On Friday, September 19th, the Minutemen football team faced off against the Dover Tigers in a game that showcased patriotism, strength, and spirit. The Minutemen took the game with a score of 51-12 in what felt like a crushing performance from Mendham on home turf.

Friday night’s game was special because of the way it was presented. Throughout the week, red bandanas were being sold and worn around the school building. If you saw this and were curious about it, it was a way to bring the students together and prepare them for what Friday had to offer. On the night of Friday, 9/19, supporters of both Mendham and Dover were pleasantly greeted with a huge American flag flying high over the field. The flag wasn’t the only thing that brought people together; the red attire brought a feeling of unity throughout the stadium and, most importantly, paid tribute to Welles Crowther and his story of courage during 9/11. 

Not long after the student body arrived, Dover walked out and onto our home turf. Dover was greeted with a harsh minute of “Boo” as they grudgingly made their way to their sideline. Mendham, on the other hand, had the crowd’s uppermost attention with cheers and a warm round of applause. With the flag flying high over the players, the national anthem brought all together with a patriotic and heartfelt moment. Supporting the anthem was the red-filled student section, singing their hearts out. Once the anthem came to a halt, the game commentator gave us a speech about why we do the “Red Bandana Game”. It wasn’t just an explanation of how Welles saved lives, but it was a reminder to never forget the heroism and bravery that so many people showed to save others on 9/11.

Before the fans could even get comfortable, Mendham opened up the scoring with a strong rushing touchdown from Blake Kotarski within the first 2 minutes of the game. Mendham then brought in a successful 2-point conversion to put them already up by 8. The first quarter of the game was Minutemen-dominated with big plays from Shea Kraft, Thomas Guido, and Rocco Racioppi. In total, Mendham scored 32 points in the first quarter, consisting of a fumble return, a blocked punt return, a rushing touchdown, and an interception return. With all the momentum, Mendham came into the second quarter looking for more results, but was greeted by Dover trying to take things back. The Minutemen didn’t let Dover do anything more, stopping their PAT attempt and getting right back on track, scoring a total of 14 points in the second quarter. During halftime, Mendham’s cheer team gave fans a great performance, soon to be followed by the marching band, keeping fans entertained through what felt like an embarrassment for Dover. With the score currently at 44-6, Mendham supporters were certain that they had the game won, and by the time the third quarter started, almost one-third of the fans figured that the Minutemen had already taken the win home and decided to do the same. Jackson R. stated, “The game is pretty much over… I can’t believe Dover let us score so many points” showing Mendham’s dominance. With the third quarter coming to an opening, the Minutemen rolled in as usual, prepared for another quarter of domination. At this point, Menham decided to pull most of their starters and finish the game comfortably. With an additional 7 points added to the board for Mendham and one running touchdown from Dover to make the score 51-12, both teams decided to finish the game in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter to grant the Mendham Minutemen yet another win to their record. As of Friday, 10/3, Mendham currently holds a record of 4-2 and is sure to only make it better.

During the post-game, fans celebrated and reunited with the players on the field. When interviewed on his performance, Blake Kotarski said, “I think I did pretty good… My defense was great, I got two interceptions and a touchdown… Overall, though, I’m proud of the team for their performance on Friday.” Blake was a core part of the team on Friday, and as remarked above, he started the Mendham scoring game and assisted in the overall scoring. For the big picture, Mendham’s display of dominance and strength against the Dover Tigers will be remembered as a great way to honor the ever-so-honored Red Bandana Game.