August Martin junior running back Giovanni Faulkner ran wild for 210 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries and its defense, with a few players returning from school suspensions, played exceptionally well, as the Falcons upended host George Washington, 22-8, on Sunday in PSAL B Conference football action.
“Getting those kids back helped us a lot,” August Martin head coach Kyle Allen said. “It was almost like an animal coming back from exciton. It gave us new life. We still have to get things going, though. We’re a little bit off, because it’s almost like week one for us now that we’re getting players back.”
With the Falcons’ regular defensive lineup just about intact, Allen was able to move players into their normal positions, allowing for more comfortability and therefore better on-field performances.
“Dion Hutley and Janes Toney were back,” he said. “They play inside linebacker, so that allowed me to move people outside that were playing inside in their absence. Getting those two linebackers back allowed us to put kids in other positions to be successful.”
One of the players who benefited from moving back into his regular spot was Rowayne McKenzie, who led the defensive with nine tackles, seven for a loss, and had two sacks.
“I was really understanding football more today,” McKenzie said. “Everything just came to me because of coach, so I’m just grateful for that. Playing outside (linebacker), I get to make more plays and I understand it better.”
The Trojans scored first and cashed in the ensiuing two-point conversion for an 8-0 advantage midway through the first quarter.
But Faulkner rushed for a five-yard touchdown to close the gap at 8-6 late in the first period.
Once again, the pint-sized speedster hit pay dirt on an 18-yard TD run and August Martin made good on the two-point conversion to surge ahead, 14-8, with a little less than four minutes left in the first half.
Faulkner capped the game’s scoring on a 20-yard touchdown run and senior big man Audari Rookwood made a nice one-handed grab for the successful two-point conversion pass that gave the Falcons a 22-8 lead with 2:49 to go in the third quarter.
Faulkner juked and jived, ran between his tackles well and broke ankles all game long, bringing a huge megawatt smile to his face after the contest.
“I waited the whole season, the whole year,” Faulkner said of his spectacular performance, “I feel I was finally back to what I was supposed to be the whole year.”
As for the postseason, the win versus George Washington (3-3) improves August Martin’s chances of playing beyond the regular season, Allen noted.
“We are sitting at 3-3,” he said. “That puts us in the position to probably be in the top 16 and probably make the playoffs. But, if win next week, it’s a guarantee that we’ll make the playoffs.”
The Falcons travels to Far Rockaway on Saturday at noon.
— Jerry Del Priore
Brooklyn Sports World/NY NJ Sports World 