Preps

Ridgewood 34, Tarpon Springs 28

A late interception helps set up the winning touchdown for the Rams, now 7-0.

By DAVID MURPHY, Times Staff Writer
Published October 19, 2007

TARPON SPRINGS - The coverage defensive coordinator Brian Wachtel called was Cover 5. The cornerback who tipped the ball was Allyn Williamson. And the free safety who grabbed it out of midair and propelled his team to its first win over Tarpon Springs was Frankie Downey.

"I was like, 'I've got the ball,'" Downey said later. "'What do I do now?'"

In the end, Downey ran, returning a tipped ball 40 yards with less than a minute left to set up a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback T.J. Haab that gave Ridgewood a 34-28 win and all but sealed its first playoff berth in five seasons.

With the score tied at 21, Tarpon Springs forced Ridgewood to punt with 1:21 left. In a move coach George Kotis later said he regretted, the Spongers tried to drive for a winning score rather than try to go to overtime.

Three plays later, on second and 10 from the Tarpon Springs 31, Spongers quarterback Danny Reyes threw a pass that was tipped by Williamson and intercepted by Downey, who returned it to the 5-yard line.

Two plays later, Haab scored on a 2-yard run with 41 seconds left to put the Rams up by six (the PAT failed).

"He was just in perfect position," Wachtel said of Downey's play.

The first three quarters featured both teams relying on their bread and butter: Ridgewood on the running of senior Byronell Arline and Tarpon Springs on its big-play ability.

Arline, who finished with 185 yards on 29 carries, had an 8-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, and Ridgewood jumped out to a 14-0 lead.

But Tarpon Springs responded, getting a 30-yard touchdown run from Ladarrius Only and a 73-yard catch of a tipped ball by Harolambas Vavlas to tie it at halftime.

Arline had two touchdown runs in the second half, but the Spongers struck back with an 84-yard run by Only that set up a 5-yard run by Donnel Engram to tie it at 28 with just less than 10 minutes left.

"This is a big win for Ridgewood High," said Rams coach Chris Taylor, whose team improved to 7-0 for the first time.

[Last modified October 19, 2007, 00:10:02]