By Dylan Butler
Unfortunately for the Falcons, their quick start would not be a sign of things to come, as Martin stalled and sputtered offensively in a 20-12 loss to the Railsplitters Saturday at John Dewey High School.
“For some reason, the offense was flat,” said August Martin head coach Mike Greene. “We looked good early, but they just went flat. It's very depressing when the offense doesn't move the ball.”
Williams' pass to Arrington was his last completion until late in the fourth quarter, throwing just five passes during that stretch. Instead Martin (5-6) relied on junior running back Anthony Pittman for the bulk of the team's offense.
But, led by senior tackle Stanley Primus, the Railsplitters shut down the Martin running game. Pittman was the team's leading rusher with 14 carries for 45 yards.
“We had to recuperate [after the first touchdown], we weren't in the flow,” said Primus. “We just had to get clicking. It took a while, but we got clicking.”
The Lincoln offense also struggled out of the gate, but the combination of the in-your-face rushing of running back Kamar Cousins (20 carries for 90 yards) and the scrambling of quarterback Mike Pierre, the Railsplitters put together a mammoth 13-play, 59-yard drive that ate up 8:07.
Three times during the drive, Lincoln (9-1) faced fourth down and each time, the Railsplitters offense converted.
On fourth-and-inches from the 50, Pierre pushed ahead for one yard. On another fourth-and-inches from the Martin 40, the Falcons defense was called for encroachment. And on fourth-and-17 from the 37, Pierre hit Codi Workman for a 17-yard completion. An 18-yard run by Cousins set up Pierre's two-yard quarterback keeper to tie the score at 6 with 7:33 left in the second quarter.
Lincoln started their second scoring drive the way it started almost all of its drives – in Martin territory. After a personal foul on the second half kickoff, the Railsplitters started on the 50. But another personal foul following Cousins' one-yard carry gave Lincoln a first down at the Martin 34. Eight plays later, Pierre hit J.R. Lopez for a 12-yard touchdown pass to put the Railsplitters ahead, 12-6, with 7:20 left in the third quarter.
“This was our type of game,” said Lincoln head coach Shawn O'Connor. “At the half we felt good because our offensive line started to get the push.”
Martin finally got its second first down of the game on Pittman's nine-yard gain on third-and-6 to the Falcons 37. But two plays later Pittman couldn't handle a pitch from Williams and the quarterback threw an incomplete pass on third down, forcing Devon Tyson to punt.
The Railsplitters received the ball at the Martin 49 and Cousins went to work, picking up 45 yards on seven carries during the nine-play drive, including a 3-yard touchdown burst and the two-point conversion to give Lincoln an 18-6 lead with 9:02 left in the game.
Pittman scored on a 24-yard counter to make it 20-12 with 57 seconds left to give Martin a glimmer of hope, but the Falcons onside kick bounced out of bounds at the Martin 49 to end the Falcons season.
“There were too many mistakes and too many penalties,” said Williams, who was 4-of-16 for 95 yards. “We didn't want it as much as they did.”
Lincoln advances to the semifinals to face top-seeded Wagner, a 54-0 winner over Fort Hamilton Saturday.
Canarsie 24, Campus Magnet 6. Earl Charles rushed for 192 yards and two touchdowns, including a 21-yard touchdown catch to lead the second-seeded Chiefs (10-1). Hugh Bent added 124 yards on the ground and recovered a fumble and Leon Williams had eight tackles for Canarsie, which advances to the quarterfinals to take on No. 7 Sheepshead Bay. Magnet finishes at 5-4.
