Canarsie26 Martin0
Apparently, it’s not such a good idea for a team to try to prove itself against Canarsie. Last week, Brooklyn Tech came in hoping to scare the rest of the PSAL but it was no match for the Chiefs. Yesterday, it was Martin’s turn.
Canarsie (4-0, 3-0 in the PSAL) beat up Martin 26-0 on its home turn at August Martin High School. Although Canarsie head coach Mike Camardese thought his team “sleepwalked” through the game, it dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
“Their offensive line didn’t look like they knew what they were doing,” Canarsie defensive tackle Jermaine Dawkins said. “They were nervous and I just busted through the line.”
It didn’t help Martin (1-2) that it had several key starters out because of injury, including mammoth lineman Wayne Harris, who is listed at 325 pounds. But the Falcons’ problems were greater than any one player could have fixed.
“Last week the guys played great. They made all the tackles,” head coach Mike Greene said of his team’s 8-6 loss to a tough Lehman squad. “This week, we couldn’t buy a tackle. When you have a young team, you don’t know who is going to show up.”
“I thought we were down before the game,” Martin’s Gus Tyson said. “We lacked focus as a team. We just didn’t come to play.”
Indeed, after its first three plays netted Martin 27 yards, Canarsie’s huge, swarming defense took over. The Falcons didn’t cross midfield until they trailed 20-0.
Canarsie RB/DB Russell Jessamy was not impressed with Martin.
“I thought they would be better after I saw the Lehman score,” Jessamy said. “After a point, I think they just gave up.”
The strong Chiefs’ offense was led by Jessamy and fellow RB Earl Charles, as well as QB Reggie Rothwell.
On Canarsie’s first possession, it marched 80 yards on seven plays, scoring on a six-yard touchdown run by Charles with 2:26 left in the first quarter. The Chiefs took advantage of good field position on their next possession, a 35-yard drive that was capped with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Rothwell (9-13, 120 yards, TD) to John Ingrassia for a 12-0 lead.
But Canarsie didn’t score again in the half.
“I was afraid all week of a letdown after the Brooklyn Tech game and I think we had one,” Camardese said. “We played just well enough to win.”
If that was the case, the rest of the PSAL is in trouble. The tandem of Jessamy and Charles is a very dangerous one. Jessamy controlled much of the first half and finished with 76 yards on nine carries and also had 49 yards on three receptions.
“I just said to myself, ‘I’m not falling,'” Jessamy said. “I decided I needed to have a great game.”
Jessamy is certainly solid, but Charles (5 carries, 97 yards) is the real game-breaker. He scored a 76-yard touchdown on the second play of the third quarter that all but ended Martin’s hopes. He also had a 60-yard TD called back on Canarsie’s second play of the game.
“We had too many penalties. They took us out of our flow,” Camardese said.