September 21, 2009 - Varsity Football Rolls versus Elmwood Park
Congratulations to the Varsity Football team for their impressive win over Elmwood Park on Friday. The Rebels won 36-7 behind an strong overall performance by the entire team. TJ Zornow led the way by rushing for a touchdown, throwing for a touchdown, and catching a touchdown. The defensive effort was led by Joe Bracken who had 3 sacks.

September 8, 2009 - Football Wins
Congratulations to the sophomore and varsity football teams on their home victories on Friday against Maine East. The sophomores won 14-13 and the varsity team opened up the home season on the new turf with a 22-6 victory. TJ Zornow led the way with 138 yards rushing and an interception on defense.

Ridgewood's Ramon Rodriguez (bottom) and Brian Spenk attempt to bring down Elmwood Park's Derek Vidana, during Friday night's game.
(Suzanne Tennant/Staff Photographer)

However, once again a defensive breakdown might have cost the Tigers (0-7) their first win of the season as they fell 18-12 in overtime to rival Ridgewood (4-3) at Tiger Stadium.

"Not finishing is what cost us the game tonight," said Elmwood Park head coach Luis Arroyo. "And, we did the same thing last week (in a tough 21-18 home loss to Fenton). We make good plays, we score and then right away we break down on one play and the other team scores."

Arroyo referred to a point in the game when the Tigers had taken a 6-0 lead after Derek Vidana intercepted a pass thrown by Rebels quarterback Mario Kutylowski, giving the Tigers the ball at the Ridgewood 20-yard line. On a fourth down and 12 from the Rebels' 22, Elmwood Park quarterback Chris Santelli found Vidana open and he waltzed into the end zone for a touchdown.

The Tigers had a chance to add to that lead after Rigdewood running back Nick Brindise fumbled and Elmwood Park's Mark Marzillo recovered on the Rebels' 39-yard line. However, an incomplete pass on fourth down and six (after a five-yard penalty moved the ball back) gave the ball back to Ridgewood. That's when disaster struck for the Tigers.

On its first play, Kutylowski found a wide-open Eddie Gil Ramos, who scored from 65 yards out.

"You just can't screw up on defense because you don't get those chances back," Arroyo said. "If you make a bad play on offense, you at least have a couple more shots to make up for it."

Anyone who likes penalties, punts and turnovers would have loved most of this contest as the score remained tied at 6-6 until there were just 9 minutes, 22 seconds left in the final quarter.

That's when Brindise scored on a 16-yard romp to give the Rebels a 12-6 advantage as, again, the two-point conversion try failed once more.

It appeared that Brindise might go from hero to goat when he fumbled and Elmwood Park's Chris Wollenberg recovered on the home team's own 33-yard line to give the Tigers new life.

A penalty and a sack looked to have sunk the Tiger hopes until with just 42 seconds to go in the game. Elmwood Park did have a first and goal from the 2-yard line at one point but the penalty and QB sack pushed them back to the 22.

That's when Santelli threw a pass in the direction of Marzillo on third down. The ball was tipped by a Rebels defender, but it was deflected right into the hands of an alert Marzillo, who snared it for the tying touchdown. The two-point conversion try failed, forcing the game into overtime.

The Rebels won the coin flip before overtime began and elected to play defense first. It proved to be a good move. The Tigers didn't score on a run and three incomplete passes.

Ridgewood did what it wanted. It put the ball in the hands of its best running back, Brindise, and he scored from 2 yards out after runs of 1 and 7 yards got the Rebels close.

"It was a gut-wrenching game," said Rebels head coach Christopher Zack, "but, the kids didn't give up and both sides played tough the entire game. When they tied the game and our guys stepped up and stopped the two-point conversion try I felt we could get the job done in overtime.

"That's why I elected to go on defense first. I thought we could hold them and then score with Nick (Brindise). He is our horse I believed we could ride him into the end zone -- and we did. It was a big win all around for us."

Arroyo said he was proud of the way his team fought until the end.

"Hopefully, the younger kids that are playing will help turn the program around for us," Arroyo said. "But, I sure would love for the seniors to get a taste of victory. We were so close the past couple of weeks. Maybe it is yet to come."

Article written by Contributor Rick Behren in the Thursday, October 16, 2008 issue of the Pioneer Press Norridge and Harwood Heights News and online at http://www.pioneerlocal.com/norridge/sports/highschools/1220708,no-elridgfbl-101508-s1.article . Used with permission.

The Ridgewood Rebels Varsity Football Team won with a score of 26 to Kewanee Boilermakers 8 on Friday, September 12, 2008.

The game originally aired live on 89.7 FM WRHS Norridge, and was rebroadcast on Tuesday, September, 16, 2008 at 9 AM, 2PM and 4:30 PM.

You can still listen to the rebroadcast on the internet at http://www.ezstream.com/broadcasts/index.cfm?fuseaction=usrbrd&broadcasterid=54877 .

The game will air starting on Tuesday on 88.1 FM WRWX Harwood Heights.