By Kate E. Salute
"Go Rams!" yelled cheerleaders wearing the football team's crisp white away jerseys.
As marchers made their way toward the field, ropes guided Rams fans around the goal posts and past the kids¹ corner, which featured crafts, face painting and even a bouncy kingdom, to the stands, which were outfitted with colorful oak tag signs.
West Hempstead kicked off to the Great Neck North Blazers at 2 p.m. sharp, beginning what turned into an aggressive first quarter for the Rams. Six minutes into the game, the Rams drove the ball from their 30-yard line into the end zone for the game's first touchdown. Minutes later, receiver Eddy Nicholas scored on a pass from beyond the 50-yard line. Down by 14, the Blazers' defensive line began to show some life, holding the Rams on the 2-yard line as the quarter expired.
The tone of the second quarter for West Hempstead was defensive. North scored its first touchdown shortly after a kickoff. After two downs on the 5-yard line, West Hempstead couldn't hold the Blazers anymore, and gave up another touchdown. With just over three minutes to play before the half, the Rams turned up the offensive volume, starting at the 45-yard-line. Nicholas threw a beautiful 40-yard-pass on second down before Ariel Ramirez carried the ball into the end zone, making West Hempstead¹s lead 21-12 at the half.
After the marching band's and cheerleaders' performances, the Rams stepped up their energy and aggression in the second half. The Blazers¹ kickoff went out of bounds, giving West Hempstead good field position, but offside penalties set them back to the 35.
On their next drive, the Blazers drove to the Rams' 5-yard line, and through the unrelenting efforts of quarterback Michael Linell and wide received David Braun, and Great Neck North scored another touchdown. At the start of the fourth quarter, the tension on the field was palpable. With a three-point lead, the Rams realized they needed to bear down on the Blazers. Rams defensive back Riston Rocchio-Heller answered the call, intercepting a pass and letting the Blazers know that the Rams were going to come hard for the remaining 12 minutes.
Quarterback Rocco DeVito made two great passes into the end zone that would have given the Rams a more comfortable lead had someone been there to catch either of them, the first early in the quarter and the second with five minutes to go. On the sidelines, players walked up and down in complete silence, as if they were holding their collective breath.
Cheerleaders and marching band members reminded the Rams they had the home-field advantage. "Whose house?" they asked, and "Rams¹ house!" they screamed back and forth as West Hempstead held Great Neck for four red-zone downs to regain possession.
The Rams drove the ball to the Blazers' 25, where two players continued to tackle each other after the whistle. The referee decided that West Hempstead had instigated the scuffle, and flagged them for 10 yards. But with 1:15 left on the clock, Nestor Aguiar carried the ball into the end zone for the final touchdown of the game, as the Rams triumphed, 27-18.
"They are a smart team and a young team," said West Hempstead coach Tom Riorden about his players, most of whom are underclassmen. "I told them to celebrate, but not too much."
This was the Rams¹ third win this season. "We only won one game last season,² Riorden said. ³Every week they just keep getting better."
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