The "Experts" Doubt Flushing - PSAL predictions, Week 8

BY ZACH BRAZILLER and MARC RAIMONDI
Last Updated: 5:47 PM, October 22, 2009
Posted: 5:45 PM, October 22, 2009

Flushing @ Campus Magnet (Oct. 24, 11 a.m.)
Braziller: Either way, somebody's going to pick up a quality win. Neither side has beaten anybody of merit, although Flushing did knock off New Utrecht. Campus Magnet, meanwhile, has failed in its big tests -- at home against Erasmus Hall and Canarsie. Those teams, however, are a cut above the Red Devils, at least as far as talent goes. These two physical defenses are even, but the Bulldogs’ offense is far superior, especially now that quarterback Scott Gadsden has started to pick it up of late. Pick: Campus Magnet
Raimondi: Queens will be decided this weekend and for the first time in awhile Bayside isn’t even in the equation. Eric Barnett of Campus Magnet and Flushing’s Jim DeSantis deserve a ton of credit for raising their proram's profiles. Who knew two teams from the borough would have such good-looking records this time of year? Both squads’ defenses are impressive, but I like the Campus Magnet offense more. Pick: Campus Magnet

News previews Week 8's must-see high school football matchups

BY Mark Lelinwalla AND Ebenezer Samuel DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITERS
Thursday, October 22nd 2009, 1:24 PM Read more:

Campus Magnet (5-2) vs. Flushing (5-2)
Saturday, 11 a.m. at Campus Magnet HS, 207-01 116 Ave.
Both Campus Magnet and Flushing cruised to easy victories in Week 7, setting up this Week 8 clash. Campus Magnet enters the game just 13 power points ahead of Flushing in the PSAL's Championship division. The Bull-dogs and Red Devils boast two of the city's better rushing offenses. Flushing fullback Andrew King ran for 120 yards and three touchdowns last week.
STAFF PICKS - LELINWALLA: Magnet; SAMUEL: MagnetRead more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2009/10/22/2009-10-22_week_8s_football_matchups.html#ixzz2UOpau3vy

Flushing buries Bayside 38-8

Flushing beat Bayside last Saturday in convincing fashion, 38-8. The Flushing offensive attack marched all over the Bayside defense to the tune of 252 total yards on Saturday. Sophomore, Andrew King led the offense with 120 yards and 3 touchdowns on 15 carries. Flushing’s defense held the Commodores to less than one hundred yards rushing and passing as Bayside’s only score came on a botched play and fumble recovery in the final minutes of play. Flushing improved to 5-2 with the win.

Coach James DeSantis discusses Flushing's return to the gridiron

by Mark Lelinwalla daily news sports writer
Updated Monday, October 19th 2009, 11:17 PM

Flushing's 38-8 victory over Bayside on Saturday at Flushing Memorial Field was a key victory for the Red Devils.
The win over the struggling Commodores gave Flushing a 4-2 record in the PSAL's Championship division, but that wasn't the only reason Red Devils coach James DeSantis saw significance in victory. He has a lengthy history with Bayside. Before arriving at Flushing in 2006, DeSantis spent 13 years on the Bayside sideline as a JV head coach, a varsity assistant and a defensive coordinator before leaving after the 2004 season.
Saturday's game was DeSantis' first against his former team, and it proved that the Red Devils could overcome other trials. Earlier in the week, DeSantis said, many of his players struggled through practice. The squad managed to forget its lackluster workouts by game time.
Here, DeSantis explains how he had to separate the past from the present, and discusses the significance of the victory.
"This was the first time going against Bayside since I left. I respect coach (Jason) Levitt and what he's trying to do there. You can look and see they're down, but I was telling my coaching staff if we had their schedule, we'd be in the same position they are in right now.
"But it's not about the history to me, it's more about where we are now. Honestly, if we (lost) we'd go in the tank. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2009/10/19/2009-10-19_flushing_coach_james_desantis_discusses_red_devils_return_on_the_gridiron.html#ixzz2UaXCyzPU

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2009/10/19/2009-10-19_flushing_coach_james_desantis_discusses_red_devils_return_on_the_gridiron.html#ixzz2UaXMBKyg

Taking a step up in class, Flushing takes a step back

By ZACH BRAZILLER
Last Updated: 12:42 AM, October 12, 2009
Posted: 12:42 AM, October 12, 2009

Jim DeSantis was so aggressive in moving up his Flushing football team through the PSAL’s three levels because of afternoons like these.
He didn’t want to simply win as a lower-level program, he wanted the Red Devils to be tested, to find flaws in themselves, and see how they would respond against elite competition.
He noticed there are plenty of areas his program needs to work on after Sunday’s disappointing, 37-0 drubbing by DeWitt Clinton in The Bronx.
DeSantis cited such shortcomings as not fielding punts properly, reading blitzes, getting in and out of the huddle quicker, and tackling in the open field.

