Each week in the fall, New York Post writers Zach Braziller and Marc Raimondi will attempt to prognosticate the coming CHSFL weekend.
Here’s Week 1:
No. 10 Port Richmond @ John F. Kennedy (Friday, 7 p.m.)
Braziller: It feels good to be back. I miss beating Marc like a drum. It’s two years in a row now I’ve smoked him our PSAL football predictions; does anybody doubt it will be a third? Unlike him, I don’t go chalk – I successfully pick upsets. Anyway, without further ado, let Marc’s beat down ensue.
Last year this was a snore fest; this year it could be a playoff preview. Kennedy has the biggest offensive line in the city, led by mammoth Division I prospect Francisco Mendez, while Port Richmond has an undersized, though extremely talented, all-senior line. Both sides will know what one another is doing – Kennedy coach Andy Lancberg was an assistant under PR’s Lou Vesce for years – but Kennedy can’t simulate the Red Raiders’ speed. Port Richmond has gone two years without a winning record after winning it all in 2008 – that ends this fall. Look for big plays out of dynamic slot receiver Mario Villafane and Vesce getting by his old assistant under the lights in The Bronx. Pick: Port Richmond
Raimondi: Your luck in picking winners extends only as far as football. In every other sport, your selections are the equivalent of putting a voodoo spell on said team. After toasting you at FiveBoroSports.com, I let you win the last few years. I’ve taken it easy on you to ease your transition to The Post. Now that you have a false sense of security, all bets are off. I’m predicting a victory by 10 games or greater.
This is actually a battle of two of the best offensive lines in the PSAL in a year where lines, in general across the city, aren’t that big or menacing. Kennedy does have the biggest and arguably the best unit. But the Knights also have Anthony Cruz, a precocious sophomore quarterback who already has interest from Syracuse. He starts off a breakout campaign in Week 1 with a monster performance to get Lancberg a ‘W’ against his old boss. Pick: John F. Kennedy
New Utrecht @ No. 8 Lincoln (Friday, 7 p.m.)
Raimondi: Lincoln, under the lights, is one of the best places to watch a high school football game in New York City. Jordan Paul-less New Utrecht won’t exactly be enamored by the atmosphere. Lincoln lost a ton from 2010’s city title game team, but the Railsplitters are just fine, led by running back/defensive back Kareem Folkes. There’s enough in the cupboard in Coney Island to go 1-0. Pick: Lincoln
Braziller: Folkes is in for a big year, but the breakout star this season will be sophomore wide receiver Jamiek Davis. He has a throwing quarterback to get him the ball in Jessel Jones. The two will hook up at least once Friday night as Lincoln gets off to a fine start. The Railsplitters may not be a title contender, but they’re a playoff team. Pick: Lincoln
No. 6 Thomas Jefferson @ No. 1 Tottenville (Friday, 7 p.m.)
Braziller: Let me get this straight. Jim Munson thinks his absolutely loaded team isn’t No.1 in the city, it isn’t No. 2, not even No. 3. He thinks they’re No. 21? Does he believe his own lies? I’m not going to go as far as some and say he has to win this year, but he’s the obvious favorite. Tottenville has the best quarterback-receiver duo in Brandon Barnes and Syracuse-bound Alvin Cornelius, a flat-out star at middle linebacker (Kenny Coughlin) and plenty of other all-city candidates. Munson actually said Jefferson is better. The Orange Wave are good, as potent as anyone on offense, and this could be very well be a track meet. But the Pirates are the best team in the city – ignore Munson’s motivational words for his players – and they’ll play like that Friday night in Huguenot. Pick: Tottenville
Raimondi: Oh, Munson knows how good his team his. He’s just almost as good at busting chops as he is as a coach. Tottenville doesn’t talk about expectations or city championships. The Pirates typically just take care of business on the field. Like you said, Zach, Jefferson’s offense is explosive. The Orange Wave are going to run it up on a few teams this year. Tottenville isn’t one of them. Munson’s secondary is excellent with Cornelius and Niheem Chavis. Coughlin is a destroyer at linebacker and Joe Scelzo is very tough up front. The Pirates might not shut out the Orange Wave, but they’ll be on the correct side of the score. It isn’t easy going into Huguenot and playing under the lights – ieven for a team dubbed “1a” in the PSAL by Munson. Pick: Tottenville
Sheepshead Bay @ No. 7 Clinton (Saturday, 12 p.m.)
