Sports

Logan’s run: Hustle play by Williamson swings momentum toward Fordham

Fordham's James McHale was 9-of-20 for 162 yards and a touchdown.

Fordham’s James McHale was 9-of-20 for 162 yards and a touchdown. (aN rONG xU)

Logan Williamson wasn’t trying to be a hero. He just didn’t want to get any grief from his coach.

In the second quarter of a tie game, Holy Trinity’s Mike Williams picked up a Fordham Prep fumble near midfield and seemed to have a clear path toward the end zone, but Williamson never gave up on the play, chasing Williams down and stripping him of the ball inside the 5-yard line.

“The main thing that was on my mind was that if I didn’t, Coach [Pete] Gorynski would have been on my back,” Williamson said with a laugh. “Even in practice and we’ve seen it on film, that’s happened a few times and Coach Gorynski always says, we always gotta follow the ball no matter, even if it’s on the other side of the field.”

Brendan Kennedy recovered the fumble for Fordham. The Rams scored on the ensuing possession in a potential 14-point swing and went on to beat Holy Trinity, 27-6, in CHSFL Class AAA action Sunday at Fordham University’s Coffey Field.

“That was a big play,” Fordham quarterback James McHale said. “I think that’s what really got us going today. We started off a little slow and I think that’s what sparked our offense.”

McHale would lead the Rams (2-0, 1-0 AAA) on a six-play, 80-yard drive after the wild sequence. After a 30-yard pass to Michael Regan, he found Williamson for a 10-yard touchdown. Steven Broccoli made the extra point to give Fordham a 13-6 lead it would not relinquish. Williamson also had a 31-yard run in that series.

“It could have been big time in the game,” Gorynski said of the fumble and eventual touchdown for his team. “It could have changed momentum in a huge way. That could have put them up and who knows?”

Williamson rushed for 61 yards on 19 carries with a pair of scoring runs. The ground game was the one part of the victory that didn’t necessarily please Gorynski. McHale, who split time with John Trimble, was 9-of-20 for 162 yards and the touchdown throw to Williamson. James Drago had the other score, a 3-yard run with 8:42 left in the game that made it 20-6.

On defense is actually where Fordham excelled most against Holy Trinity (0-2, 0-1 AAA). Titans star junior quarterback Chris Laviano was held to 15-of-28 passing for 154 yards with a touchdown throw to Ryan Alexander at the 5:32 mark of the second quarter to make it 6-6. The Rams didn’t allow another score.

“Last week I was not really happy with our defensive performance, especially tackling,” Gorynski said of the Week 1 win over Cardinal Hayes. “I think this week we were day-and-night better.”

Fordham will likely have to continue improving with nine-time ‘AAA’ champion St. Anthony’s coming to Coffey Field on Saturday night at 7 p.m. There was a lot to be pleased about Sunday.

“I’m very happy with the way we’re playing,” said McHale, a sophomore. “I think we can be a really good team.”

Holy Trinity coach Tony Mascia definitely feels like his own team can be better than it was. After losing a ton to graduation, the Titans are still a work in progress. They still have Laviano and Williams rushed for 70 yards on 15 carries, so there are bright spots.

“I promise you we’re gonna get better and we’re gonna get it right,” Mascia said. “I know that.”

Everything really began snowballing when Williamson forced the fumble.

“It’s a big play in the game,” Mascia said. “Instead of being up, we’re down. They go in after that. It’s definitely a different game at that point.”

mraimondi@nypost.com