ABOVE LEFT : Rams football players entering Jack Coffey Field for the 100th Turkey Bowl . MIDDLE : Noah Rodriguez ’ 24 singing the national anthem at the 100th Turkey Bowl . RIGHT : Wide receiver Jack Brodick ’ 24 makes a contested catch while getting both feet in bounds on a crucial 3rd down .
The Ram offense took the field on their own 45-yard line . With a blitzing linebacker in his face , Moorehead connected with Sato for 8 yards on 3rd and 5 .
Later in the drive , the Rams found themselves in a crucial 4th and 6 from the Xavier 35-yard line . With ice in his veins , Moorehead connected on a strike to Brodick , who had a defender draped all over him .
On the first play of the 4th quarter , Moorehead connected with Brodick one final time for a 20-yard touchdown pass on a play the Rams were saving for exactly this moment . This put the Rams ahead 19-14 and in a position where they had to go for the two-point conversion . With one more trick up their sleeve , the Rams offense executed a rub concept freeing McKillop in the endzone . The two-point conversion was good and the Rams were now up 21-14 !
Continuing their excellent play , the Ram defense held tough and forced a Xavier punt that took a bad hop and was fumbled by the Ram returner . The Knights recovered the ball for a first and 10 from the Ram 47-yard line .
The Knights methodically moved the ball down the field until they found themselves in a 4th and goal situation from the 1-and-a-half-yard line with 20 seconds left in the game .
The Ram defense had been excellent all day and needed one more big play . With their backs against the wall and the odds stacked against them , the Rams rose to the challenge one final time . Defensive lineman Keeley shot his gap and combined for the game-winning tackle with Sohr and Dessoffy .
The Ram offense assumed the victory formation and went to a knee on consecutive downs as time expired .
Playing through a torn labrum , Quarterback Moorehead was named Most Valuable Player , connecting on 17 of his 29 throws for 222 yards and a pair of touchdowns .
The victory in this historic matchup is Fordham Prep ’ s 55th win in the series and fourth win in a row .
WINTER 2024 VOLUME 44 , ISSUE 1
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