August Martin hung in with Far Rockaway for most of the first half, trailing 7-0 going into the locker rooms in its final regular season PSAL B Conference tilt.
But the Falcons (3-4) failed to sustain any form of offense in the second half while making their fair share of costly mistakes that led to their ultimate 21-0 demise to the Seahorses Saturday in Far Rockaway.
A Seahorse punt return touchdown and pick-six placed August Martin in a14-0-hole midway through the third period.
“Like I told the kids, there are three phases to the game: offense, defense and special teams,” Falcon head coach Kyle Allen explained. “We lost it on special teams and offense. We threw two pick-sixes (one of which the refs called back due to a penalty) and gave up a punt return a touchdown.”
While August Martin played with Far Rockaway (6-1) for portions of the contest, Allen said that his team failed to establish itself when it needed.
“They had the momentum and controlled pretty much most of the game,” he said. “Even though we were in the game, I never felt like we had any kind of control of the game. It was more like them waiting for us to break, and we didn’t make plays when we needed to.”
To make matters more challenging for the Falcons, the Seahorses ripped off a 42-yard touchdown run in the middle of the fourth quarter to seal the victory for the home team.
August Martin junior running back Giovanni Faulkner rushed for a team-best 57 yards on 19 carries and senior big man Audari Rookwood led the Falcons with four catches for 37 yards.
Defensively for August Martin, junior Edgardo Salazar made five tackles and sophomore Rowayne McKenzie had five stops, two for a loss, and a sack.
The No. 13 Falcons will face fourth-ranked KIPP College Prep in the first round of the B Conference playoffs on Sunday at noon. The home team, the Bulldogs, has yet to determine venue, according to PSAL.org.
Sunday’s post season game will mark the second time August Martin made the playoffs under Allen’s tutelage.
— Jerry Del Priore
Brooklyn Sports World/NY NJ Sports World 