Sports

The Post’s All-City football honors

Lincoln's Shawn O'Connor is The Post's All-City football Coach of the Year.

Lincoln’s Shawn O’Connor is The Post’s All-City football Coach of the Year. (Denis Gostev)

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