In recognition of his invaluable contribution to a vitally important Lehigh victory versus Yale, Mark Borda has been named not only Patriot League Player of the Week but also ECAC player of the week as well. Mark has been a great credit to the Lehigh program, and it's a shame that it appears that he has played his final Patriot League game.New poll on your right, there. And Lehigh still is hanging around at #21 across the board in The Sports Network poll (umm, how did we lose a spot to McNeese St. and South Carolina St.?) and in the Any Given Saturday poll. Although we're currently hanging outside the Top 20, I am confident that Lehigh will be in that sweet spot of #10 to #16 if Lehigh wins all of their games.
Finally, let's take a look at that digest of press clippings from the Yale game.
After starting quarterback Mark Borda went out with a fractured fibula that is likely to end his season and career with 7:54 left in the fourth quarter and Lehigh trailing Yale 21-13, Threatt rescued the Mountain Hawks.
He threw a touchdown pass to fullback Greg Fay and tossed to tight end Pete Morelli for a two-point conversion to tie the game with 4:42 to go in regulation.
"We made all the plays in the first half and the first drive of the third quarter, and then we didn’t make another one the rest of the game," Yale coach Jack Siedlecki said. "We didn’t run the ball at all, which eventually allowed them to really come after us, and we had to pass it virtually every play. We weren’t able to do what we did the first 40 minutes of the game."
"We didn’t execute," [Yale QB Jeff] Mroz said. "This is a game we definitely should have won. That’s a very good football team, but that means we’re a very good football team, too. We played our tails off. We did everything we needed to do to win, except for the last 20 minutes. We had them on the ropes and we didn’t finish it ... We didn’t put them away."
"Games like this make you proud of the effort, but age you exponentially. This was a character win," Lehigh coach Pete Lembo said. "It's days like this that you really appreciate the kind of people you've got around you."
"When you talk about Mark and how much adversity he's overcome," Lembo said, "it's only appropriate with him in mind that we found a way to win this game. He really led the comeback. Sedale finished it, which was neat."
Concerning Borda's injury, "It's the same injury I had that ended my senior year in college," Lembo said via phone late Saturday night after spending more than an hour at Borda's home after leaving Goodman Stadium. "He will likely have surgery on Monday. Mark's still in a bit of shock, but told me he was listening to the game and was excited that we won.
"As Mark always has, he's handling himself extremely well. He's in good spirits. He's still one of our captains, and Mark will do a great job from a leadership standpoint. I know he'll continue to excel in that role."
"You love all of your kids, but this is an especially tough loss because he's such a great kid who has overcome so much in his life. Make no mistake, he will continue to be part of this football team. It's still his team."
"The play he was injured on was a typical Mark Borda play, trying to get the extra yard, trying to be a leader and a tough player," Lembo said.
"You never want to see one of your leaders go down," Threatt said. "Especially a captain and someone who has meant so much to the program over the past two years the way Mark has."
"I look up to our seniors; they're our leaders, and, to a degree, this is their team," Threatt said. "This is their last ride. When I'm a senior, I'm going to want the freshmen and sophomores to step their game up to help our last ride. [The seniors] paid the price. They sell themselves out every day. They break bones, they bleed, they sweat and encourage us to become better players."
"Our slogan is 'NOW — no opportunity wasted' and this was my opportunity, even though it was unfortunate Mark had to go down, and there was no time to waste it," said Threatt, a son of the ex-NBA basketball player by the same name.
"Of all the kids on the team, I'm probably the hardest on the backup quarterback at practice," Lembo said. "When we talk about a sense of urgency and about being one play away from getting in a game, it applies the most to the backup quarterback position. So, I've been hard on Sedale because of that. But I also know he has strong character and I know he can take it. Some other guys can't."
"Oh yeah, he's tough," Threatt said. "Me and coach talk every now and then."
But that comment made Lembo laugh at Saturday's postgame press conference. "Sedale, who are you kidding, you're [the one] talking all of the time," Lembo said. "You are a case in point for our open-door policy."
Lembo then added, "From the minute he got here, he's been a great personality for our football team. He is very outgoing and you always know what's on his mind. His enthusiasm is contagious."
"Once I saw Sedale in the game making plays, I knew I had to match him," [sophomore DB Julian] Ahye said. "No opportunities wasted. I'm trying to take that to heart. I want to make a play. I want to see the Lehigh crowd go wild, not the opposing crowd."
“The defense in the fourth was clutch,” said senior captain and defensive back Kaloma Cardwell. “We couldn't afford to give up any more points. We just did what we had to do to get the ball back to the offense and give our team a chance to win.”
"We still have a long way to go," Lembo said. "We have to get a lot better in all three phases of the game, but at least I know our guys will battle."
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