Al Stewart just needed his turn in the rotation skipped a few times.
The Thomas Jefferson quarterback, who struggled much of the year with shoulder problems after spending the entire summer pitching, was given three weeks off late in the season. He returned under center in Week 8, tossed six touchdown passes in the regular-season finale and led the Orange Wave to the PSAL’s biggest upset in three years Saturday afternoon.
“We knew what he could do, we’re happy to have him back,” Jefferson coach Gus Cyrus said of Stewart, who played safety while he was given time off. “His arm is ready now.”
Stewart ran for a pair of 1-yard touchdowns, completed 5-of-9 passes for 275 yards and threw a 99-yard scoring strike to Malik Martin as No. 14 Jefferson shocked third-seeded Canarsie, 24-0, in the opening round of the PSAL City Championship division football playoffs.
“I knew I had to do that for my team,” he said. “When they needed me, I came through.”
Michael Abanikanda ran for 107 yards on 16 carries and a score and the Orange Wave defense pitched their second straight shutout, bending but not breaking and sacking Canarsie quarterback Giovanni Alexis six times. The Chiefs (7-3) moved the ball into the red zone on three separate occasions, but came away with no points.
“Everybody was doubting us,” said cornerback Titus Goode Jr., who recovered a fumble and had a sack. “We made a statement – don’t play the record, play the team.”
Canarsie didn’t overlook Jefferson; it trailed the Orange Wave in the first meeting entering the fourth quarter before rallying for victory. The Chiefs just couldn’t overcome their own miscues, from dropped passes to fumbles and missed assignments on defense.
“This is how we play all season, we’re a ball control team,” Canarsie coach Mike Camardese said. “We make a couple of catches, we’re OK. We didn’t make a couple of plays, that’s it.”
Stewart wasn’t happy about losing his spot to backup Javon Lewis, but he understood. Cyrus told him he would be back under center, when healthy. The zip on his passes are back, which he credited to the time off.
“His arm is real powerful now,” Martin said. “In practice, he’s jamming fingers.”
The only playoff team with three regular-season wins, Jefferson faces undefeated Lincoln, the top overall seed, in the quarterfinals next Saturday at noon. It was a tumultuous year for the talented but hard-to-figure Orange Wave, which is blessed with playmakers but seemed to create new and innovative ways to lose.
“All the teams I’ve seen, they have the most athletes,” Camardese said.
After it snuck into the playoffs by blowing out Grand Street Campus in Week 9, Cyrus said he didn’t even want to discuss the regular season. His team was in the playoffs, and that was all that mattered. They looked like a different team against Canarsie, despite two first-half turnovers.
“Everybody’s zip-zip come playoff time,” Cyrus said. “We’re 1-0 now, that’s all I care about.”
Jefferson (4-6) executed at key moments on both sides of the ball – none more important that Stewart’s 99-yard touchdown pass to Martin. The Orange Wave, leading 6-0 at that point early in the third quarter, had just stripped Canarsie running back Jordan Gillies deep in its own end.
Stewart hit Martin on a simple slant, but Gillies, the cornerback on the play, was hedging the other direction and Martin never stopped running.
“He couldn’t have come back to the sideline if he didn’t make it,” Cyrus joked.
The play turned the game’s momentum, as Jefferson’s defense turned it on from there and the Orange Wave added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, a 1-yard run from Stewart and 26-yard dash by Abanikanda.
By the end of the fourth quarter, it was hard to tell which team enjoyed a 7-2 campaign and who struggled through a 3-6 year. Naturally, Jefferson didn’t want to talk about its difficult season, or even go into much detail about Lincoln, next Saturday’s opponent.
The Orange Wave was pleased to have this moment to itself, a complete victory over a supposed heavy favorite.
“It feels wonderful,” Goode said.