There are just five games remaining in the PSAL football season, but oh what a finish we have in store.
It begins Saturday, when No. 1 Fort Hamilton and No. 2 Curtis meet in one semifinal, a rematch of the 2006 city championship game. No. 3 Tottenville and No. 4 Erasmus Hall clash in the other. The Cup and Bowl division finals will be held on Sunday with the city championship the following Saturday.
It’s been an unpredictable season up to this point. The final two weekends only promise more excitement.
Our rankings didn’t change much, except for DeWitt Clinton dropping from second to seventh, Campus Magnet moving up to fifth after a heartbreaking playoff loss to Tottenville and the Pirates and Dutchmen each advancing one space as well.
1. Fort Hamilton (11-0) (Last week: 1)
The playoffs are where the men get separated from the boys, when the great ones distinguish themselves from the good ones. Wide receiver Brandon Reddish, through eight playoff games – seven wins – is in that select company. He has scored five touchdowns, two coming in last Saturday’s rout of No. 6 Lincoln, in the postseason. Remember, he found pay dirt in last December’s city championship game. One more win and he returns to that special stage.
Next: No. 2 Curtis, PSAL City Champion semifinals (Nov. 21, 12 p.m.)
2. Curtis (9-2) (3)
Way back on Sept. 12, Curtis coach Pete Gambardella said he was happy that the Warriors rallied after a poor first half against No. 1 Fort Hamilton in a 38-24 loss. This Saturday is a prime example. For, Curtis will have confidence it can go to Bay Ridge and shock the Tigers, that it can consistently move the ball and stop the Brooklyn powerhouse’s electric attack. In that second half, the Warriors were the better team.
Next: @ No.1 Fort Hamilton, PSAL City Champion semifinals (Nov. 21, 12 p.m.)
3. Tottenville (9-2) (4)
There weren’t many people expecting Tottenville to go down 14-0 in the first half against Campus Magnet in the quarterfinals Saturday. The Pirates still pulled it out at home, but things were scary there for awhile. With a team that has as much firepower as Erasmus Hall, doing that again would be a recipe for disaster.
Next: @ No. 4 Erasmus Hall, PSAL City Championship semifinals (Nov. 21, 12 p.m.)
4. Erasmus Hall (10-1) (5)
There was no team Erasmus would have liked to have seen more in the semifinals than Tottenville. The Pirates handed the Dutchmen their only loss in Week 9. E-Hall’s quarterfinal game against Sheepshead Bay wasn’t even over when players on the sideline were yelling out “rematch baby!” The key against Tottenville is stopping the run, which the Dutchmen did well against Sheepshead.
Next: @ No. 3 Tottenville, PSAL City Championship semifinals (Nov. 21, 12 p.m.)
5. Campus Magnet (8-3) (7)
One day the Bulldogs are going to look back at this season and smile. They will be happy with another Queens title, picking up their first playoff victory under coach Eric Barnett, and giving No. 3 Tottenville all it could handle last Saturday. The progress may be incremental but Campus Magnet is working its way into the city’s elite.
Next: Season complete
6. Lincoln (7-4) (6)
The Railsplitters drew first blood against Fort Hamilton in the quarterfinals Saturday and all looked well. Then the Tigers scored 36 unanswered points and, before anyone could blink, Lincoln’s season was over. It was hardly a lost campaign for the Railsplitters though. They were in the playoffs for the first time in four years and won a postseason game for the first time since 2003.
Next: Season complete
7. DeWitt Clinton (9-2) (2)
The Governors were a victim of being in the wrong place in the wrong time. Clinton was good enough to be a semifinalist this fall, but not if it had to meet No. 2 Curtis. It was a tough matchup on both sides of the ball for Howard Langley’s club, which did a fine job defensively, but couldn’t muster much of an offensive attack.
Next: Season complete
8. Sheepshead Bay (7-4) (8)
Two critical fumbles and a punt return for a touchdown killed Sheepshead in its quarterfinal loss Saturday to Erasmus Hall. The Sharks played well enough to win, but fell, 28-14, in heartbreaking fashion. Coach Fred Snyder’s team loses a bunch of talented seniors from a team that had won eight of its last nine games.
Next: Season complete
9. Susan Wagner (5-5) (9)
The Falcons will graduate 18 seniors, but all is not lost in Staten Island. Returning will be junior running back Trevor Ellam, who could emerge as one of the top players at his position in the PSAL next year. Wagner will be in the 2009 playoff discussion, as it is just about every season.
Next: Season complete
10. Flushing (5-5) (10)
Three years ago, Flushing didn’t even have a varsity program. Two years ago, they were in the Cup division, last year the Bowl. So although the Red Devils, under coach Jim DeSantis, have been done for more than a week, the helmets and shoulder pads put away and equipment locked up, they have come quite a ways in a short period of time.
Next: Season complete
New: None
Dropped out: None
On the bubble: Port Richmond (3-7), Brooklyn Tech (6-4), New Utrecht (5-5), Lehman (5-5), Thomas Jefferson (9-1), August Martin (7-3), South Bronx (11-0) and Automotive (11-0)