Lincoln repeats for PSAL title over Erasmus

December 11, 2014 Jim Dolan

Photo courtesy of Jim Dolan

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Lincoln 13 Erasmus 6

“It never gets old,” said a jubilant (11-2) Lincoln Coach Shawn O’Connor clutching the PSAL championship trophy after beating (11-2) Erasmus 13-6 on the snow blown Yankee Stadium gridiron for the school’s first consecutive (2013-2014) football title win.

According to O’Connor, “It’s hard to win a championship; it’s ever harder to defend it.” Earning a third PSAL City Conference trophy over the space of the past five years demonstrated Lincoln’s dominance over the league’s two other recent top contenders, (#1) Erasmus as well as Staten Island’s (#3) Tottenville.

After moving the game one day later to December 10 to avoid the Nor’easter, both schools traded driving rains for the season’s first snowstorm that impacted both these offensive powerhouses. Sailing snaps, lost fumbles, short punts and incomplete passes dominated the game as the pelting snow forced the game to the ground.

After a scoreless first quarter, Erasmus running back Shavar Brathwaite finally found his footing on the snow to score on a 55-yard sideline run. After the kickoff on the ensuing possession, the Railsplitters quickly answered back on their third play from scrimmage as Luis Rodriquez (25 carries for 171 yards) bounced and spun off a clogged line to score on a 51-yard run.

Keeping the game on the ground late in the second quarter, quarterback Paul Litvak moved the Railsplitters down to the six-yard line where Rodriquez, Lincoln’s top scorer, was called upon again to cross the goal line to make the score 13-6 in favor of Lincoln at the half.

With both teams unable to move the ball successfully for any score throughout the blizzard-like conditions in the second half, it appeared that Lincoln would finally break through late in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach form Erasmus.

Having advanced to the 10-yard line and within the range of an Axel Pembele field goal, Coach O’Connor decided to gamble for a touchdown that resulted in an incomplete pass attempt.

Taking over deep in their own end and trailing only by seven points, the Dutchmen could only advance the ball as far as their own 31-yard line with time winding down.

Erasmus would finally surrender the ball and the game as Lincoln’s middle linebacker Dionte Fleming led the defense to stop the Dutchmen’s first down rushing attempt to keep the ball on a critical fourth and three. With 1:20 left in the game, the Railsplitters regained the ball and “took a knee” for the rest of their possession to take their second consecutive PSAL championship.

O’Connor explained that the key to this repeat title was his strong defense led by Fleming along with his “Coney Island Legend,” Rodriquez, who scored all nine of the team’s touchdowns over the three recent post-season games.

O’Connor summed up the team’s achievement by saying, “I knew that they were going to key on Rodriquez, but they still had to stop him. This was 364 days in the making since last year. This year’s seniors stepped up and introduced themselves with an exclamation point this season.”