Filed under: Fans, Police Blotter
PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. -- While Pace University football players warmed up to resume their football season Saturday afternoon, the speaker system at the Setters' intimate home field played the usual sports anthems.
They included "Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen ("... they pass you by ...'') and "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses ("... I wanna watch you bleed!").
But not all music Saturday was part of the common playlist. It had been two weeks since cornerback Danroy Henry died from police bullets in a car in a restaurant parking lot after Pace's homecoming game.
So a new tune was added Saturday by a man wearing kilts and carrying bagpipes. He walked onto the field after the national anthem and played "Amazing Grace," a hymn of redemption and forgiveness in a time of deep despair.
Once the game began, New Haven (8-1) scored a solid 58-19 victory over Pace (0-7). But afterward, Henry's teammates seemed buoyed by the chance to play together again in a game he loved after canceling the previous one to mourn.
Pace senior running back Jason Washington said he dedicated his touchdown on a kickoff return to Henry and was so energized during his 95-yard run that he could not remember any details.
And senior linebacker Jonfrey Sanchez seemed emotionally moved by a postgame ceremony during which players, fans and cheerleaders gathered on the 12-yard line in honor of Henry's number 12.
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