The Stratford Freshman White Team (6-4, 4-1) finish the season strong with a thrilling come from behind victory over the Jersey Village Falcons.

The Spartans, coming off an emotional victory over their rival Memorial, travelled to Jersey Village to close out their season. The Falcons used a balance of run and pass plays in their opening drive,  pushing the ball down to the Stratford 6-yard line. A fumbled snap was picked up by the Falcon QB, and he found an open receiver in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. Jersey Village leads 7-0 after the extra point was good. The Spartans started their first drive from their own 24-yard line. Andy Navarro (#3) threw a nice pass to Jamiel Wright (#83) for a quick 20 yards. John Hearne (#15) took the handoff and made the first down at midfield. Wright (#83) put his good hands on display when he hauled in a deep pass from Navarro (#3) to the 14-yard line. Ultimately, the Spartans were unable to take advantage of the good field position turning the ball over on downs.

The second quarter opened with a tackle for loss on the Falcon running back by Joey Mundwiller (#34), setting up a 3rd down. The Falcons drew up a pump-and-go pass to a wide-open Jersey Village receiver resulting in an eighty-yard touchdown. The extra point was no good, Falcons lead 13-0. The Spartans' offense sputtered after a nice pass from Navarro (#3) to Mundwiller (#34) for 18 yards. The Jersey Village defense was able to force a punt by Ryan Griffith (#19), taking over possession at their own 20-yard line. The Stratford defense stood their ground. Noel Rodriguez (#40) and Mundwiller (#34) shared a tackle on the receiver in the flat for no gain. Luke Schifano (#18) then made a great open-field tackle on the counter run. The Falcons converted a first down pass, but a couple of forced incompletions set up 4th and 6 for Jersey Village. A bad snap on the punt sent the ball backwards and the punter having to chase it down. Jackson Berg (#88) corralled the punter at the 21-yard line just before the half. The Spartans took full advantage as Mundwiller (#34) caught a touchdown pass from Navarro (#3). Hayden Thomas (#17) with the hold and Griffith (#19) kicks the extra point. Spartans now trail 13-7. The good times did not last long, as the ensuing kickoff was returned for a touchdown by the Falcons. The half came to an end with Jersey Village leading 19-7.

The Spartans received the second half kick and started with good field position at their own 39-yard line. Navarro (#3) with consecutive keepers converted a first down. Nathan Bell (#4) then made a nice catch for first down at the Falcon 39-yard line. Stratford takes advantage of an aggressive Falcon defense and executes a middle screen to Mundwiller (#34), who outruns everyone for his second TD of the game. Kudos to the downfield blocking provided by the receivers allowing for this big play. The extra point is good, Jersey Village 19, Spartans 14.

Jersey Village takes their next possession quickly down the field for another touchdown, despite some great plays by Robert Black (#26), Nick Massad (#35), Rodriguez (#40), Isaac Young (#9) and Thomas (#17). The Falcons now lead 25-14 with 3:08 remaining in the third quarter. Richmond So (#28) took the lead at QB for the next Spartan possession. Hearne (#15) had tough back-to-back runs for first down. So (#28) completed his pass to Mundwiller (#34),  who fought hard down to the Falcon 34-yard line. The offensive line provided great movement for the Navarro (#3) keeper followed by a first-down run by Hearne (#15). So (#28) then hit Mundwiller (#34) in the flat for a quick six yards. The following give to Nick Riopelle (#49) placed the ball at the 5-yard line. The quarter ends with your Spartans on the move.

The Spartans score quick to open the 4th quarter. So (#28) lofted a fade pass to Mundwiller (#34), who came down with the jump ball. For those keeping track, that is the third touchdown of the day by Mundwiller (#34). The two-point conversion was no good, but Stratford has closed the gap, trailing 25-20. Stratford surprises the Falcons with an onside kick recovered by Rodriguez (#40). The Spartans find themselves at the Falcon 6-yard line after a great pass play. Navarro (#3) cycled in at QB and made a couple of nice runs to the 3-yard line. The Spartans, facing 4th down, found Mundwiller (#34) for his 4th TD of the game. A tremendous effort by Hearne (#15) dragging defenders into the end zone provided the two points necessary to extend the game to a field goal difference. With 7:26 remaining, Stratford now leads 28-25. The Falcons continue to use a balanced offensive approach, which results in a heart-breaking touchdown with 1:26 left in the game. The tough-minded Spartans then went to work. Starting at their own 25-yard line, a quick run by Navarro (#3) and pass set up a first down out to the Spartan 42-yard line with 34 seconds left. Navarro (#3) then dropped back and found Bell (#4), who gets tripped up down at the Falcon 19-yard line. After a timeout, Stratford goes back to the one-on-one fade call. With only 19 seconds in the game, Navarro (#3) steps back and fires a high-fade pass to the end zone where Mundwiller (#34) out-jumps the defender for the go-ahead score. The ensuing drive by the Falcons made it interesting, but a prevent defense made the tackle on a receiver securing the come-from-behind victory. Stratford closes out on a high note, beating Jersey Village 34-31.

The season always comes too slow and finishes too fast. This team truly came together with every member contributing both on the field and off. This team put on display a continued can-do attitude with a lot of toughness, which resulted in a 4-1 District record. Congratulations to the players, coaches, trainers, and parents on a successful year which will prove to be a foundation for success next year. Football is such a team sport, and the individual success can only be attributed to the success of others to make those individual accomplishments achievable.

I feel it would be a disservice to not recognize Joey Mundwiller (#34) with five touchdowns in the win over Jersey Village along with kickoff return duties and manning a linebacker position on defense. Congratulations, Joey, and the entire Freshman White Football community. Next year can’t come soon enough.