This time, Lincoln finished the job.
Appearing in the PSAL City Championship division for the second straight year, Lincoln got over the hump, winning its first title since 1993. The Railsplitters beat Erasmus Hall, 20-12, in a dramatic game that came down to the final seconds.
E-Hall was making its first-ever title game appearance at the highest classification and running back Kahlil Lewin’s improbable 52-yard first half scamper, in which he broke numerous tackles, was featured on ESPN SportsCenter’s top plays that night.
In the CHSFL, Xaverian put together one of its best seasons, advancing to the Class AAA semifinals where it came within inches of defeating Archbishop Stepinac in overtime. Fordham Prep, meanwhile, won the ‘AA’ title.
All-City football Player of the Year: Kareem Folkes, Lincoln
Folkes entered the season with a bull’s-eye on the No. 2 on his back, the lone star from last season’s runner-up. In preparation for the challenge, he put himself through a demanding offseason regimen of workouts which included working out at Chelsea Piers Blue Streak, a sports performance training organization in Manhattan, and with former teammate Ishaq Williams’ father, Shaun. They paid off with a memorable undefeated season and city championship, Lincoln’s first since 1993.
“It’s perfect,” the 5-foot-9 standout said after the Railsplitters topped Erasmus Hall, 20-12, at Yankee Stadium. “There’s no other way I would write this story. We made history. When I come back to the school years from now, I can say we did it.”
Folkes, who has drawn interest from Fordham, Wagner, Albany and Stony Brook, was Mr. Everything for Lincoln – its go-to running back with a league-leading 28 rushing touchdowns and 1,748 yards and top cornerback. But more than any on-field production, he shed his shy demeanor and became a leader for this young team. His inexperienced teammates, such as quarterback Jessel Jones and Denzel Duchenne, drew confidence from Folkes.
“I feel honored to play with that guy right there,” Jones said, gazing at Folkes in awe at Yankee Stadium after the championship game. “He did it all for us. He’s a horse.”
The best example was that city championship game against Erasmus Hall. Folkes was nursing a high left ankle sprain that cheated him of his stop-on-a-dime cuts and breakaway speed. He still pounded out 80 rushing yards and a touchdown and broke up the possible game-tying score to Luder Jean Louis, who had seven inches on him, in the end zone as time expired.
“It shows you the heart of a lion,” Lincoln coach Shawn O’Connor said. “He’s written his own legacy.”
All-City football Coach of the Year: Shawn O’Connor, Lincoln
Shawn O’Connor has made football part of the conversation at Lincoln, which has always been known as a basketball school.
The 11th-year coach won his first title this year at Yankee Stadium – and the school’s first since 1993 – but the last three seasons have gotten people to pay attention.
Lincoln has won 20 straight regular-season games, has reached the title game the last two years and has a bevy of talented underclassmen to continue the program’s upswing.
O’Connor did a phenomenal job this fall with an inexperienced team. He returned just two starters – running back Kareem Folkes and two-way lineman Robert Kitching – yet Lincoln won its 13 games by a hard-to-fathom 518-90.
“My kids did a great job proving who they are,” O’Connor said. “Everybody wanted to talk about who we lost rather than who we brought back.”
The Railsplitters had a workmanlike approach from the middle of August to winning it all. They were pushed just twice, in the quarterfinals against Thomas Jefferson and in the city final against Erasmus Hall, yet never grew overconfident, a nod to the humble O’Connor and his hard-working staff.
“It feels really sweet because nobody expected it,” O’Connor said. “We rose above everyone else’s expectations.”
You could see how special the bond was between coach and player during Lincoln’s celebration. Every Railsplitter wanted to talk about O’Connor, how he cared about them beyond the field and what the future held for them, and their way of repaying him was with a title.
“We did this for Coach,” Folkes said. “He wanted it so much.”
FIRST TEAM
Offense
QB Najae Brown, Mount St. Michael
The senior was one of the CHSFL’s most explosive players on both sides of the ball. The first-year quarterback possessed blazing speed and plenty of smarts as he scored 17 touchdowns and collected 986 yards of total offense.
QB Ryan Camilo, DeWitt Clinton
The Cardinal Hayes transfer turned the Clinton offense into a multi-dimensional attack with his fearless running and accurate passing. The hard-nosed senior ran for 1,018 yards and 12 touchdowns, threw for 404 yards and four touchdowns.
WR Alvin Cornelius, Tottenville
The Syracuse-bound senior was already the city’s best wide receiver and a ballhawk of a defensive back. But when quarterback Brandon Barnes went down (torn ACL), Cornelius spent time under center in Tottenville’s version of the Wildcat.
RB Augustus Edwards, Tottenville
The tall, burly back ran for 995 yards and 10 touchdowns and also had two scores on kickoff returns. Just a junior, Edwards led Tottenville back to the PSAL semis and is an early All-City Player of the Year candidate for 2012.
RB Shaquell Jackson, Erasmus Hall
The mixture of power and speed runner finished eighth in the PSAL City Championship in rushing yards (932), but had to miss the title game with a knee injury. He rushed for a career-high 217 yards and three touchdowns in a quarterfinal win over Boys & Girls.
QB Jessel Jones, Lincoln
An unknown in August, he was a champion by December. The dual threat, who is being recruited by Division II schools, ran for 806 yards and 15 touchdowns and threw for 1,145 yards and 11 scores.
