The high-school staff here wrote a feature in last Sunday’s preview spread of the elite local football talent that now inhabits the five boroughs. It began a few years ago, continued with Curtis dynamo Dominique Easley (now at Florida), who finished the year ranked third in the country by one scouting service, last season, and has progressed this fall.
The PSAL owns much of the BCS-level Division I talent, from Lincoln’s Ishaq Williams to Fort Hamilton’s Brandon Reddish to Boys & Girls’ Wilbert Lee. That’s just the start. There is Rutgers commit Al Page of Columbus, Sheepshead Bay two-way lineman Rashid Armand, Tottenville’s Alvin Cornelius, Curtis’ Shaquan Coles and Erasmus Hall’s Wayne Morgan and Shaquell Jackson.
Point being, this is the perfect season to get into local football. Why spend hundreds of bucks on Sunday, when a few dollars gets you a front-row seat to the best New York City has to offer?
Join me as a I make a few predictions for the upcoming three months:
Brooklyn dominance: We’re a few months away from basketball season, when Biggie Smalls’ borough truly owns the PSAL, but Brooklyn may own the gridiron, too. Why did I move out of Brooklyn to Astoria, Queens, again?
Sure, Tottenville is powerful – my partner in crime Marc Raimondi has them winning it all – and Curtis will undoubtedly be solid, but the rest fall off after that.
Brooklyn, meanwhile, has legit city title contenders in Lincoln and Fort Hamilton; Boys & Girls is a sleeper; Sheepshead Bay is inexperienced yet always finds a way to make the postseason; Canarsie is young but very talented; and Grand Street Campus is poised to have its best season yet.
Campus Magnet the sleeper: For those first-time readers, I’ve been high on the Bulldogs since I made them my first stop in late August. They are deep, large and skilled. They had runner-up Tottenville beaten in last year’s quarters if not for their fumbling woes and return a bevy of talented upperclassmen, notably quarterback Scott Gadsden, running back Wavell Wint and fierce safety Jhaleel Oswald, who led the city with 112 tackles last fall.
This, however, has to be the year Eric Barnett’s club takes care of business during the regular season – that means no blown leads – to put itself in good position come November. The talent and wherewithal is there for a title run.
Lee will be Mr. Everything for Kangaroos: I won’t take credit for this pick – it was Marc’s idea in Thursday’s preseason live chat – but Connecticut-bound Wilbert Lee will be the PSAL MVP. The Kangaroos will make the playoffs despite a murderous schedule in large part because of Lee’s explosiveness, versatility and leadership. Remember, as a sophomore he led The High to the City Championship division semifinals. Had the wide receiver/running back/linebacker/kicker/punter/kick returner not missed three games last year, the young Kangaroos would’ve won at least a few more times. Now, as a senior, with his college already decided, the uber-talented quiet kid is ready to explode – from anywhere on the field in any position.
Lincoln over Campus Magnet: Remember, you heard it here first. Lincoln will be the final team standing, turning the rabid basketball school into football fanatic. In a rematch of a Week 2 showdown, Lincoln quarterback Andrew Vital makes the biggest plays, with his arm as much as his legs, and the Williams boys, Ishaq and Wayne, dominate like Dominique Easley and James Timmins did a year ago.
