Rams Outlast Mamaroneck in Season-Ending Nailbiter

Port Chester's football squad has accomplished a lot this season – from their first six-win campaign since 2002, to bragging rights against rival Mamaroneck after a home game Saturday in honor of former athletic directors Roy O'Neil and Anthony Zimbalatti.

It was the second consecutive victory over the Tigers for Port Chester since the Rams won 14-7 last year. This year's win did not come easy, as the Rams had to fight in order to pull out a 27-26 win in an annual bowl that dates back at least 80 years, according to Port Chester Athletic Director Joe Durney.

"We are proud of your efforts today," he told both squads Saturday before handing the Roy O'Neil and Anthony Zimbalatti Director's trophy to the Ram captains.

For almost two dozen seniors, Saturday was the last time they donned a Port Chester uniform. Coach Greg Domestico praised his players for playing Saturday's game with the same intensity they showed during their playoff run.

"They don't give up," he said.

The seniors are the last representatives from Domestico's first season as coach in 2007. After a winless season their first year,  Port Chester won two games each year heading into this season in what junior varsity Coach Mark Santora called a "zero to heroes" transition.

With four starters out – including quarterback Ryan Roman, who is recovering from a broken collar bone, and running back James McRae – the Rams relied on the leadership of quarterback Ryan Drummond to carry them through the rest of the 2010 campaign.

"No matter what, they showed up every Saturday and just played," Domestico said. "I'm just so proud."

After a Port Chester timeout at 8:03, Mamaroneck junior quarterback Parker Thelander connected early with junior wide receiver William Parkinson on a five yard touchdown pass reception. That gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead early after a good extra point attempt.  

Ram senior wide receiver Christian Nichols then helped the Rams cut the deficit to 7-6 on their first drive of the afternoon on a six-yard touchdown run off an option pass from Drummond. The Tigers finished the quarter leading 14-6 on running back Brett Poniros's 13-yard run, with the extra point passing through the uprights.

After a failed drive in the second, Drummond punched one into the end zone to put the Rams down only two. Tiger senior tight end Anthony Signorelli's catch tied the score at 14-14 heading into the half, with the Ram defense stopping the Tigers from producing offensively thanks to Nick Thogersen's interception off another Thelander pass with less than a minute to go.

Looking to score and take the lead for the first time, the Rams kept fighting in the third quarter despite several penalties – including a five-yard illegal procedure penalty and a false start, forcing Domestico to call a timeout in order to regroup his players.

It worked as the Rams went up 20-14 at the end of the third thanks to a Mamaroneck fumble with two 2:40 to go, and Drummond's five-yard pass to junior running back Sebastian Obando.   

Mamaroneck Coach Anthony Vitti called a timeout early in the fourth after Thelander's pass fell incomplete, but Nichols' defense in the end zone continued to prove troublesome for the Tigers as two wide open passes dropped out of the hands of Tiger fullbacks and receivers.

The Tigers capitalized on another Rams failed offensive drive to tie the game at 20-20.

Penalties and incomplete passes from the Rams' tight defense allowed the Rams to make one last push with 6:15 left to play until they were hurt by a controversial pass interference call and a loss of downs in a drive that would have won it for the Rams.

Drummond connected again with Nichols for a seven-yard touchdown run that sealed the deal for the Rams, along with a good extra point attempt from Zach Taylor.

Just when the large crowd thought it was over, Tigers senior wide receiver Dean Chiapparelli ran a 55-yard punt return with five seconds left, leading to a Tiger timeout to devise one last play.

With the ball on the 20-yard line and a chance for the two-point conversion, Thelander's pass to Parkinson missed as the Rams erupted in jubilation and the Tigers stopped in their tracks, with some laying on the field attempting to grasp what had just happened.

Domestico summed it up after surveying the wild scene. "What a way to end," he said.

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