After  a 6 yard carry by John Philogene gave White Plains a 4^th and 3 on the Yorktown 28, Philogene burst through the line again for a first down to keep the drive alive.

Three plays later came another key 4^th down conversion on 4^th and 9 at the 27. Mike Howard rolled right looked to Ray Mitchell in the left flat positioned with three blockers for a screen play that sprung Ray down the sideline for a first down on the Husker 14.

Enter Billy Dosantos. The Tigers line sprung him to the 7 yard line. On third and 3 on the 7, Dosantos scampered untouched into the end zone. Mike Howard added his second PAT and it was 14-0 with 10 minutes to go in the half.

After a long run Yorktown’s runner coughed up a fumble on a great strip  by Billy Dosantos and  White Plains  started again on their 21 but the Tigers had a punt blocked, with Yorktown taking over again, driving to the Tiger 5 where the Tigers held them in a great goal line stand.

Forced to punt from their end zone, Yorktown blocked another Tiger punt that bounded out of the endzone for a safety and the Huskies had a 14-2 deficit at the half.

 

Overflow Crowd Views the action in the shadow of the City Center. Bleachers did not have the capacity to handle the crowd.

Best Band in All the Land Entertained at Halftime — Jason Kaplan Leads the Band — in a majestic rendering of Kung Foo Fighting.

WPCNR’S THE REAL DEAL by The Wedding Jeannie. October 6, 2007: Contrary to popular belief, the tradition of the white wedding dress only began in 1840’s England during the reign of Queen Victory.  Before her wedding to Prince Albert, women wore gowns in different colors, and it was only after the Queen had been wed in white, that the trend began in full swing.  While white was always a popular color to demonstrate purity and innocence, the white wedding gown was a tradition that escaped many until Victoria set the stage with it (and in the US white only began to signify purity after WWII).  Ironically, by the late 1800’s, much was written about how a brides’ gown had always been white, furthering the myth that this had been an age old tradition.  And as with most popular trends, this was one that began only with the very wealthy.  It was difficult to keep white clean or get it clean, so only women with disposable income could justify the expensive of having a white dress that would probably never be worn again. 

Jeannie Uyanik, Planner to the World

The Wedding Jeannie

$10,000 to $15,000 a dress.

 

Plus ce que change, plus ce que reste la meme – a famous saying indicating that the more that changes, the more remains the same – and that is certainly true of trends in wedding dresses starting with those that can afford them!  The average cost of purchasing a wedding dress in the city is roughly $4,500.  We know that for many brides, this can be representative of half their entire wedding budget.  It’s difficult to justify the cost of a small car for a gown that you will wear once.  But we see brides in the tri-state area spending closer to $10,000-$15,000 on their wedding day attire frequently. 

 

Bridal fashion can be all over the spectrum.  Brides go strapless, go short, go ornate, go plain, and go wild.  But one thing remains consistently important: comfort.  Regardless of what your personal style is, you need to be extremely comfortable in your gown.  If you aren’t, you’re setting yourself up for a fidgety wedding day (and you don’t want that showing up in the video or pictures).

 

Many designers keep this in mind when creating their latest designs.  Something as simple as choosing an empire waist or a cap sleeve can add that element of comfort while reflecting your personal style.  Speaking of style, it’s usually a good idea to somewhat define what your style is.  Are you traditional and love the idea of wearing a big beautiful ball gown?  Are you a glamorous bride that wants to bring in a bit of old Hollywood into the wedding?  Are you simple and want something more dainty and casual?  These days, there aren’t many rules on wedding fashion.  The dress is a place where you can really express yourself and have some fun doing it!  But a word to the wise, don’t pick something too trendy that will leave you saying, “Now why did I pick this dress again?”

 

Bridesmaids’ Styles Today.

 

And as for the dreaded bridesmaid dress!  The days of poofy sleeves and super matchy-match dresses are over.  The trend for the last several years for bridesmaids is the idea of the ‘re-wear’.  Obviously it’s an honor to be in someone’s wedding, but it’s and even bigger honor when a bridesmaid gets to wear a dress that she loves and that she wants to wear again!  Over the years, some designers have really perfected it! 

 

For example, Ariane Goldman Finkel owner of Twobirds Bridesmaid came up with a bridesmaid dress that can be worn ten different ways.  With this concept, Ariane “marries the bride’s vision with the bridesmaid’s happiness.”  There are other companies that will have similar options.  Amsale’s bridesmaid division allows the bride to choose a fabric and then gives bridesmaids the freedom to choose the design of the dress (with the bride’s approval, of course!)  The hope is that in the end, everyone is happy and feels good in the dress!

 

Grooming the Groom

 

Last but certainly not least, the groom’s attire.  Often the male formalwear is forgotten about until the last minute.  It’s clearly an easier task to cross off your list than getting wedding dress but it shouldn’t be overlooked!  Most people think of the traditional black tux when it comes to the groom and groomsmen. 

 

But more and more, we find that people are going in the suit direction- even for really nice affairs.  When there’s a tie involved, it gives the men a chance to play with color a bit more and it turns into a great gift for the groomsmen. 

 

But for true black tie affairs, I do still see the traditional tuxedo.  What’s interesting is that more and more grooms are going in the direction of buying a tuxedo rather than renting.  If you have access to a good outlet and don’t mind a day of shopping, grooms can often find amazing deals.  And unlike a wedding dress, you can wear your tux over and over again! 

 

Setting the Dress Code

 

The most common question that we get about wedding attire is how to let people know it’s a formal event.  For the record, according to proper etiquette, in the same vein that you would not tell your guests what to wear to a dinner at your home, you are not allowed to instruct guests who to dress at your wedding.  But that caveat generally falls on deaf ears!  So how do you tell people that you want them in tuxes – our favorite is a small note saying “black tie invited” at the bottom right hand corner of the invitation.  It’s a bit less harsh than just “black tie” and certainly more direction than nothing at all. 

 

Whatever you do, the attire that the bride and groom select for the wedding sets the basic tone of the event, so remember that in your selection process and use it to your advantage in setting the stage for a magnificent day.  Attire is part of the décor (next week’s topic) and if you have 6 women running around in the same dress, that’s a color scheme and should be included in the design of the day! 

 

 

Note: Got a question or a comment for the Wedding Jeannie? Ms. Uyanik will answer your questions. Simply e-mail her at [email protected]