ORANGE - Most of the crowd who nearly filled Bell Stadium Oct. 8 for the Orange-Glen Ridge football game knew in no uncertain terms how special the game was when the Tornadoes entered the field at 6:52 p.m.

Every player who suited up was wearing pink shirts and socks - instead of their traditional orange - to go with their black pants and white numbers. Almost 2,000 people roared their approval from the grandstand at the Tornadoes' one-night-only livery.

Pink was also found elsewhere on and off the field. At least a third of the OHS Tornadoes cheerleading squad also wore pink shirts and socks - as were a third of the marching band's dancers. Several OHS Marching Band members who were not wearing uniform hats were wearing pink head or sweat bands.

 

More than a few men, women and children took advantage of the night's free admission by first buying the pink shirts from authorized vendors at the Bell Street gates. There were two more tables selling pink ribbon or themed items before one got to the grandstand. There were some more attendees who also wore pink ribbons.

A nine-foot tall pink ribbon board, complete with autographs, stood along the eastern sideline nearest the grand stand. The night's program, heralded "Working Together for One Cause," features a white ribbon with both teams' logos on a pink background.

"This' the first time any football team in the state took the field in pink uniforms," said Orange Public School District Athletic Director Jason Green. "It was something that I and the OHS principal at the time came up with after last year's fundraiser."

"Pink is the New Orange," indeed, has been going on all October at Orange High School. Green, along with OHS and district officials, expanded the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month observances to include the sports teams. Some OHS community members, for instance, wore pink shirts and similarly hued apparel on campus for "Pink Out Day" Oct. 8.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month has been promoted by the American Cancer Society and the Susan B. Komen for the Cure Foundation with walks and other fundraisers locally and globally for three decades. Their efforts to help finance breast cancer education, prevention, treatment, research and support groups have gone far beyond the wrapping of trees and poles with pink ribbons.

Rob Bonora and Anthony Greco, for example, finished their 2,900-mile cross-country walk from June 1 at San Diego in their native Nutley Oct. 7. A Newark City Hall Finance Department team held a bowling night in a Linden alley Oct. 10. The local ACS has scheduled its annual walk from Military Park for Oct. 17.

Green, at halftime, presented a $2,500 check to the local ACS chapter. He was backed up by OHS band members, who formed a white and pink ribbon on the 50-yard line.

"I think the proudest moment was when we invited people down from the stands at halftime," said Green. "They were people who have battled or are battling breast cancer."

Green indicated that the athletic department held a continuing 50/50 home game raffle for victims of the Sept. 12 apartment house fire at 399 Lincoln Ave. since the Sept. 24 Tornadoes match against Boonton.

"Our last home game drew $80 and we collected $175 Friday," said Green. "We're going to keep doing this through all our remaining home games."

The night drew Mayor Eldridge Hawkins, Jr., City Clerk and OHS alumni Dwight Mitchell and at-large council members Elroy Corbett and Donna Williams for part of or the entire game. The attendance does not include the several dozen people who watched from the farmers market or old Palladium Lanes bowling alley back lot on the stadium's north side.

There still was a "Battle of the (4-0) Undefeated Teams" to conduct, whereby the Glen Ridge Ridgers eventually prevailed 35-25. Orange and Glen Ridge now sport identical 1-1 career win-loss records since the 2009 New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association realignment.

Glen Ridge, on their second possession, scored first on running back Jerome Alexander's two-yard run with 7 min, 25 sec. left in the opening quarter. Outside Linebacker Gabe Senkiw kicked the first of what would be five perfect extra points or a 7-0 lead.

The Ridgers doubled their lead after seven plays when Alexander connected with quarterback Elijah Conte or a 28-yard touchdown with 7:56 to go in the second quarter. Orange quarterback Contrez Hunter then engineered a 7 play, 72-yard drive that ended with his handing the ball to running back Jayquan Hall for a two yard sprint. A subsequent extra point kick was good for a 14-7 score with 5:45 in the half.

The second quarter would not allow anyone to dare leave their seats for there would be two more TDs within the next 37 seconds. Glen Ridge fumbled on a kickoff return and Orange responded with a return to the Ridgers' 36 yard line. Hunter was running the ball in on the next play when it somehow got loose - which Ridger defensive end Carl Castor grabbed and sprinted for a 21-14 score with 4:37 to go before halftime.

Tornado fullback Anthony LaGrier responded to a Ridger kickoff for a 77-yard touchdown with 4:19 left in the quarter. A Hunter second point conversion attempt failed, however, to leave the score at 13-21.

The Ridgers opened the second half with a 14 down, 77-yard march that consumed 7:55 min. Glen Ridge's drive ended with running back Mike Rollo's 13-yard dash to pay dirt for a 28-13 score. The drive also ended a joint Tornadoes-Ridgers cheerleading session.

Tornado defensive back Malcolm Bagley received a Hunter pass for a nine-yard run with 8:03 left in the game. A second two-point conversion failed, however, for a 19-28 score. A later Orange onsides kick was intercepted by Alexander at the two-yard line, leading to another seven-point score for 35-19 at 2:23 to go.

LaGrier ran off an 83-yard return with 2:08 to go for another six points - but Glen Ridge ran out the clock after that for a 35-25 final.

"The Tornadoes has always started out slow," observed Corbett, "but tonight is the first time that they were behind the entire game."

The NJSIAA Power Point standings for Week Five has Orange slotted second behind 5-0 Rutherford in North Section II, Group 2 standings. Glen Ridge ridges atop the Section II, Group 1 rankings.

Orange is to play host to Verona for its Oct. 23 Homecoming game and to finish its regular season at Bell Stadium against Caldwell Nov. 5.

Green, however, is working on more pink uniforms for the winter season. The awareness may be carried by the boys and girls basketball teams - particularly for the Second Annual Martin Luther King Day Tournament - and by the volleyball squad.