Holy Cross’ Dean Marlowe turns the corner and heads upfield. (Damion Reid)
Jordan Rodriguez got the fitting finish he was looking for.
The Susan Wagner quarterback missed his final high school game, a playoff loss to Sheepshead Bay, because of blood clots in his throwing arm. He was back on the field one last time, helping lead New York City to a 15-10 win over Long Island in the 15th annual Outback Steakhouse Empire Challenge at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium Tuesday night. The football all-star game raises money to benefit the Boomer Esiasan Foundation for cystic fibrosis.
“It’s a great feeling to have a second chance to compete with the best of the best,” Rodriguez said.
He was one of them.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Rodriguez used his burly frame to run, around, over and through Long Island defenders all game. He was the city’s leading rusher with 47 yards on 11 carries and scored the team’s only two touchdowns of the game. He also threw for 44 yards on 3-of-6 passing.
Rodriguez connected with Curtis’ Marcus Span for a 38-yard gain to set up NYC’s first scored, his own 7-yard run in the first quarter to make it 6-0. He then got a running start out of the shotgun for the touchdown that put the city up for good at 15-10 with 1:41 left in the game.
“We understand it’s a must-score situation,” said Rodriguez, who will attend Lackawanna junior college. “There’s no messing up. You have to punch it in in that situation.”
Tull collects INT, key tackle in impact performance: Mario Tull didn’t know what he was about to do. Before the Xaverian linebacker could react to a tipped pass in front of him the ball settled into his arms for a second-quarter interception. He had a 12-yard return, but felt he was a block away from breaking loose.
“As soon as it landed on my shoulder pad, that is when I noticed that I had it,” the Syracuse-bound Tull said. “I didn’t even pay attention to it or look the ball into my hands.”
He had a fine day overall. Tull recorded just 2.5 tackles, but two were key. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior ran down Long Island’s Mike Gallo of Seaford to save a touchdown after a 56-yard return of a squib kick in the third quarter. New York City had just taken the lead and L.I. had to settle for a field goal to make it 10-9. Tull also kept quarterback John Kinder from a big gain during the game-sealing defense stop in the fourth.
“I thought I had a chance to get him, especially on breakaways,” he said of the kick return. “I’m good at catching up.”
Marlowe’s big return helps set up NYC win: Dean Marlowe made the right choice. The Holy Cross star said he took a second to survey the field after receiving a Jesse Signa kick late in the fourth quarter. He went right and kept going.
“If it wasn’t for the blockers, I wouldn’t have gotten that many yards,” the James Madison bound Marlow said. “I knew I had to put the team in good field position because the time was low and big players make big plays at crucial times. I put it to my head and said I got to do this.”
Blocks from Campus Magnet’s Nmesoma Okafor and James Leavy of Monsignor Farrell opened up plenty of field for Marlowe’s 39-yard return to the Long Island 35-yard line. New York City didn’t score on the drive, but it helped them pin L.I. deep, opening the door for Devante Wheeler’s game-changing interception.