Campus Magnet running back Wavell Wint hopes to lead the fourth-seeded Bulldogs past No. 14 Lehman. (Damion Reid)
NYPost.com’s PSAL football beat writers Zach Braziller and Marc Raimondi take an in-depth look at the first round, which kicks off Saturday.
SCHEDULE(All games begin at 12 p.m.)
No. 16 Sheepshead Bay @ No. 1 Lincoln
No. 15 Port Richmond @ No. 2 Fort Hamilton
No. 14 Grand Street Campus @ No. 3 Tottenville
No. 13 Lehman @ No. 4 Campus Magnet
No. 12 Clinton @ No. 5 Erasmus Hall
No. 11 Brooklyn Tech @ No. 6 Thomas Jefferson
No. 10 Flushing @ No. 7 Curtis
No. 9 Susan Wagner @ No. 8 Boys & Girls
No. 1 Lincoln Railsplitters
Head coach: Shawn O’Connor
Record: 9-0
Player to watch: QB Andrew Vital
No. 16 Sheepshead Bay Sharks
Head coach: Fred Snyder
Record: 3-6
Player to watch: OL/DL Rashid Armand
Outlook: The Railsplitters boast, without a doubt, the best defense in the city. They shutdown potent attacks from Campus Magnet and Erasmus Hall, compiled three shutouts and paved the way to Lincoln’s first undefeated regular season since 2003. The Vital-led offense is no slouch either, though it can be one-dimensional at times.
Sheepshead Bay is back in the playoffs for the 14th straight season, a remarkable run of consistency. Just making the postseason is an accomplishment in itself after the Sharks graduated every starter but one – Armand – from last year’s team.
No. 2 Fort Hamilton Tigers
Head coach: Danny Perez
Record: 9-0
Player to watch: WR/RB/S Brandon Reddish
No. 15 Port Richmond Red Raiders
Head coach: Lou Vesce
Record: 3-6
Player to watch: RB Mario Villafane
Outlook: All due respect to Lincoln and Campus Magnet, Fort Hamilton has the PSAL’s top ground attack. The Tigers, behind a fast and physical offense line, come at you so many different ways, with speed (Jakim Williamson), power (Wesley Sumpter), both (Travon Segure) and the Wildcat (Reddish). Quarterback Marvin Centeno can also take off and throws a nice deep ball.
Port Richmond can score points, as it put up 30 or more three times, and the Red Raiders are extremely young – sophomore Mario Villafane and James Jones spearhead the ground game – so it may not realize what kind of an upset this would be.
No. 3 Tottenville Pirates
Head coach: Jim Munson
Record: 9-0
Player to watch: RB Augustus Edwards
No. 14 Grand Street Campus Wolves
Head coach: Mike Lightfoot
Record: 3-6
Player to watch: QB Cristian Pena
Outlook: Tottenville running back Gil Mendoza isn’t supposed to play after suffering a knee injury last week against Curtis. But the Pirates might not need him Saturday. Edwards, a sophomore, more than held his own against the Warriors defense in the second half – and Grand Street’s is not nearly as good. With quarterback Brandon Barnes and his excellent receiving corps, led by all-city lock Alvin Cornelius, Tottenville won’t be afraid to put it up.
Grand Street looked like a potential sleeper team early in the season, especially after shocking Erasmus Hall in Week 2. Well, the Wolves haven’t beaten anyone good since and they’re coming off a loss to previously winless Grady last Saturday. The good news is that Pena gives them a chance to win every time he steps on the field. It’ll be a serious uphill battle against the Pirates though.
No. 4 Campus Magnet Bulldogs
Head coach: Eric Barnett
Record: 7-2
Player to watch: RB Wavell WInt
No. 13 Lehman Lions
Head coach: Michael Saunds
Record: 4-5
Player to watch: QB Che Young
Outlook: The Bulldogs aren’t part of the big three of Tottenville, Fort Hamilton and Lincoln, undefeated city title contenders, but they are at the top of the next level. Their regular-season closing, 22-17 victory over Flushing was a confidence builder entering the postseason because Campus Magnet trailed by 11 points entering the fourth quarter and proved to itself it can come from behind. The defense, led by all-city caliber safety Jhaleel Oswald, defensive end Donavon Abreu and middle linebacker Kareem Turnage, is one of the best in the PSAL.
Saunds has Lehman headed in the right direction. Making the playoffs is a positive first step, though the Lions failed to register a victory over a quality opponent. Campus Magnet better keep an eye on Young, a dual threat who can use his legs as well as his right arm.
