Bridgemen Forward Receives Good News After Season-Threatening Injury

On Tuesday night in a game against Mahwah, Fort Lee junior forward Tonderai Mushandu received quite the scare when he awkwardly hit the floor after taking a hard hit to the back on a rebound.

Before the play, Mushandu, better known as Tondi, was having a great night, as his team defeated Mahwah, and he was in the midst of recording yet another double double.

Things quickly turned for the worst for Mushandu as he hit the ground, screaming in pain.

“When Coach Ziemba got to Tondi he told me his knee cap was completely moved to the side of his leg, and Tondi was holding it while screaming it in pain,” said assistant coach James Puliatte. “He was rushed to Valley Hospital in Ridgewood.”

Coach Ziemba and Coach Puliatte went to the hospital to visit Tondi, who was in good spirits after his kneecap was popped back into place. There was concern though when doctors said there was most likely a break in the bone after reviewing the x-rays. Tondi was understandably upset by the news; he had been in the midst of his best season yet playing varsity.

Many things were running through Tondi’s head and those of the coaching staff. He could have possibly been out two to four weeks, but he could have also been out months if it turned out to be an ACL injury.

Tondi was sitting in Coach Puliatte’s office when he received the news and was surprised by what he heard.

“A slight bruise and a slight strain,” said Puliatte. “Miraculously, Tondi was basically told he would be fine and could start practicing again as soon as Monday with the Bridgemen playing in their biggest two games of the season, and now with their hopes for a league title flickering again, as well as any chance at making a deep run in the states.”

Tondi was surprised and happy about the results.

“This week is a very big week for us,” said Mushandu. “I was very relieved, I was ecstatic.”

It was a major boost for Tondi and his teammates as they continue to chase their goals.

Fort Lee High School Sports Recap

Boys Basketball

Scores from last week:

Fort Lee-56, Mahwah-53

Westwood-54, Fort Lee-46

Team Record: 10-6

This Week: Jan. 31 at Englewood; Feb. 2 vs. Ridgefield Park

Girls Basketball

Scores from last week:

Fort Lee-51, Lodi-31

Mahwah-41, Fort Lee-25

Fort Lee-57, Westwood-46

Team Record: 8-9

This Week: Jan. 31 vs. Dwight Morrow; Feb. 2 at Ridgefield Park; Feb. 3 vs. Garfield

Wrestling

Scores from last week:

Fort Lee-40, Eastside-39

Cliffside-69, Fort Lee-9

Ridgefield Park-63, Fort Lee-15

Fort Lee-45, Bogota-34

Rutheford-49, Fort Lee-24

Team Record: 2-10

This Week: Feb.1 at Tenafly; Feb. 4 vs. Linden/St. Mary’s at Dumont High School

Bowling

Scores from last week:

Dumont-7, Fort Lee Boys-0

Dumont-7, Fort Lee Girls-0

Both teams also had impressive outings at the Bergen County Tournament held on Saturday.

Team Record: 3-8 and 3-8

This Week: Jan. 30 vs. Cliffside Park at Bowler City; Feb. 1 at River Dell; Feb. 3 at Tenafly

Track

The boys team finished in second place in the Big North Division 7 American Conference with a total of 112 points. It was the most points a Fort Lee Indoor Track Team has scored in the League Championship in more than 10 years. The girls team finished in fourth place with 54 points. At the Bergen County Relay, the boys 4 x 1600 meter relay team placed fifth out of 34 teams. The team consisted of YuYu Fahmy, Jenya Dyagilev, Yuki Takahashi and Soichiro Itagaki.

The shuttle hurdle team finished in sixth place. Team members included Jenya Dyagilev, Nick Gogic, Taichi Aritomo and Alex Chong.

No girls teams placed at the event.

This Week: Feb.1, Metropolitan Invitational at the 168th Armory

Athlete of the Week

Yu Yu Fahmy, Winter Track

Yu Yu Fahmy had a great week, winning three events in one of the best Big North Championships in school history. The events that he won were the 3200 meter run, the 1000 meter run, the 1600 meter run, and he was also a member of the second place 4 x 400 meter relay team.

 It was a great week for Yu Yu and Fort Lee track in general.