QB Zach Kearney, Xaverian
Kearney had one of the city’s finest seasons, was nary impossible to bring down and was the driving force behind the Clippers’ explosive offense. The junior had 2,295 yards of total offense and 13 TDs in Xaverian’s run to the CHSFL ‘AAA’ semifinals.
RB Andrew King, Flushing
Arguably the city’s most under-recruited talent, King led Flushing to the PSAL City Championship division playoffs for the fourth straight year. Strong, agile and hard to bring down, he ran for 963 yards and 10 touchdowns.
RB Ashton McKenzie, DeWitt Clinton
Clinton’s heart and soul on both sides of the ball, the bulldozing junior fullback/middle linebacker ran for 964 yards and 11 touchdowns. His contributions led the Governors to the semifinals for the first time since 1989.
RB Laray Smith, Xaverian
The shifty junior back was a big play waiting to happen. He ran for 993 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging over seven yards a carry. Give Smith a small opening and a long scoring run usually ensued.
RB Michael Viegas, Monsignor Farrell
Farrell returned to the CHSFL Class AAA playoffs and the senior back was a big reason why. Viegas ran for 887 yards, collected 10 touchdowns and was considered one of the league’s best big-play guys.
Defense
DL Oluwatoba Akinleye, Fort Hamilton
Fort Hamilton’s defense remained one of the city’s best, and Akinleye was a major factor. Taking advantage of moving to defensive end, he led the PSAL City Championship division with 16 sacks and also made 63 tackles.
LB Kenny Coughlin, Tottenville
Despite playing most of the season on a bum ankle, Coughlin was Mr. Everything for Tottenville. He played linebacker, offensive line and even fullback at times in helping the Pirates to their third straight PSAL City Championship division semis.
DL Jay Hayes, Poly Prep
Just a sophomore, the massive Hayes was a dominant force on both lines. Running backs rarely escaped his clutches and quarterbacks needed to know where he was at all times. His future is very bright.
LB Nathaniel Feliz, John F. Kennedy
The Troy Polamalu lookalike was a homing missile against opposing ball carriers. The super-athletic senior led the PSAL City Championship division in tackles (98) for a team that made the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
DL Robert Kitching, Lincoln
As Lincoln’s lone returning lineman with any experience, the onus was on Kitching. He met the challenge head on. The mammoth 6-foot-2, 310-pound senior had 35 tackles, 10 sacks and two fumble recoveries.
LB Tristan Laurore, Boys & Girls
A frightening blend of speed and power, the junior was fourth in the PSAL City Championship division in tackles (79) and had two sacks. Boys High went to the quarterfinals and had one of the city’s top defenses – he was a big reason for that success.
DL Omari Manhertz, Mount St. Michael
Manhertz was one of the linchpins to a dominant defense. He made a habit of blowing up offensive lines and wreaking havoc in the backfield with six sacks and 44 tackles.
DB Wayne Morgan, Erasmus Hall
Perhaps the fastest player in the city, Morgan led E-Hall to its first PSAL city title game at the highest classification at quarterback and safety. Recruited for his defensive prowess, the All-American is down to Syracuse, UConn and Rutgers.
DB Bruce Parker Jr., Mount St. Michael
The playmaking corner was one of the city’s most dominant players. There weren’t too many games he didn’t get his hands on a turnover, including four interceptions. His blazing speed made him a dangerous return man.
DB Tushaun Plummer, Xaverian
There wasn’t anything Plummer couldn’t do on the football field on offense or defense. He was the leader of the Xaverian secondary at safety. The senior collected six interceptions and was electric in the return game.
LB Robert Thomas, Fort Hamilton
Thomas excelled as a fullback and middle linebacker until quarterbacks Marvin Centeno and Travon Reid Segure were lost to injury. So, sent behind center, he scored all three Tigers touchdowns the playoffs, which ended in the quarterfinals.
SECOND TEAM
Offense
RB Ricardo Appleton, Sheepshead Bay
RB Kevin Austin, Curtis
RB Najee Champagne, Boys & Girls
WR Denzel Duchenne, Lincoln
QB Khalik Greenwood, Campus Magnet
WR Shane Hubbard, John Adams
RB DeQuan June, Cardinal Hayes
RB Kahlil Lewin, Erasmus Hall
OL Francisco Mendez, John F. Kennedy
RB Donchervell Smith, Canarsie
RB Shyheim Wingate, Holy Cross
Defense
LB Kenny Acquah, Mount St. Michael
DL Asaikie Blake, Campus Magnet
DB Lekeith Celestain, Holy Cross
DB Mark DelPrete, Monsignor Farrell
LB George Heffran, Curtis
DL Rocky Iannocone, Xaverian
LB Richard Jones, Mount St. Michael
LB Austen Moccia, Tottenville
DL Ebenezer Ogundeko, Thomas Jefferson
DL Joel Philius, Canarsie
LB Kareem Turnage, Campus Magnet
HONORABLE MENTION
QB/RB James Coleman, Christ the King
RB Benjamin Ezike, Susan Wagner
RB James Gales, Brooklyn Tech
DB/WR Dan Low, St. Peter’s
RB/DB Jeremiah Obeng-Agyapong, DeWitt Clinton
WR/LB Armando Perez, Riverdale
WR/RB Kendall Thomas, Thomas Jefferson
RB/DB Trey Solomon, Xavier
RB David White, Lehman
RB Logan Williamson, Fordham Prep
WR Aaron Yates, Port Richmond