Riverdale Falcons soar to first victory of year

After shaking off the cobwebs in a discouraging first game loss last week, the Riverdale Falcons traveled to Cold Spring, N.Y. and defeated the host Haldane Blue Devils 19-14 on Saturday. 

“We executed our game plan better,” said coach Lance Ramer. “They were a good team and we played a tough football game.”

Much of the Falcons’ attack was through the air, as quarterback Jamie Weisfelner had a strong day, going 20 for 34 in passing for 272 yards and a touchdown. 

Jordan Dubin had 5 receptions for 85 yards; Nicky Raven had 65 yards on 3 grabs; Karl Ehlert had seven catches for 61 yards and a touchdown and Jake Margolis had one long dash for 40 yards. 

Riverdale ran for a total of only 31 yards, including 23 by quarterback Weisfelner. 

Ramer gave the Falcons’ defense most of the credit for the team’s win. 

Charles Knudsen had 6 tackles, including 3 unassisted and one for a loss; Weisfelner had 5 tackles, 3 of them unassisted; Dubin had a pair of unassisted tackles. He also had 2 interceptions for the Falcons, while Ehlert added a third. 

Eric Baker and Knudsen both recovered fumbles for the Falcons. 

“We tackled better, we gang-tackled,” said Ramer. “They turned over the ball five times.”

Riverdale will open its home season on the school’s Homecoming Day, Saturday, Sept. 29, at 2:30 p.m. against Kingswood-Oxford. The Connecticut team recently defeated Fieldston, 54-47 in a thrilling double-overtime game.

Clinton records first win

The DeWitt Clinton Governors won their first game of the season, soundly defeating Fort Hamilton 28-7 at home. 

The win comes after a pair of major losses to Brooklyn teams, 36-18 to Abraham Lincoln on Sept. 7 and 34-6 to Erasmus Hall on Sept. 15. 

The Governors and Tigers played a scoreless tie in the first quarter. Clinton scored a pair of touchdowns to Fort Hamilton’s one, as the Governors went into the locker room with a 14-7 lead. 

Clinton ran up its lead in the second half by scoring two more majors, while holding the Tigers scoreless. 

Most of the Governors’ damage was accomplished on the ground. Haleem Livingston led the way with 112 yards on 8 carries, while Kerion Clarke was explosive with 77 yards on three carries. 

Adrian Maldonado was the lead runner for the Tigers with 88 yards on 17 carries. 

Clinton quarterback Diego Walters finished 4 for 5, for 32 yards. 

On defense, Jayson Magnani and Tyquell Brown both had 4 tackles, while Lynell Robinson. 

Clinton is scheduled to play Campus Magnet on Saturday, Sept. 29, at 11 a.m.

Knights lose another close one

The Kennedy Knights’ record fell to 1-2 with a 20-14 loss to Tomas Jefferson in Brooklyn, on Saturday. 

Despite its record, Kennedy has not given up more than 20 points in any game this season, with less than 14 points scored against it in two other games. The problem is, the Knights have not been producing much on offense either, averaging less than 14 points in three games. 

“I think we should have won this. I think we should be 3-0,” said Kennedy coach Andy Lancberg. 

“I think we did a great job defensively. Our playmakers have just got to start making plays.”

As has often been the case this season, the Knights exchanged touchdowns with their opponents in the first half, with JFK crossing the goal line in the first half and Orange Wave in the second. 

In terms of scoring, the third quarter belonged entirely to Jefferson, which scored 12 points. Kennedy came back in the fourth to make the game close. 

Predictably, the teams put up similar stats on offense, though their distribution differed. 

Kennedy finished with 318 yards on offense, to Jefferson’s 313. But, 136 of the Orange Wave’s yards came on the pass, compared to only 41 for Kennedy. The Knights, meanwhile, ran for 277 yards, compared to 177 for Jefferson. 

Anthony Cruz was the top rusher for the red and white with 156 yards on 23 carries, with a TD and a fumble. Matthew Evora carried 14 times for 74 yards and a touchdown. Silverio Sambula had 26 yards on carries. 

Eugene Qualls was Jefferson’s lead rusher, with 126 yards on 13 carries. 

On defense, Demetrius Wade, Elijah Ayala and Jonathan Abreu all had 9 tackles. Christian Perez had 8, while Caine Caldwell had 7. 

“We ran the ball great, we just couldn’t punch it in,” said Lancberg. “We fumbled on their two-yard-line and we hit another kid in the end zone who couldn’t hold on to the ball.”

Kennedy will travel to Brooklyn for a game against Canarsie, on Saturday, Sept. 29, at noon. 

“Each game is important,” said Lancberg. “You can’t just give games away.”