"It is essential to understand that battles are primarily won in the hearts of men." - Vince Lombardi

The date: Wednesday night, Sept. 29, 2002; the place: Mitchel Field; the opponent: the Baldwin Bombers. In what shaped up to be the low point of the 2002 season, Bob Jahelka's Thunder Boys were thoroughly outplayed by a superior and most physical Baldwin squad in a game that got ugly very fast for Garden City. The final score of 19-0 did not accurately reflect the Bombers' dominance on that autumn evening a year ago.

Fast-forward to Oct. 21, 2003, under the lights at Mitchel Field where these two teams staged a dramatic rematch in a NCYFL version of Wednesday Night Football. In what shaped up to be the finest hour of the season, Garden City staged an eye-opening performance. It was clear to Baldwin early on that the going would be much tougher than last year, as a hard hitting first half ended in a scoreless tie.

Defenders Steve Jahelka, Kyle Johnson, Charlie Garcia, Mike Lofrese and Austin Kufs set the game's tone and allowed the Thunder offense the necessary time to find their rhythm. Key halftime adjustments and the fortitude of the Thunder offensive line helped turn the tide.

Linemates Matt Slovensky, Jeff Bolte, Scott "Big Mac" McElroy, Billy Allen and Nick Fiorvanti controlled the line of scrimmage in effectively wearing down the Bomber defense. Tough inside running by Jahelka, Garcia and Johnson resulted in two second-half touchdowns, along with Peter Stoll's nifty PAT reception. Not until Baldwin's last ditch pass attempt was batted down by McElroy would the Thunder Boys, coaches and parents breath a collective sigh of relief and reflect on a watershed 13-0 upset victory.

The following Sunday, Oct. 26, Garden City hosted the Floral Park Titans beneath Stewart Field's beautiful kaleidoscope of autumn foliage. Displaying sound team-defense principles, linebackers Brendan Bishop and Tom Ryan, safeties Ryan Buser and Dan Strief, defensive-ends Dan McCallan and John Karikas, cornerbacks Mike Mahramas and Jack Spencer and defensive linemen Tom Martis, Matt Calamussi, Griffin McQuilling and Brendan Logan collectively shut down the Titan offense in posting the Thunder Boys' fifth shutout of the season.

Through six league contests, the Garden City defense has yielded a paltry 19 points (total). Touchdowns by Kyle Johnson, Charlie Garcia and Matt Clarkson helped pace the Thunder Boys (5-1) to their fourth consecutive victory, a grinding and workmanlike 19-0 victory.