Bridgemen Come Up Touchdown Short in Opener

The Fort Lee Bridgemen fell to the Bergenfield Bears in their season opener by a score of 26-20 Friday night.

The standing-room-only crowd at the Lewis F. Cole Middle School field was abuzz as the 2011 high school football season officially got underway with the Bears visiting Fort Lee for a 7 p.m. kickoff under the lights.

The first quarter was dominated by the Bears who got off to a 12-0 lead after two touchdowns by running back Will Rodriguez. The first touchdown for Rodriguez was at the 8:25 mark on a handoff by quarterback Angel Dominguez. Rodriguez's second touchdown run came at the 4:03 mark.

The second quarter saw the Bears Victor Tracsu score on a handoff to make the score 18-0 heading into halftime.

But the Bridgemen tightened up their defense in the third quarter. Defensive back Josh Ford stopped the Bears on the 7 yard line in the red zone. The momentum continued as senior wide receiver Tyler Sanders caught a touchdown pass from junior quarterback Mario Jackovino at the 3:37 mark to cut the deficit to 18-6. The Bridgemen’s solid defensive play continued when at the 1:32 mark, junior defensive back Masaru Yamaguchi blocked a punt attempt by the Bears.

The fourth quarter saw more excitement as Sanders caught another touchdown pass from Jackovino at the 8:20 mark to cut the score to 18-13. The Bears rebounded however, scoring on yet another touchdown run by Rodriguez to pull away, 26-13. Victor Tracsu completed the two-point conversion.

Ford recovered a fumble for Fort Lee and scored a touchdown with just nine seconds left on the clock to make the final score 26-20.

Despite the loss, head coach Bill Straub saw positive things.

"We did not give in, we did not give up," said Straub. “What we’re trying to build here is a culture for everybody. The support of the band is great, our cheerleaders are great, and our parents are great. Everybody is coming now, and what we are trying to do is build off that. But we need a couple of wins for the culture to completely change for everybody."

The crowd provided a huge lift for the team, especially in the first game of the season. Senior wide receiver Sanders was upset about the outcome but appreciated the atmosphere and the support. Sanders is ready for the next game at home against Ridgefield Park on Friday night.

"We’re planning on going hard against Ridgefield Park just like we did against Bergenfield," Sanders said. "It felt like it was a Cliffside game. Every time we play Cliffside it’s packed, and tonight was packed in the first game. We fought to the finish. [We] just didn’t finish it."

Pep Rally

Earlier in the day, Fort Lee High School held it's anual fall pep rally Friday.

The program began with a moment of silence for two beloved students, Alex Conlon and Sangah Lee, who are deceased, and a moment of silence for the victims of 9/11.

The eardrum-shattering cheers of the students reached peak levels, as the various sports teams were introduced. Activities, but were not limited to, a soccer ball juggling competition, cheerleading and navigating an obstacle course.