Raimondi: Howard Langley has been downplaying his team since the Empire Challenge in June. Dude, we know you’re just being coy. Hayes transfer Ryan Camilo is at quarterback, monstrous fullback Ashton McKenzie returns and Jeremiah Obeng-Agyapong will be the fastest guy on the field most weeks. Sheepshead Bay is going to have a solid year – Fred Snyder’s team is always in the playoffs – but Clinton is just going to be too physically gifted in this one. Pick: Clinton
Braziller: Langley is being coy — somewhat. His defense is a work in progress and he has little depth. Sheepshead Bay, meanwhile, returns its entire team, a huge bonus considering the lack of experience the Sharks battled a year ago. The issue for Sheepshead is game-breakers; I’m not sure the Sharks have them. Clinton does. Pick: Clinton
John Adams @ No. 9 Brooklyn Tech (Saturday, 12 p.m.)
Braziller: This matchup features two of the city’s top receivers, Brooklyn Tech’s James Gales and Adams’ Shane Hubbard. Brooklyn Tech, though, is typically stout up front while Adams is just moving up to the City Championship division. Look for the Engineers to win the battle in the trenches and give the Spartans an early reality check about what being a 5 is all about. Pick: Brooklyn Tech
Raimondi: You left out the most important part of that Gales-Hubbard matchup. The two are the current leading vote getters in our “Who is the best football playmaker in the city?” poll. As I’m writing this, Gales has just nudged ahead of Hubbard by 70 votes. That’s the real thing at stake here. But in all seriousness, while Hubbard is explosive, Brooklyn Tech is just bigger with more depth. The Engineers are a City Championship-level program with potential to reach the quarterfinals or even the semis. Adams is just getting its feet wet. Pick: Brooklyn Tech
No. 2 Curtis @ Boys & Girls (Saturday, 12 p.m.)
Raimondi: There are a few coaches I know who are very high on Boys & Girls this season. The Kangaroos have a speedy, strong defense and a new quarterback, Keon Marsh, who can air it out. But there’s this guy on the other side named Prince Dukes – you might have heard of him. The city’s top quarterback , with all of his new weapons, will give the Kangaroos fits. Boys High will go on to have a top-10 season, but Curtis is still on the list of title contenders. Pick: Curtis
Braziller: Clive Harding will do a fine job in his first year as head coach at Boys & Girls. The Kangaroos will make the playoffs and win a few games nobody expects them to win. Just not this week. Dukes and his array of speed merchants will hang up a big number on The High. Pick: Curtis
No. 5 Campus Magnet @ No. 4 Erasmus Hall (Saturday, 12 p.m.)
Braziller: This isn’t a good matchup for Erasmus, this year’s city champion. Campus Magnet’s strengths – size and depth – happen to be the Dutchmen’s weaknesses. Wayne Morgan and Shaquell Jackson are clearly the most athletic players in the game, but I don’t see E-Hall blocking the huge Bulldogs, who have plenty of speed in their own right. Eric Barnett’s kids, remember, reached the semifinals last year while the Dutchmen were knocked out in the first round. Size matters in this showdown. Pick: Campus Magnet
Raimondi: So essentially this is a battle of the team you picked last year to win the title and the team you’re picking this season? Well, Campus Magnet fans know how that turned out in 2010. You’re right about one thing: the Bulldogs are bigger and stronger than the Dutchmen. But Erasmus Hall’s defense is greatly improved and I’m not so sure how well Campus Magnet will be able to move the ball. I, personally, would not throw into that secondary, led by Morgan and Cyrus Greene. You also forgot one person in E-Hall’s attack: budding superstar freshman Curtis Samuel. Danny Landberg’s team will have the three fastest kids on the field and a win. Pick: Erasmus Hall
Lehman @ No. 3 Fort Hamilton (Saturday, 12 p.m.)
