Falcons prove they're king of the hill, romping Horace Mann, 28-13
The Riverdale Falcons triple-option running attack, led by senior fullback Jimmy Klingensmith, was simply too much for the Horace Mann Lions to handle on Saturday.
The Falcons' imposing ground game produced more than 400 rushing yards, spoiling Horace Mann's homecoming party to the tune of a 28-13 Riverdale victory.
In a span of two plays, the alumni-filled home crowd at Horace Mann was seemingly bewildered by the stunning turn of events that unfolded in the early stages of the clash between hilltop-rivals.
After converting two first downs on their opening possession, the Lions had advanced the ball across the 50-yard line, but the drive was abruptly cut short when senior Brandon Goldenberg's pass was intercepted by Falcons junior Julian Musikant.
On the game's very next play - Riverdale's first play from scrimmage -Klingensmith burst through the line for an 80-yard touchdown run to give the Falcons a 7-0 advantage with 6:46 to go in the first quarter.
"That certainly gave us a lot of momentum, obviously. That carried us through the rest of the game," said Riverdale head coach Declan Walsh.
Klingensmith's first carry surely wasn't the last the Lions would hear from the Falcons' backfield leader. The motivated runner carried the ball 19 more times in the contest, collecting 248 yards rushing in all, and two touchdowns.
Horace Mann struggled all game to stop the off-tackle dive play of the Falcons - whether it was Klingensmith busting through holes, or the quarterback Musikant following his fullback through the line for big gains.
Ahead 7-0, Riverdale forced the Lions to go threeand- out, punting the ball back to the Falcons just minutes after the score.
When Riverdale regained possession, Klingensmith once again sparked fireworks, sprinting for what seemed to be a 64-yard touchdown run on just the team's second offensive play. An offensive holding penalty negated the score, however, and the Falcons instead set out on a nine-play, 67-yard touchdown drive capped off by a Musikant 30-yard dash for the end zone.
Trailing 14-0, the Lions finally answered with a score shortly before halftime.
The Lions began their scoring drive at the Riverdale 33-yard line after a Falcons' punt was misfired out of bounds for a net of just nine yards. From there, a series of runs by halfbacks Charlie Sadaka and Kenny Thompson, and junior fullback Louis Solmonson, led to the Lions' one-yard strike by Thompson with just 50 seconds to go in the first half.
Both teams failed to score in the third quarter, and it wasn't until 4:36 remaining in the fourth when the Falcons finally struck again.
After the Lions came up inches short on a fourthand- three run from their own 49-yard line, the Falcons needed just one play to finally bust open the score, 21-7. Musikant faked the hand-off to Klingensmith before following his lead-blocker through the defensive line and sprinting through the secondary for the touchdown.
Horace Mann tried to pass their way out of the 14-point hole with less than five minutes to go, but inevitably fell short. Goldenberg was 4 of 5 passing for 80 yards on the Lions' ensuing possession. After an incredible scramble to avoid several Falcons tacklers, Goldenberg finally connected with senior wide receiver Arnie Glick in the back of the end zone for a 30-yard score.
The Lions failed to recover the onside kick, however, and the Falcons put the game away just four plays later.
That's when Klingensmith polished off his 248- yard effort with a 44-yard touchdown run right up the gut.
Musikant finished with a fine day on the ground himself, rushing 13 times for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
Senior Scott Margolis led the way defensively for the Falcons, posting eight tackles and a forced fumble in the win. Fellow senior Rob Rothschild tallied seven tackles.
The win improved the Falcons to 4-1 on the season, while the Lions dropped to just 1-5.
Both teams will next square off on Saturday, Oct. 27. Horace Mann will travel to take on St. Luke's at 1 p.m., while Riverdale is slated to host the third member of the hilltop trio, Fieldston, at 2:30 p.m.
