The Dragons ground out 20 first downs against Cardinal Hayes, but it wasn’t enough. The team from the Bronx won 37-14.
The game started at 3 o’clock on Saturday afternoon on a field outside of Yankee Stadium. The teams traded touchdowns in the first half, with the Dragons holding leads of 7-6 and 14-13.
The pivotal point came just before intermission. Cardinal Hayes had regained the lead (19-14) on a 61-yard pass play. It was the Dragons’ turn to score, and they almost did.
They marched down field on three penalties, completions to Brenden O’Flaherty and Shakir Henry, and a nine-yard run by Jason Bailey. With a yard to go, however, the Dragons were stopped inside the home team’s 20-yard line.
Cardinal Hayes answered with a short pass. The receiver broke a tackle a few yards from the line of scrimmage and found a clear path to the end zone to make the score at half time 25-14.
The Bronx team scored twice in the second half. The visitors crossed mid-field on three occasions, but could never reach the goal line.
It was a satisfying victory for the Cardinals, who had lost in Cornwall last season. They had a considerable advantage in size, and were called for 13 penalties in the first half.
Cornwall stopped three attempts at two-point conversions, and Ian Engenito blocked a kick for the extra point.
Throughout the game, cheers could be heard from Yankee Stadium. The Bombers dropped a doubleheader, which affected them in the standings. By contrast, Cornwall’s loss will have no impact on the rest of the season.
SCORING
CH: 4-yard run. Kick wide (0-6, 1Q)
C: O’Flaherty 44-yard pass from Bailey. Kick good (7-6, 1Q)
CH: 6-yard run. Kick good (7-13, 2Q)
C: Krafft 3-yard pass from Bailey. Kick good. (14-13, 2Q)
CH: 61-yard pass play. Pass for 2 pts. no good (14-19, 2Q)
CH: 75-yard pass play. Run for 2 pts. no good (14-25, 2Q)
CH: 50-yard run. Kick for extra point blocked (14-31, 3Q)
CH: 16-yard pass. Pass for 2 pts. incomplete. (14-37, 4Q)
STATISTICS
Touchdowns: O’Flaherty and N. Krafft. Extra points: Lawrence 2. First downs: Penalties 4, O’Flaherty 4, Bailey 2, N. Krafft 2, Marzigliano 2, Coppola 1, Engenito 1, Hartnett 1, Piekarz 1, Robinson 1.
Passing: Bailey 22 completions in 43 attempts for 217 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Receiving: O’Flaherty 9 catches for 112 yards, Krafft 3 for 34, Robinson 3 for 19, Hartnett 2 for 17, Henry 1 for 14, Piekarz 1 for 12, Coppola 1 for 11, Marzigliano 1 for no yards, Engenito 1 for -2 yards. Rushing: Marzigliano five carries for 26 yards, Bailey 10 for 22, Engenito 6 for 12.
Interception: M. Krafft. Fumble recovery: Masterson. Blocked extra point: Engenito.