No. 5 Erasmus Hall Dutchmen
Head coach: Danny Landberg
Record: 7-2
Player to watch: WR/DB Cyrus Greene
No. 12 DeWitt Clinton Governors
Head coach: Howard Langley
Record: 4-5
Player to watch: FB Ashton McKenzie
Outlook: There might not be a faster team in New York City than Erasmus Hall. Quarterback Wayne Morgan and running back Shaquell Jackson, both highly recruited juniors, have speed to burn. The key Saturday could be Greene, though. He’s approaching the level of Morgan and Jackson and has game-breaking ability at receiver. He’s also a shutdown defensive back. Clinton is going to be bigger and stronger, so E-Hall needs to get its dynamic players in open space early and often.
The Governors are playing their best football of the season. Don’t look at their 4-5 record and think it’s an indication of how good Clinton is. A better example is last week’s 48-6 thrashing of Lehman, a fellow playoff team. McKenzie is a load for anyone to bring down and Langley’s defense has been his hallmark since he took over. With the way the Govs are playing, this could be the biggest chance for an upset in the first round.
No. 6 Thomas Jefferson Orange Wave
Head coach: Stephen Edwards
Record: 7-2
Player to watch: WR Mark Thomas
No. 11 Brooklyn Tech Engineers
Head coach: Kyle McKenna
Record: 5-4
Player to watch: WR/DB James Gales
Outlook: No matter what happens from here on out, Jefferson has a fantastic season moving up from the Bowl division. But coach Gus Cyrus and his troops don’t want to hear that. They want more – much more – and that starts Saturday against Brooklyn Tech, a team the Orange Wave had a war with in an overtime win in the regular season. Jefferson does everything well – it can throw with quarterback Al Stewart and wide receivers Thomas and Dajon Dixon and run with Rahim Salahuddin. Its defense also has the personnel to shut down opposing teams.
Brooklyn Tech is still smarting from that first meeting when it turned the ball over seven times. The Engineers should be battle tested, finishing the season with losses to top-five seeds Campus Magnet and Erasmus Hall. If you haven’t seen dangerous sophomore Gales play, it’s a treat. He can do it all. And Tech has the burly line, the defense and solid running game to make a run in this tournament.
No. 7 Curtis Warriors
Head coach: Pete Gambardella
Record: 6-3
Player to watch QB Prince Dukes
No. 10 Flushing Red Devils
Head coach: Jim DeSantis
Record: 5-4
Player to watch: RB/LB Andrew King
Outlook: Curtis has three losses, but it could easily have one. Mistakes in the setbacks to Tottenville, Campus Magnet and Erasmus Hall are correctable and the Warriors’ offense has the potential to be dynamite now that highly recruited running back Shaquan Coles is healthy and Dukes, a big-armed freshman quarterback, has shown glimpses of brilliance. The defense, while not as dominant, is still stifling.
Controversy has followed Flushing around like a mosquito buzzing around your head. There was the brawl with Clinton, Lehman coach Michael Saunds pulling his team off the field with 2:20 remaining because of poor officiating and alleged cheap hits by Flushing, and last week DeSantis and Campus Magnet coach Eric Barnett got into a heated verbal argument after the Bulldogs’ victory. It’s a shame this has distracted from DeSantis’ hard-hitting and tough-minded team that is one of the best 5-4 teams in recent memory. Curtis better keep an eye on King, an athletic junior who has run for 516 yards and nine touchdowns this year.
No. 8 Boys & Girls Kangaroos
Head coach: Barry O’Connor
Record: 5-4
Player to watch: WR/RB/DB/LB/K/P Wilbert Lee
No. 9 Susan Wagner Falcons
Head coach:Al Paturzo
Record: 5-4
Player to watch: RB Trevor Ellam
Outlook: Boys & Girls really couldn’t not have asked for anything better after playing the top four seeds in the playoffs four weeks in a row during the regular season. Well, those games were the Kangaroos’ only losses and coach Barry O’Connor’s squad has won three in a row heading into the postseason – making it very dangerous going forward. Boys is fast, athletic, big on the line and there are few players in New York City better than Lee, the UConn-bound, do-it-all superstar.
Susan Wagner defied expectations this season especially after seniors quit after training camp. The Falcons have gone to battle week after week with just 23 players, the lowest numbers coach Al Paturzo has had in nearly three decades at the helm of the Staten Island program. But he does have some talent. Ellam is an explosive, strong back, Will Echevarria can do a bit of everything and Robert Asomaning has been a revelation, scoring touchdowns just about in every way possibly this season.
