Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Rams Win First Round FCS Playoff Contest

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Rams Win First Round FCS Playoff Contest: (Photos by Gary Quintal) By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, DECEMBER 2- A historic college football game was played at Jack Coffey Field ...

Rams Win First Round FCS Playoff Contest

(Photos by Gary Quintal)

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, DECEMBER 2- A historic college football game was played at Jack Coffey Field on the Bronx campus of Fordham University on Saturday afternoon. Fordham(13-1) hosted its first FCS playoff contest, in the first round of the 2013 Division I championship and the Sacred Heart Pioneers (10-3) were making their first FCs playoff appearance.

The weather was not a factor in the outcome as skies were clear, winds were blowing more than 10 mph and the temperature was in the 30s. 

The Thanksgiving holiday weekend did not decrease interest in the game as nearly 5,000 of the 7,000+ seats were filled with enthusiastic Rams rooters.

The result of the hard fought contest was primarily determined by turnovers. Each of the four turnovers of the Pioneers led to a Fordham Rams score.

The first turnover of the afternoon was an interception of a Michael Nebrich pass by J. D. Roussel, that he carried 52 yards to the Fordham 13. The scoring opportunity was nullified two plays later as Keshaudas Spence, the North East Conference (NEC) Offensive Player of the Year, fumbled the football, which was recovered by Levon Williams on the Fordham 30. 

The Fordham drive that followed culminated in a 32-yard touchdown pass from Nebrich to Tebucky Jones, Jr. at 6:23 of the first quarter. The extra point kicked by Michael Marando gave the Rams a 10-7 advantage. 

Seconds into the second quarter, the same Fordham combination, Jake Rodrigues, who again caused Spence to fumble and Williams, who recovered the ball, set the stage for another Fordham touchdown. A 19 yard Nebrich pass to another of his favorite receivers, Sam Ajala, brought the Fordham lead to 24-7 at 13:22 of the second quarter. 

The visitors hung tough and cut the Rams advantage to four points, 31-27, before the third quarter concluded. 

Sacred Heart’s first drive of the final period was stopped at Fordham’s 32 as Jordan Chapman picked off a pass by the Pioneers’ quarterback, R. J. Noel, and carried it 35 yards to the Sacred Heart’s 33. The Fordham drive stalled at the 15, but Marando kicked a 32 yard field goal to increase Fordham’s lead to 34-27 at 11:29.

The final scoring opportunity of the afternoon began with an interception of a Noel pass by Williams at the Fordham 29. Not only was a scoring threat by the Pioneers prevented, but the Fordham possession resulted in Marando’s third field goal of the game with 2:05 on the clock. 

Of the fourth quarter Fordham defense, Williams commented, “We played very aggressively. We felt we had to get the ball back.”

The importance of the turnovers was commented upon in the post-game press conference. Sacred Heart Coach Mark Nofri said, “We had four turnovers and that’s one of the things that stood out today. The turnovers came back to bite us in the end.” Spence who fumbled twice, but also gained 194 yards on the ground and scored two touchdowns, remarked, “We definitely shot ourselves in the foot.”

Several Fordham offensive players broke school marks with their contributions to Saturday’s victory. Quarterback Nebrich’s 32 complete passes, 413 yards gained in the air and three touchdowns brought him Fordham season records with 316 complete passes, 3,989 yards gained, and 31 touchdown passes. Ajala, with 128 yards gained on seven receptions, broke the Fordham receiving yards mark for a season with 1,516.

These marks and others will rise next Saturday as the Rams move to the second round of the tournament to play Towson (10-2) in Maryland. Coach Joe Moorhead of Fordham described his team’s opportunity, “it’s going to be a challenge, but we’re going to do what we always do every week, prepare to go 1-0.”

Senior running back Calvin Koonce, who gained 152 all-purpose yards on Saturday, spoke about the importance of continuing the season for the seniors, “I don’t want it [the season] to end. This is our last go around.”

Quarterback Nebrich predicted, “As long as we execute to our level, nobody can beat us.”

Tags: Fordham, Rams, Football

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Hayes Stuffs Mount to Win Turkey Bowl

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Hayes Stuffs Mount to Win Turkey Bowl: Photos by Gary Quintal By Gary Quintal BRONX, NEW YORK, DECEMBER 2- Mount Saint Michael Academy and Hayes continued their tradition play...

Hayes Stuffs Mount to Win Turkey Bowl

Photos by Gary Quintal

By Gary Quintal

BRONX, NEW YORK, DECEMBER 2- Mount Saint Michael Academy and Hayes continued their tradition playing their 71st annual Turkey Bowl at McGovern Field Thanksgiving morning to the usual sell-out crowd. This year the AA City Championship was also on the line.  

The scoring started early with Hayes and Mount trading touchdowns through the first four possessions, including a touchdown pass into the back corner of the end-zone on Hayes opening possession. 

Mount held a 16-14 lead at the half thanks to a missed extra point conversion by Hayes. Both sides seemed to solve each other until a fourth quarter touchdown run by Hayes put the Cardinals up for good with a 20-16 lead.  

The turning point came as Hayes, down by two, recovered a Mount fumble just inside the two yard line late in the third quarter after Mount had just successfully pulled of a fake punt, running for a first and goal.

Tags: Mount Saint Michael Academy, Cardinal Hayes, Thanksgiving, Turkey Bowl

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Still searching for answers

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Still searching for answers: Pair Saved After Westchester Square Explosion (Photos by David Greene) By David Greene BRONX, NEW YORK, DECEMBER 2- A half dozen civilia...

Still searching for answers

Pair Saved After Westchester Square Explosion

(Photos by David Greene)

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, DECEMBER 2- A half dozen civilians helped remove debris and assisted firefighters in locating two men who were buried in rubble after an explosion brought a small building down on top of them.

Rescue crews were called to B & L Auto Repair at 2601 Westchester Avenue at just before 8 a.m., on November 27, after the adjacent one-story structure used as an office, exploded and collapsed trapping the pair in debris.

Bill Sanfardino, who works at nearby electrical shop, recalled, "They’re good people... fortunately they got out alive, I mean it was a crazy scene. The building just exploded, I don't know how or why."

"We were sitting in the shop," Sanfardino continued, "and we heard a boom." Sanfardino stated they located the victims within the five minutes it took for rescue crews to arrive.

Doroteo Sanchez, a day-laborer was standing across the street at the time of the explosion, recalled, "I heard a loud boom. I thought it was a truck that hit one of the columns for the train station. I turned around and the building was down and smoke was rising up into the air."

Sanchez, 51, continued, "We all ran over there to see what was going on and somebody said that someone was in there, so we started looking around and moving beams and wood and brick out of the way.

"It looked like a war zone," Sanchez concluded, "I thought a bomb hit it or something."

The unidentified 63-year-old father and his 36-year-old son were rushed to Jacobi Hospital and were both expected to recover.

B & L Auto has been in business for the last 30-years.

One source close to the investigation stated that the victims were using an air compressor as they welded a gas line when the explosion took place.

Chief William Seelig of the FDNY's Special Operations Division, stated, "It was some pretty manually intensive work we needed to do to get the victims out."

Seelig added that the exact cause of the explosion remains under investigation.   

Tags: Building Collapse, Westchester Avenue

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Speed Killed?

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Speed Killed?: Metro-North Derailment Caused by Unsafe Speed? Investigators Search for Clues (Photos by David Greene) By David Greene BRO...