WPCNR PRESS BOX. By John F. Bailey. September 21, 2002: Mike Lane took the kickoff on his own 15 yard line on the opening kickoff, picked his way gingerly along the far sideline through heavy Gryphon traffic broke out of the scrum at his 45 and rumbled into the endzone for a 75 yard kickoff return to put White Plains up 7-0 before Ramapo could get started. Two sustained drives by White Plains with Spencer Ridenhour scoring both touchdowns on short runs, put the Tigers up 20-7 at the half.
THAT’S “FREIGHT TRAIN” LANE TAKING THE OPENING KICK-OFF! Lane, at far left of picture, just starting his run, neatly deked, ducked, bounced and moved into high gear, cruising 75 yards through the Gryphon Team with a great special teams effort for a 6-0 Tiger lead at Ramapo High School Saturday afternoon.
Photo by WPCNR
But, that was the end of offense for the Tigers for the day. White Plains had the ball 5 times in the second half and went 3-and-out each time, gaining, actuallty losing approximately a minus 25 yards, unofficially in the entire second half.
Led by their talented 440 speedster and roll-out specialist, Ylvans Lewis, Ramapo took the lead with two touchdowns in the third quarter and added a third TD in the final stanza to defeat White Plains, 29-20.
Tigers lead by 14-0 after First Quarter
After Lane’s electrifying kickoff return, White Plains defense and Ramapo’s traded stops, until Ramapo fumbed on their own 39, with the Tigers recovering. White Plains then marched 39 yards in 12 plays to score on Spencer Ridenhour’s 6-yard run, to make it 14-0 with 2:28 to go in the first Quarter.
RIDENHOUR OFF TACKLE AND INTO THE ENDZONE: With Evan McGuire (13) and Darrell Mack(17) clearing the middle Spencer capped the time-consuming drive in the first quarter, punching it in for a 13-0, soon-to-be 14-0 lead. Ridenhour’s legs can be seen in the middle of the huge hole cleared out by the Tiger pitmen. Ridenhour carried six times on this drive, making runs of 9, 2, 5, 4, and a 2 yard run. With fourth and 2 on the 33, Ike Nkuka ran 15 yards to the 18, then 6 yards for a 2nd down on the 12, then for 5 more yards for a first and goal on the 7, and Ridenhour took it over in two carries. The Tigers added the point and it was 14-0.
Photo by WPNCR
Ramapo was back on their heels at this point and on the kickoff took over at their 45 yard line. White Plains was looking for their third stop of the day with Ramapo with third down and 10 on the White Plains 39 when the First Quarter ended.
Touchdown on a Scramble
On the first play of the second quarter, 3rd and 10, the Tigers covered the Gryphon receivers perfectly and Ylvans Lewis, the Ramapo quarterback was lined up for a sack in the backfield, actually in Tiger paws. He slipped the Tiger tackler, and lit out around left end towards the far sideline with all of White Plains on the near side of the field. Lewis turned on his 440-speed (a Ramapo fan said Lewis is 4th in the state in the 440), outrunning the last Tiger, squeezing in at the goal line flag. Touch-DOWNNN! 39 yards!
The point kick made it 14-7 with 11:47 to go in the half. The sight of Lewis rolling out was going become all too familiar in the second half.
White Plains Consolidates, Takes 20-7 lead at half.
Ramapo intercepted a Mike Devere pass for a first down on the Tiger 45, but White Plains held them off, and took over in Tiger territory at their own 38.
They proceeded to drive 62 yards in 12 plays to take a 20-7 lead at the half.
Key plays on this drive were a 17-yard Ridenhour rumble around end from the WP 42, setting the Tigers up with a first down on the Gryphon 42. This was followed by an bullet third and 10 pass from QB Devere to end Evan McGuire on a slant pattern over the middle to give the Tigers a first on the Ramapo 31. Ridenhour broke loose off tackle for another first on the 19, 4 yards more to the 15, then 5 more to the 10. On 4th down, Spencer took it to the 7 for a first and goal.
RIDENHOUR AROUND END AND IN WITH A MINUTE LEFT IN THE HALF: The third Tiger touchdown being scored by Spencer Ridenhour after he’d bulled his way 7 yards to the 1 yard line. It was the last gain of the day for White Plains. White Plains had the ball unofficially for 30 plays to Ramapo’s 21 in the First Half. They would run only 20 plays in the second half, four of them in the last minute of the game.
Photo by WPCNR
A Second Half of Big Plays
White Plains appeared to have Ramapo stopped again at the outset of the secondhalf, but that kid again, Ylans Lewis made a big play again.
With Ramapo at second and 4 on their own 42 after beginning on their 34, Lewis rolled out again. Look out! The kid raced around left end to the far sideline for a 55-yard touchdown run. The point was missed, and with 10:49 left in the third quarter, it was instantly 20-13, Tigers.
A Very Different Ramapo Defense
The Gryphon line tightened on Ridenhour’s first two runs, and a pass on third down, forced White Plains to punt from their 33.
Booming Punt by Ridenhour: 54 yards!
Ridenhour punted the ball away a high drifting punt with lots of leg, and the Gryphon return man misjudged the punt. It went over his head coming to rest on the Ramapo 13 yard line, a terrific punt of 54 yards from scrimmage, 64 yards point-to-point.
The White Plains defense held Ramapo on downs, forcing an equally clutch punt from Ramapo, whose punter boomed one to Mike Lane at the White Plains 43 and they got him.
LOOSE BALL!
White Plains then was caught holding (face mask) on a Darrell Mack running play, and was pushed back by the penalty to the 32. First and 20.
On third and 20, there was a miscue in the backfield which WPCNR could not pick up, was it a straight fumble, a bad handoff, I could not tell. There was a pile. Ramapo recovered the fumble with approximately 6 minutes to go in the quarter.
33 yards in 6 Plays, for TD and 2 Point Conversion, Gives Ramapo Lead.
Ramapo could smell it now. Lewis threw a pass for a first down on the 21. Rolled out himself to get to the 15, and threw a pass to Edison Avalard for a first down on the 3. Lewis rolled right this time and into the endzone for his third touchdown of the afternoon, and added insult to injury by bootlegging left for the 2-point conversion for the lead, 21-20.
Inches from the Lead
On the next and final series of the third quarter, Mike Devere sent Darrell Mack way deep down the left sideline. The double-team Gryph defense was beaten. Darrell had split the defenders was behind them. The pass just grazed his fingertips. Soooo close to the go-ahead touchdown. On third and 2, the Tigers failed and had to punt it away. It was the last threat for the Tigers.
Ramapo clinches.
Ramapo drove to the Tiger 42, was stopped and forced to punt, but missed the coffin corner kick and White Plains took over at their 20. The Tigers could not move it and short-punted giving Ramapo the ball on the Tiger 45.
Ylvands Lewis did it to the Tigers on this drive, too, sprinting around left end, his favorite overland route, 26 yards to the Tiger 2. Lewis scored his fourth touchdown on the next play, to make it 27-0, and then passed for the 2-pointer to make it 29-20.
The Tigers will be having nightmares of green # 7s this evening.
I have White Plains gaining 130 yards total offense in the firsthalf, and a minus 15 yards in the second half. Ramapo totally shut them down.
Saunders Next Saturday
White Plains falls to 1-2 on the year and will travel to Yonkers next Saturday to play Saunders at 1:30 PM.
