The perception in the PSAL was that Grady football was dead, but Sunday it showed just how much life it really has.
The Falcons, a team that many thought had its their best days behind it, had the opportunity to be the only remaining undefeated squad left in the Bowl division while simultaneously spoiling Homecoming for Beach Channel.
They seized that opportunity in a big way, dominating and winning the battle of the league’s two top teams, 26-6, Saturday in Rockaway. A lot of Grady’s success, as expected, came from senior running back Brent Rachel, who rushed for 238 yards on 29 carries with two touchdowns.
“Everyone thought we were dead, but we proved ourselves,” he said.
Rachel’s first touchdown may have been the most important one for his team. In the third quarter, Anthony Mella intercepted Beach Channel quarterback Breland Archbold, giving Grady (5-0) great field position in a 6-all tie. Four plays later, Rachel was ran for 21-yard touchdown and ran in the two-point conversion to make it 14-6 with 4:27 remaining in the frame.
The Dolphins (4-1) would then go three-and-out and give the Falcons another opportunity to score, which they did just three plays later when quarterback Tyre Scott handed the ball to Malherbe Serant for a 3-yard rushing touchdown with 36 seconds left in the third, giving Grady a commanding 20-6 lead.
Grady would never relinquish the lead and would end up with a huge win, the magnitude of which wasn’t lost on head coach Andrew Jashyn who was brimming with pride after the win.
“I’m not gonna say we were over confident coming into this one,” Jashyn said. “But we knew this was the big test for us, and it’s very telling when we beat the best team in our division.”
Scott only threw the ball twice, both for completions, as he focused mostly on the running game in his second game since replacing injured quarterback Duwan Hyman (sprained knee) who remains day-to-day.
“There’s a lot of pressure for me to step up,” Scott said. “I have to step up for my team and the whole team is behind me. Brent takes the pressure off of me, he’s a great weapon.”
The final blow for Beach Channel came following a fourth-quarter fumble which was recovered by Grady. The next drive would eventually end with Rachel’s second touchdown on an 8-yard run with only 1:40 left in the game to give the Falcons a 26-6 lead.
“We just didn’t play well defensively,” Beach Channel coach Victor Nazario said. “Our technique was poor and we’ve been getting away with this all year, but football can be very humbling. I have a feeling we’ll see each other again in the playoffs.”
Grady’s defense was able to limit running back Diequan Underwood to just one touchdown on a 55-yard run, though he did have 14 carries for 136 yards.
Beach Channel must try to bounce back from its first loss of the season, while Jashyn and his team will bask in the light of being the only undefeated team left in the division.
“This is the most unselfish team,” Jashyn said. “This is the best bunch of guys I’ve ever coached.”