Raimondi: Lehman is my sleeper pick this year. I like the Lions to do nice things and there’s no doubting that coach Mike Saunds has this program heading back in the right direction. But Week 1 at defending champion Fort Hamilton? Man. Saunds always kills me for picking against Lehman. But this is a stiff test even for a bigger, faster and improved team. Fort Hamilton is loaded with studs once again and will make another run at the title. Lehman is still a year or two away from that level. Pick: Fort Hamilton
Braziller: Great minds think alike. Lehman has plenty of ability and this will be a game for a while — look for running back David White to rack up yardage — but Fort Hamilton has too many playmakers on both sides of the ball. Travon Reid-Segure, the Tigers’ two-way dynamo, will do damage on offense and defense as the comparisons to Syracuse freshman Brandon Reddish, our All-City Player of the Year last season, continue. Pick: Fort Hamilton
FDR vs. Flushing (Saturday, 12 p.m. @ New Utrecht)
Braziller: I don’t get how Andrew King doesn’t have any Division I-A offers. The bruising tailback and outside linebacker is a beast who put up big numbers last year. You would think college coaches would get that Flushing produces big-time athletes after what Jason Bromley has done at Syracuse. Maybe they’ll get it after King finds pay dirt three times this week. Pick: Flushing
Raimondi: If Jim DeSantis hasn’t proven by now that he’s a marquee developer of talent, then I don’t know what more the man can do. All he has done in a short time at Flushing is win at every level. This might be one of his weaker teams, but King is still around and the Red Devils are always excellent defensively. They’re also always the toughest team on the field. FDR still has a lot to prove as a 5. Pick: Flushing
Truman @ Midwood (Saturday, 12 p.m.)
Raimondi: The battle in the trenches between two of the city’s best lineman – Truman’s St. Clair Richards and Midwood’s Mohamed Bilal – will be epic. Truman gets a winnable game right off the bat coming up from the Bowl division, which it won last year. Midwood has a chance to start the season off right after missing the playoffs in 2010. The Mustangs will surprise in this one. Shandu Rollieson has speed and Erik Reynolds is a playmaker. Richards will have a pair of sacks and Truman will be on its way to a competitive year in memory of Isayah Muller. Pick: Truman
Braziller: There is no tougher transition in PSAL sports than going from the Bowl to the City Championship division. The game is faster and the players are stronger. Truman will learn that the hard way against Midwood, which has a much-improved defense led by Bilal and fellow defensive linemen Vlasnim Huseinovic and Noel Gordon. Pick: Midwood
Grand Street Campus @ New Dorp (Saturday, 12 p.m.)
Braziller: Grand Street quarterback Cristian Pena will be the best player on the field by a wide margin. He will get help from running back David Filpo, which will be enough to beat New Dorp. The Central Cougars will feature a stingy defense once they get healthy, but the unit isn’t quite there yet. Pick: Grand Street Campus
Raimondi: As you might remember, Grand Street was my sleeper pick last year. As you might also remember, that was a terrible mistake. The Wolves had talent, but things never came together. Mike Lightfoot has taken a step back this year in terms of expectations, but Pena does remain one of the best quarterbacks in the city. The problem is, they need him just as much on defense. It’s a tough situation and there might be some early growing pains. Wily veteran coach Chris App will find a way to exploit the Wolves. Pick: New Dorp
Susan Wagner vs. Canarsie (Saturday, 1 p.m. @ Tottenville)
Raimondi: Al Paturzo goes back to his roots this year, playing home games at Tottenville while Wagner’s facility gets a facelift. The legendary coach was a Pirates assistant back in the day. This matchup very well could have been a semifinals or a championship game seven or eight years ago. Both programs have struggled with numbers since then – for different reasons – and the expectations have been reduced greatly. With that being said, these are two playoff teams with excellent coaches. This will be a tight one with the experience of Jason Saul being the difference. He’ll air it out a bit, throw two touchdown passes and lead Wagner to a Week 1 victory. Pick: Susan Wagner
Braziller: Keep underrating Canarsie, Marc. The Chiefs are not only a playoff team, they are going to the quarterfinals and possibly even further. Linebacker Donchervell Smith won’t only make at least 12 tackles, he’ll score twice from his fullback spot. My breakout star is in for a field day. Pick: Canarsie
