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Riverdale posts clutch road win at MKA

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For several seasons now, Montclair Kimberley Academy of New Jersey has been the program dominating the Metropolitan Independent Football League. Now there may be a changing of the guard.

In what Riverdale coach Joe Otero called one of the most significant wins in school history, the Falcons got three touchdown runs from quarterback Ryan Rosenzweig and another from running back Jeffrey Barrett, pulling off a huge road win by downing mighty MKA, 28-20. The win leaves the Falcons 3-0 on the season, 1-0 in league play.

Riverdale rushed for more than 400 yards in the game, led by Barrett, who logged close to 30 carries to go along with his one touchdown.

Riverdale trailed 14-12 at halftime, but Barrett’s scoring run on the Falcons’ first drive of the second half put them up 20-14, and Riverdale never trailed again. Rosenzweig, who scored the Falcons’ first two touchdowns in the first half, then added one final one to put Riverdale up 28-14 in the fourth quarter.

From there, the Falcons held on for the victory.

“This was a huge win for the program,” Otero said. “MKA had really put it on us for the past five years, so it was great to get a ‘W’ out of it. There’s something special about this team. They have a little bit more fight in them than past Riverdale teams. This team claws its way back no matter what.”

Riverdale will host Morristown Beard this Saturday at 3 p.m.  

— Sean Brennan

Fieldston grabs key victory on the road in Jersey

Alexander Thorpe had himself a day last week. 

Fieldston’s junior rushed for one touchdown, threw for another and nailed a clutch field goal at the end the first half before executing a perfect onside kick — all of which combined to help Fieldston post a 22-6 victory over Morristown Beard in New Jersey.

The win boosted the Eagles’ record to 3-1 on the season, and 1-0 in MIFL play.

“I thought it was a really good win because we had a short week and we were coming off a real physical game (at King) last Saturday,” Fieldston head coach Gus Ornstein said. “So going on the road and winning our first league road game was big for us.”

Fieldston was up 7-0 near the end of the first half when the Eagles took over with less than a minute to play following a poor Morristown punt. And with time left for just one play, Thorpe drilled a 47-yard field goal as time expired for a 10-0 lead at the half, and the Eagles never looked back.

“That was a huge momentum changer,” Ornstein said. 

Fieldston got that early lead in the second quarter when Thorpe tossed a 12-yard touchdown pass to Patrick O’Hagan. Twin brother Pierce O’Hagan got into the scoring column in the third quarter when Jesse Cooper-Leary connected with him on an 8-yard scoring toss for a 16-0 lead. 

Thorpe then added a 25-yard touchdown run later in the third quarter for a 22-0 lead, and that was all she wrote for Morristown Beard. 

Fieldston will now face Pingery on the road Saturday at 3 p.m.

— Sean Brennan

Riverdale Country School, high school football, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Sean Brennan

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