Mustang Bowl VIII
Mustang Bowl VIII
Patriots win Third Straight
By Michael A.
Co-Editor-In-Chief
The 2011 Grant D. Morse Mustang Bowl VIII was another great event with more excitement and surprises. All of the fifth and sixth graders were pumped up and ready to play all day. A little too ready actually. There was a lot of noise through the classrooms and the vibe of Mustang Bowl was felt in the air everywhere.
This year‘s two honorary captains were Dakoda Hally for the Mustangs and Ashley Corrado for the Patriots. The ball this year was brought in
on a gigantic helicopter which had the rescue squad that saved Ashley‘s life on it. Both of the coaches had to go out to the helicopter and escort the crew to the field where they had the coin flip that was won by the Patriots who had Ashley Corrado to choose to receive the ball. Dakoda Hally chose to defend the touchdown zone closest to the playground with MUSTANGS painted in it and the opposite end zone had PATRIOTS. It was time to play football!
The Patriots struck first advancing down the field, first down after first down. Finally Kieran Defino the Patriot‘s coach had a QB sneak into the end zone for the touchdown that was followed up by the first of Sam Bagshaw‘s 3 two point conversion kicks. 8-0 Patriots. Then Tavin Rell went long to Sam Speirs for the touchdown and had Anna Mooers kick the first Mustang two point conversion ever. 8-8. But the Patriots didn‘t like that one bit and had their white offense strike back with another QB sneak, but this one by Dan Passante and then Sam had kick number 2.
After that the Mustangs white offense couldn‘t beat out the clock and half time began with the scoreboard reading 16-8 Patriots.
The halftime show was great! The cheerleaders had a great routine with lifts and everything and then Natalie George and Lexi Silvia had their hit JPI TV show Morse Got Talent halftime show. It had Kira Podmeyarskey and Taylor Dickson jump roping to ―Dynamite‖ by Taio Cruz and Olivia Pacheco dancing to ―Watch Me‖ by Bella Thorne and Zendaya Coleman. Both the acts were great, but it was time to get back to football.
The second half‘s intensity was unbearable with such a close score. The Mustang‘s received and scored with a great catch by Joe Comito to get to the 5 yard line and then a Tavin Rell touchdown with no extra points to follow it, so then the score was 16-14, still Patriots. After that touchdown the Patriots scored another touchdown and Sam Bagshaw had another two point kick and the Patriots won 24-14.
The Mustangs and Patriots congratulated each other on a great game and then they gave out the awards. Sam Bagshaw won the Mr. Eymann Offensive MVP award where he played 4 back, Dominick Giarraputo won the Mr. Eymann Defensive MVP award where he played cornerback and Daniel Babcock won the Mr. Turner Outstanding Lineman award where he played on the Patriots defensive line. Also Kieran Defino won the Mr. Buonfiglio Sportsmanship award along with the Green Apple‘s Cup in his team‘s triumphant Mustang Bowl VIII victory.
After the game Mark Rust performed, there was a lot of amazing food, and a pickup game of football was going on the field. Although Hilby was unable to attend due to the postponement of the game, world champion juggler Chris Chiappini put on a terrific show of skill and humor. It was a perfect end to an unforgettable day.
This year‘s Mustang Bowl was great, but let‘s see if next year the Mustangs take back the all-time lead or if the Patriots take it for the first time ever!
Mustang Bowl VII (October 20, 2010)
On a day when a new scoreboard adorned the Jim "Killer" Davis Dandelion Patch at Grant D. Morse School, scoring was the theme for Mustang Bowl VII. The Patriots won Mustang Bowl VII in historic fashion as they lit up the brand new scoreboard for a 39-12 victory.
The October day featured the brilliant autumnal colors as a backdrop for the navy and crimson worn by the Mustangs and
Patriots in a game that featured more offensive firepower than ever before. The game's 51 total points surpassed the previous record of 49 in
Mustang Bowl V were the Mustangs defeated the Patriots 25-24.
Additionally, the 27 point margin of victory was the greatest differential by far. The 39 point total scored by the Patriots was the highest team score since Mustang Bowl V, as well.
