In a highly anticipated game between two of the cities best, Abraham Lincoln HS played very well and defeated Fort Hamilton High School by a score of 22-6.
Lincoln relied heavily on its rushing game. Kareem Folkes, the fourth leading rusher in the league, led their attack. Folkes had 109 yards on the ground on 16 attempts. He scored all three Lincoln touchdowns.
Quarterback Jessel James threw eight times, completing six times and had 81 total yards in the air. Darnell Phillips, Denzel Duchenne, Jamiek Davis were the recipients. Duchenne caught the longest pass for 24 yards. The offensive line was strong all game, providing excellent protection for James and allowing Folkes to find good creases to run through.
Several times, Fort Hamilton got close to scoring, only to be stopped by the stingy Lincoln defense. On defence Denzel Duchenne led the way with eight tackles. Miguel Acevedo and Tevin Fraser had seven tackles. Armanin Gordon, Malik Darling and Robert Kitching each got to the Fort Hamilton quarterback for a sack.
With the playoffs up next, some of the top players in the league should be mentioned.
While Kareem Folkes of Lincoln is fourth in rushing with 1225, other top rushers in the league include the leader David White from Herbert Lehman with 1874 yards. Benjamin Ezie of Susan Wagner follows with 1412, and then Romario Dillon of John Kennedy with 1274 yards, and fifth is James Gale of Brooklyn Tech with 1067 yards. All totals are through all nine regular season games.
Next up for top seeded Lincoln, as they hope to repeat, as City Champions is John Adams. They will play at Lincoln’s field. Fort Hamilton, with just two losses on the season, also has hopes for the City Championship. They open the playoffs against Sheepshead Bay at the Fort Hamilton HS field in Bay Ridge. There are four rounds in the playoffs with 16 high schools playing in eight games to start the playoffs in the first round.
While Lincoln is the top seed with a 9-0 record, other top teams include second seed Tottenville with an 8-1 record, Canarsie Campus 7-2, and fourth seed Fort Hamilton at 7-2. Erasmus Hall, Boys and Girls, Dewitt Clinton, Campus Magnet, Curtis and Port Richmond all at 6-3 round out the next 6 seeds. It should be an exciting playoff tournament.
Photos by C. Gottlieb
