August Martin Football Topples Mott Haven for First Win of the 2023 Season 

After an uneven performance last week versus Columbus that ended in a tie, August Martin football head coach Kyle Allen was waiting for his team to break out and play the way it is capable, he said.

Well, on Thursday night, the Falcons came to compete, soundly defeating Mott Haven, 24-6, in a PSAL Single-A game in the Bronx.

“I expected them to play as well as they played,” Allen said. “But I was surprised by how many kids played well. Those (weapons) were things we have. I was just waiting for them to come out.”

Things did not begin well for August Martin (1-0-1), however, as Mott Haven (0-1) jumped out to a 6-0 lead on its first possession of the game. But senior Giovanni Faulkner returned the ensuing kickoff for a 75-yard touchdown to tie the contest at 6-6 in the first quarter.

From there, the Falcons took control, scoring 18 more unanswered points the rest of the way to secure its first win of the season.

Faulkner rushed for 124 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown, enjoying the type of contest the August Martin coaching staff knew he had in him all along. Senior James Toney ran for 18 yards on three touches with a score of his own.

“He didn’t trust his own speed until Thursday night,” Allen said of Faulkner. “He didn’t run laterly as much; he just ran and picked up a lot of yardage.”

Defensively, junior Zidane Peart led the Falcons with seven tackles and an interception, while junior Roger Kossally made six tackles and registered four sacks. Senior E. J. Salazar picked up five tackles and had a pickoff. Junior Rowayne McKenzie recorded three stops and a safety while pressuring the Mavericks’ quarterback all game long.

Allen said this game has the exciting potential to ignite August Martin from here on out.

“Hopefully, that’s a light switch game, and keeps on going forward,” he said. “It was a (mostly) complete game for us. Our defense, running game and kick return played really well”

August Martin travels to Staten Island Friday at 4:30 p.m. to face Petrides.

— Jerry Del Priore