A crowd of over 1200 witnessed other Mustang Bowl firsts. A 4’x8’ scoreboard designed and built by parents Jared Podmayersky and Bob Mooers was a beautiful addition to the festivities. It certainly got a workout as only 6 possessions did not end up in scoring. A black stretch limousine carrying none other than Hilby, the skinny German Juggle Boy, made its way to the field during the national anthem as he safely delivered the game ball from his homeland. Patriots QB Tavin Rell had three carries for 110 yards for three touchdowns. His carry to touchdown rating is the highest in history. Rell ran one of the touchdowns on a set “18 sweep” and the rest came of
f broken plays. All of the honorary captains were women who have had a major influence on the Morse school community for the past 30 years. Eileen Grant-Scarselli, Betty Jorgensen & Mary Cosent
ino have spent their careers supporting students and teachers while demonstrating incredible perseverance during personal battles with illness and misfortune. They along with Brenda Doyle, wife of Mustang Bowl official and Saugerties notable Joe Doyle were honored for their extraordinary roles in the lives of so many.
The Patriots coached by sixth grader Madison Perri, scored first on a two yard touchdown run by Joey Schwitz. Schwitz earned the Bruce Eymann Offensive MVP for his passing and running successes as he threw for two touchdowns to go with his touchdown run. The Mustangs, coached by fellow sixth grader Jacob Johansen, scored on a “38 sweep” to Keilly Wickham to even the score. The Patriots scored to end the first quarter on Rell’s first touchdown scamper and never looked back.
The Patriots scored in the second quarter on another long run by Rell, this time it was
a pass play that didn’t develop as planned. Rell ran down the right sideline eluding 4 Mustang “tacklers.” The Mustangs did not score and went into the halftime trailing 18-6.
The halftime show featured fourth grade teacher Ms. Melissa Latourette’s cheerleaders doing an extensive cheer performance for the crowd. Music teacher Bernhard Spirig brought his band of Saugerties students from various elementary schools and the junior high to entertain the crowd. This band brought the crowd to its feet with it mix of brass, percussion, and vocals.
Joey Schwitz and his offense used the break to discuss the second half attack. “My offense gathered around me and told me that they believed if I tried a little harder, I would complete more passes,” he said. Schwitz did not complete a pass in the first half but went out and completed four with two going for touchdowns to wide outs Robert Trincelitto and Chris Richard. “My linemen were awesome,” said Schwitz noting the time he was allowed to pick up receivers. “I felt good,” he said, “I think me and Tavin did the best we could.” Rell and Schwitz led the Patriots to three scores in the second half.
Meanwhile the Mustang quarterbacks Jacob Johansen and Noah Voerg tried using a ball control offense mixing short passing and sustained running attacks to keep the ball away from the Patriot offensive assault. Johansen and favorite receiver fifth grader Danny Passante used a mix of crossing patterns and fades to stay with safe, effective passing. Voerg found his favorite target Cris Savarese on similar plays. The Mustangs scored in the third on a 17 yard run by Voerg on a sweep down the right sideline.
Defensive stars for the game were Anna Mooers and Kevin Haines for the Mustangs and Tony Bruno, Ian Gedicks and Lee Baldwin for the Patriots. Mooers was awarded the Bruce Eymann Defensive MVP for her 9 tackles and multiple batted passes, while Mustang center Lily Haig earned the Turner Award for Outstanding Line Play for keeping the ferocious Martin Bethel away from the action. The Patrick Buonfiglio Award for Sportsmanship was given to Wil Phillips of the Patriots.
The entire fifth and sixth grade at Grant D. Morse participated in Mustang Bowl VII with over 90 students playing while 12 acted as cheerleaders and the remaining 8 served as Mustang Bowl staff. The event is completely funded by the generosity of local businesses and concessions sold at the game. It culminated with a tailgate barbecue complete with music by Mark Rust and entertaining by Hilby.
Sadly, along with the many firsts of this game, this game has seen the last Mr. Richard Greco, as he has been indicating that he will be retiring at year's end. Greco and Superintendent Seth Turner have been announcing the games since Mustang Bowl II. Greco graciously came back this year at the urging of Morse principal Don Dieckmann and turned in the best announcing performance of his career, according to Turner.
