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

WPCNR PRESS BOX. By John F. Bailey. September 18, 2004: New Rochelle, the New York State Class AA Champions, put on a clinic Saturday afternoon at Parker Stadium and showed their championship calibre. Scoring on the first play from scrimmage, on a routine countertrap to Ray Rice, who slipped a tackle in the linebacker zone, and lit out cross field and DOWN the sideline for a 65 yard touchdown run, NewRo was off! That was after Rice had returned the opening kickoff 32 yards.

After a  New Rochelle fumble on a Pablo Siaba punt away, White Plains had a chance to answer the Rice shocker, but fumbled it back on their first play to give NewRo another great field position on the Tiger 48. Then the big and fast Huguenot line got busy, clearing away the interference on play-after-play. They went 48-in-6 with Rice scoring his second touchdown running right up the middle romping 20 yards to make it 14-0 five minutes into the game.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Tiger return man muffed the catch and a white shirt fell on it to give the Tall Fast Huge ones a first down on the Tiger 20. QB Geoff McDermott passed to David Richards for 19 yards to the 1, and McDermott took it on around the right end for the third and Tiger taming touchdown within six minutes it was 21-0. The score was 35-0 at halftime. New Rochelle moved to 3-0, and looking good, while the Tigers suffered their first loss of the season and stand 2-1.

NewRo Turns Turnover Around. McDermott rounds the corner, inside the fonton for a 20-0 lead in first 4 minutes: Geoff McDermott strings them out and gets into the endzone for the Tiger tamer, NewRo’s third touchdown.  Photo by WPCNR Sports

 

Getting Ugly Early

 

This one got ugly early, folks. On the first play from scrimmage. After Mr. Rice took the Tiger kickoff and bounced, bulled, slithered and weaved through 9 of 11 Tigers, getting caught at the NewRo 45, he got the first handoff. QB Geoff McDermott faked handing off to the halfback coming across to the near sideline, while Ray Rice came back the other way.

 

The Tigers bought it, but still when Rice breached the line there was a Tiger to wrap his paws around Rice, wrapping him around the thighs. That did not stop the Riceman.  Rice looked like he was stopped for a modest 3 yard gain. But, No! He bulled his way out of the tackle! Rice continued on the slant to the  wide open far side, 15 yards, 20 yards, and no one was going to get him, the Tiger defense having swung right and in hot pursuit. Rice  made it to the end zone the whole 65 yards.

 

“Oh, well, we just have to come back.”

 

That’s what the grandstand quarterbacks were saying. The Tigers three running plays, two with Mike Lane carrying, and one with Paul Scotman, ended up with a punt by Siaba. Pablo, standing on his goal line got a 42-yard punt to the 48 where the New Rochelle return man muffed the catch, and White Plains recovered for a first down on their 48. It looked like the Tigers were back in business.

 

 

 

PABLO PUNTS OUT OF TROUBLE (top photo) Justin McGhee fumbles the catch at the Tiger 45, and Mike Lee (23) recovers it, getting Tigers out of trouble momentarily. But it was fool’s gold. A fumble on the first play gave it back. Photos by WPCNR Sports

 

But, no. On the first play Mike Lane burst through the line picked up 3 yards and had the ball stripped, and NewRo recovered. Once again New Rochelle had the ball.

 

Moving it.

 

After a 10 yard gain by Justin McGhee to the 35,  McDermott threw to Rice in the right flat behind the line of scrimmage and Rice got a first down at the Tiger 20. Justin Johnson carried for 4 to the 16, and then to the 14. After McDermoot was thrown for a loss back to the 20, Rice dashed 20 yards around left end, slipping a tackle at the 10, and into the endzone he went for the second touchdown, 13-0 it was now.

 

The Muff.

 

On the ensuing kickoff, the Tiger KO man Garry Morello muffed the kick off and New Rochelle recovered on the 20, resulting in McDermott’s touchdown two plays later, and the point made it 21-0.

 

Kevin Avery trying to pass the Tigers back into the game almost connected with Joe Henry on a long pass play, but the ball just went off Joe’s fingertips.

