The hotly anticipated match-up between old football rivals the DeWitt Clinton Governors and the John F. Kennedy’s Knights ended with redemption for Kennedy coach turned Clinton Defensive Coordinator Alex Vega, according to the NY Post.

Clinton was ahead 14-13 with just over three minutes to go, but the Knights were well into the Clinton red zone (inside the 20-yard line, for those non-football fanatics). That’s when Clinton sophomore linebacker Xavier Worrell intercepted a pass that would have put JFK in the lead and securing the one-point victory for the Governors. Clinton is now 4-3 on the season,  while JFK dropped to 3-4.

As big as the win was for the team, it was a personal victory for Vega, who used to coach at Kennedy.  Clinton’s defensive coordinator cried and told the Post, “Other than the day my son was born, this is the happiest day of my life.”

It was the first time Vega coached on Kennedy grounds in two seasons. He was booted by former JFK Principal Anthony Rotunno for alleged employee misconduct. Vega told the Post he bought the team a DVD player to make highlight reels without first getting permission.

Head Coach Howard Langley said the win was a big emotional lift. “It’s almost like an in-season playoff game when you play Kennedy.”

Clinton has now won three straight against JFK after dropping 11 straight to their northwest Bronx rivals.

Check out some great images from the game by photographer Francesca Andre for Breaking Bronx:

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.