August Martin High School (Queens, N.Y.) football, a Public School Athletic League (PSAL) 1A Conference program, started strong in its non-league game. It faced Campus Magnet, a 2A Conference program, Saturday afternoon on the road.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Falcons took a 6-0 advantage on their first offensive drive of the game after they cashed in on a short touchdown run by junior running back Michael Glasgow early in the first period. But August Martin’s offensive sputtered in the second half, as the Bulldogs went to work and toppled the Falcons, 22-12, to kick off their preseason action.
But it was not all doom and gloom for the Falcons, head coach Kyle Allen noted.
However, Allen did say that August Martin is a work in progress.
“I like the way we fought in the first half, the line protected well in the first half,” Allen said of the team’s performance before the break. “We run blocked well in the first half. Mike Glasgow ran the well in the first half. Nooa was mobile in the pocket; he threaded some needles; he has some nice pass plays. But we got to clean up special teams. The second half, we just ran out of gas. We’ll work on those things and get better.”
Campus Magnet responded with a 17-yard touchdown to even the score at 6-6 early in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs’ defense took the lead after Falcon senior signal caller Nooa Allen threw a pick-six, as a Campus Magnet defender made a nice play by jumping the route for a long TD return to make it 12-6 in favor of the Bulldogs midway through the second period. They followed with a successful two-point conversion rush for a 14-6 lead.
With August Martin needing a big stop, senior Lebron Fisher came up huge with an interception of his own to give his team excellent field position at the opposition’s 11-yard line with .31 seconds remaining in the first half.
The Falcons did not let the opportunity fall by the wayside, as Glasgow found pay dirt for a second time on a rushing TD to slice the deficit to 14-12 heading into the locker rooms.
Then came the play that proved to be a backbreaker for August Martin. On fourth and three, Allen scrambled for a first down into enemy territory in the third quarter. But a penalty called back the play and forced the Falcons to punt.
“That changed the game. It was 14-12 at that point,” Allen said. “I tell the kids, we can’t let the refs controlled the game. That’s going to happen. Every time ewe come here, we get bad calls. Every time,” he emphasized. “Every time we had a big play, they threw a flag, and the kids didn’t know what to next. They have to learn that we can’t let the refs control the game.”
Campus Magnet made the Falcons pay for it, as the Bulldogs methodically drove the pigskin down field. The Bulldogs capped the drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass, followed by a successful two-point run for a 22-12 advantage midway through the fourth period.
That is the way contest ended, as the Falcons failed to muster up any offense the rest of the way.
Allen threw for 122 yards. with completion of 40 and 38 yards. Glasgow paced the Falcons’ running attack with 68 yards and two TDs on 13 carries. Senior Keyan Howell made three catches for 82 yards, while senior Tyrese Vassell had one reception for 40 yards.
Defensively, Howell made a team-best seven tackles. Plus, Fisher had six stops, Glasgow had four, and freshman Daiyan Peoples picked up a tackle and a pickoff.
Note: absence from the affair was junior Kaizem Burroughs, one of the best overall players on August Martin, as Allen said the coaching staff is playing it safe with his shoulder bruise. Also, they are taking a wait-and-see approach for next week’s action.
The Falcons travel to Springfield Gardens Friday at 4:00 p.m. for their final preseason tilt.
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Jerry Del Priore