Non-League PSAL football games have not been kind to August Martin so far this season.
The Falcons, far from playing the football they are capable of, never established any type of offensive momentum. They also were caught out of defensive position throughout their 19-0 defeat to Frank J. Macchiarola (FJM) Friday evening at Frank J. Macchiarola in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.
Miraculously, though August Martin has started the season losing three straight tilts, it is undefeated at 1-0 due to George Washington forfeiting Friday’s game because lack of players, and Head Coach Kyle Allen replacing it with FJM, its third non-league (not counting in league record) contest.
Allen could not pinpoint just one particular problem that plagued his team on Friday, as he noted there were numerous of them.
“We don’t execute, we don’t block, we don’t tackle, we don’t run, we don’t throw,” Allen said. “We just don’t (do anything well right now).”
Allen said the poor play was not because they did not have a solid week of practice.
In fact, “this was a great week of practice. That’s the crazy thing about it,” he incredulously said. “This was one of the best weeks of practice we had in a long time. I came in here feeling we practiced well.”
However, it did not translate to on-field performance.
The Sharks opened the scoring on 42-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
But the Falcons did have their chance to score in the first period. Defensive lineman Nicholas Fonseca recovered a fumble and advanced it to FJM’s 20-yard line. But they shot themselves in the foot several times before punting the ball away.
The Sharks tacked on six more points after a TD rush made it 13-0 late in the second half. A 30-yard quarterback running touchdown in the fourth quarter capped the scoring at 19-0.
August Martin did have a few individual bright sports. Senior wide receiver/safety Isaiah Allen was all over the gridiron, making a team-leading seven tackles and a pickoff. He even completed two of three passes for 63 yards with an interception.
Senior wide receiver Ismael Acosta-Ramos enjoyed a solid affair with a squad-best five receptions for 75 yards.
Sophomore running back Giovanni Faulkner has showed flashes of what he can do with his above-average speed and quickness. But lack of blocking failed to allow him space to motor. Faulkner did spring for a 37-yard touchdown against Eagle Academy for Boys II last week.
The Falcons return to action versus Adlai Stevenson on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. in the Bronx.
— Jerry Del Priore
Brooklyn Sports World/NY NJ Sports World 