 

Then a blitz on Kevin Avery caused a fumble and a fourth NR touchdown.

 

STORM SURGE: TIGERS HANGING TOUGH DOWN 4 TDS: New Rochelle took all four plays with goal to go from the 4 before Dave Richards scored to make it 34-0 with six minutes to go in the First half. Photo by WPCNR Sports.

 

In the middle of the second quarter the Tigers showed great heart in almost stopping a Huguenot drive on their goal line on four plays, but  Dave Richards got it in on the fourth try, to make the final score 35-0, with the point.

 

Tigers Stopped 7 times inside the New Ro 2.

 

As time was running out in the first have the Tigers, thanks to a personal foul penalty drive to a first and goal on the Huguenot 4. However two running attempts to breach the Huguenot line failed. A pass play caught NewRo holding and the Tigers got a fresh set of 4 downs to make 2. Three running attempts failed, and then Avery was thrown for a loss at the 10.

 

SACK ENDS THE BID ON 4TH AND GOAL: Kevin Avery under a wave of white at the NewRo 10 as pass protection could not handle the pass rush on the final down. Tigers could not push it across in 7 tries from the Huguenot two at the close of the first half. Photo by WPCNR Sports

 

It showed just how big and strong and tough the New Rochelle line is. Seven attempts to jam it in had been stopped.

 

Comments from the Granstand Quarterbacks noted that New Rochelle was hitting hard, and streaming into the Tiger backfield. Tigers were not picking up the right defensive men in the backfield blocking scheme, and that New Rochelle was dominating the line of scrimmage. They were both big and fast, and a very good team. The smaller Tiger line was getting surged and pushed back the entire first half.

 

Sportsmanlike Conduct. New Rochelle Displays a Classy Attitude.

 

The game out of hand, New Rochelle’s coach, Lou DiRienzo showed respect and sportsmanship towards White Plains, by refusing to run up the score in the second half.

 

This classy conduct by Coach DiRienzo stands  in sharp contrast to another powerhouse team, North Rockland which made a deliberate effort to run the points up on the Tigers in the fourth quarter last season when White Plains played them.

 

 

What was most impressive about this game was that New Rochelle’s Coach played his second string offensive line to start the second half, and his second string backfield. He played the starting line when White Plains had the ball, though to preserve the shutout.  White Plains reciprocated by playing its second string offense. It was a classy gesture by  New Rochelle’s coach, and by both coaches really, one rarely seen on football fields any more. You know New Rochelle wanted this game badly, but they won with class and showed respect towards White Plains.

 

 

Parker Turf Job Holds Up. The scene out of “Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse” as the crowd of over 500 leaves the stands of the beautiful old Parker bowl in the Highlands.  Photo by WPCNR Sports.

 

The star of this game was the Parker Stadium new turf which was in great playing shape and was not torn up at all by the cleatsters in this game. It took a pounding from the rains and stood up to the cleats. A terrific refurbishment of the turf. Interim Athletic Director Nick Pinaro said he was amazed at what good shape the field was in at 10 o’clock Saturday morning when he inspected it and decided to play the game. Pinaro said the Junior Varsity game scheduled on Astroturf in New Rochelle, could not be played because of the condition of the astrofturf.

 

Smoke Bomb Relieves Boredom on New Rochelle Bench.

 

The New Rochelle bench was enlivened by a small boom and a flash of light  at the end of the New Rochelle bench on the East Side of the field. With one minute and 50 seconds remaining in the Third Quarter, what White Plains Police said was a smoke bomb was set off, by one of the New Rochelle players. Police said New Rochelle said they would “handle the problem internally.” Police on the scene said the device was not dangerous.

 

The Tigers will regroup and play Lincoln High School in Yonkers Thursday afternoon at 4 P.M. Ike Nduka did not play today, but it is hoped he will be ready for the Thursday contest.

 

 

BAND WINS!  The WPHS Marching Band made its 2004 debut, sounding sharp on favorites like “Mr. Touchdown,” and doing a stirring, dignified National Anthem — kudos to the trumpets on that one. Photo by WPCNR BandCam.