Erasmus Hall gets victory over Boys High

September 8, 2014 By Rob Abruzzese Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Quarterback Aaron Grant (11) showed off exceptional speed as he ran for more than 100 yards and three touchdowns, leading Erasmus Hall to beat Boys and Girls High School 36-8 during the first game of the season.

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Coach Danny Landberg didn’t know what to expect out of his team this season. He’s said goodbye to stars like Curtis Samuel and Wayne Morgan, and in their place is the youngest team Erasmus Hall has had in more than a decade.

But if week one is any indication, the Dutchmen are going to be just fine. Erasmus Hall came out and clobbered the Boys and Girls Kangaroos 36-8 at Sid Luckman Field in Brooklyn on Saturday.

“I’m proud of them,” Landberg said. “For me, it’s about their experience. They’re getting out there and even the mistakes I’m happy about, because they got a chance to get some of them out of the way during a big win. There are certain things that they can only learn when things happen on the field, so I’m glad we got that out of the way.”

Erasmus Hall’s biggest name this season is the Rutgers University-bound middle linebacker Deonte Roberts. On Saturday, he led the Dutchmen with two fumble recoveries and a sack.

“He’s lights out right now,” Landberg said, referring to Roberts. “He’s stepped up his game in the last month since camp and dominated. He’s made some serious changes as far as becoming a man out there. His presence alone has an effect on the guys’ psyche.”

Boys High started off the game with a big 25-yard run by senior running back Brandon Harding, but the play was somewhat of a wake-up call for the Dutchmen. E-Hall quickly answered back by forcing two fumbles, the second of which Roberts recovered.

“I think everyone came out a little tense, which is why we let [Harding] come out with a big run,” Roberts said. “After that, I just told everyone to calm down and relax, and I thought we responded very well.”

From there, the Erasmus Hall offense took over and Aaron Grant stole the show. The junior quarterback scored the first touchdown on a 45-yard run. He followed that up with a 10-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter and then a 15-yard touchdown that made it 22-0 early in the second quarter.

Grant hardly did it all by himself, though, as Erasmus Hall uses a two-quarterback system, pairing him him with sophomore Shockuone Bobbitt. Xavier Brathwaite, Kefa Cort and Jahsen Wint also played big roles in the offense. Nelson Tyler even pitched in with a 16-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

For Boys High, the game was a big disappointment. The Kangaroos lost 14 seniors from last year and have graduated a total of 38 seniors over the last two seasons. Only one player on offense and three on defense had ever started in a high school football game before, and it showed.

“We’re going to get better, but it’s going to be tough for us,” Boys High coach Clive Harding admitted. “You are telling the kids to try to go the extra level, but as you can see, they didn’t really have it. I have some kids that never played high school ball before, and then to come into this game was tough for them, and it showed. We have a lot of work to do.”