Read More at: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/high_school/football/taking_step_up_in_class_flushing_8S2nnQsykh8Oyrz1v3sFXM

Disciplined Devils squeak by New Utrecht

When Flushing started its game Saturday against New Utrecht, it was a shell of its usual self.
Cornerback Talbor Campbell, middle linebacker Nate Elder Salomon, quarterbacks Jordan Beranger and Deon Frazier and integral defensive players Jhaleel Mozie and Dave Brown were all suspended for at least the first quarter of the crucial game.
The six players arrived to practice Friday an hour and 20 minutes late and coach Jim DeSantis put his foot down.
“If I don’t nip that in the bud, then the JV thinks they can do whatever they want and the other guys do, too,” DeSantis said.
The coach said he thought about sitting them all for the entire game, but feared getting pummeled by a New Utrecht team that beat Tottenville last week. Campbell had to sit for the entire game due to previous infractions, Salomon missed a half and the other four were out the entire first quarter.
Despite being undermanned early, Flushing held strong and came away with a 7-6 win at Flushing Memorial Field. The Red Devils (4-1) have gotten off to a tremendous start just one year removed from being a Level 3 team and two years after being a 1.
“One of the things I always say is, the coaches are going to be here hopefully for the next 10, 15 years,” DeSantis said. “I always tell them we’re the program. We’re not going to let the tail wag the dog. What we say goes and that’s the way it’s going to be.”
The coach said his team was emotional after the victory. Not because beating New Utrecht (4-1) was particularly important to the season's success, but it showed resolve consdiering Flushing was able to do it missing six key players at certain junctures.
“The lesson they learned today is big,” DeSantis said.

Read More at: http://m.nypost.com/ms/p/nyp/nyp/view.m?id=338728&storyid=4.0.886361968

Kickin' it old school: Erasmus, Flushing thriving

11:46 PM, September 22, 2009 ι By Marc Raimondi

Flushing and Erasmus Hall are two of the most historic institutions in New York City.
Flushing, founded in 1875, is the oldest public high school in the Big Apple, and Erasmus, which was originally private, was the first secondary school to be approved by the New York State Board of Regents after being founded in 1786. Both schools have rich athletic histories in the PSAL going back to the early 1900s.
Why should you care?
Well, both schools’ football teams are having renaissance seasons in 2009 and that’s cool to see, especially how it has been done in each case.
Erasmus was a Level 3 also-ran earlier this decade when the school was going through a restructuring. Now it’s officially called Erasmus Hall Campus and it’s broken up into multiple, smaller schools in the same building.
A change like that can absolutely gut a football team, but coach Danny Landberg stuck with it. He now has one of the best teams in the city at 3-0. The argument can be made it is the most explosive with guys like Wayne Morgan, Omari Matthews and Shaquell Jackson. Landberg, who is a former John F. Kennedy assistant coach, has transformed the Dutchmen into a legitimate PSAL championship contender.

Read more at: http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/marc_raimondi/kickin_it_old_school_erasmus_flushing_BM3qSQy9LqHd5k58AYt9MN

Check out an article from the New York Times (October 31, 1920) about a Flushing vs Erasmus game:

"FLUSHING AND ERASMUS TIE"

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F00E4D8173AE532A25752C3A9669D946195D6CF

Five-Star Performance: Flushing Bedevils Kennedy

By Adam Martini, PSAL Reporter

A couple of years ago, a football game between John F. Kennedy and Flushing wouldn't have been given a second glance. The Knights for sure would have pummeled the Red Devils. But times have changed.

Sophomore Andrew King rushed for 80 yards and a pair of touchdowns, as the Red Devils, a mere developmental squad in 2005, defeated the visiting Knights on Saturday, 13-6. For Flushing (3-1), which has moved up the Public Schools Athletic League's power rankings each of the last three years, a win over traditionally-strong Kennedy is significant. As a five-rated program, the highest of the PSAL's three-tier system, the Knights have a combined record of 15-3 the last two regular seasons.

"This means we're going in the right direction," said Flushing coach Jim Desantis, who revived Flushing football after it was disbanded seven years ago. "Kennedy is an awesome program, so this means something."

Flushing took the action right to Kennedy with a touchdown on its first possession. King bounced outside for a 23-yard run to finish off an eight-play, 76-yard drive. The shifty sophomore broke loose for a 19-yard gain earlier in the drive, as the Red Devils offensive line set the tone for the game. The Red Devils, who went 8-1 last season on the three level, are looking to prove they belong in the city's championship division. But their latest win is only the beginning.

"We're trying to prove ourselves in the five division," said King. "This win is a starting point."

Kennedy (0-4) is not the powerhouse this season its been in recent years, but the Knights remain formidable opponents. The Red Devils, however, pushed them around on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Flushing bottled up senior running back Jamel Lane and sacked junior quarterback Isiah Sledge four times (twice by senior Jason Bromley). Lane finally broke free for a 15-yard touchdown run with 2:36 left in the game to make it 13-6, but the Knights couldn't recover the ensuing onside kick. By the time the Knight touched the ball again, at their own 24, there was only time to run three plays. None of them went anywhere.

Read more at: http://www.psal.org/psalsports/articles/psal_stories.aspx?storyid=17790

Flushing football squad out to prove that rapid ascent was no fluke

BY MARK LELINWALLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Monday, September 21st 2009, 9:17 PM

Disappointment set in for Flushing's football players as they lined up to shake hands with Lincoln after Friday's 16-12 home loss, their first defeat of the season.
The Red Devils fell short at Flushing Memorial Field, but they'd earned Lincoln's respect.
"Welcome to the 5," said Railsplitters coach Shawn O'Connor, referring to the Championship Division, the most competitive level of the PSAL's three-tiered alignment, to which Flushing was promoted before the season. "You guys deserve to be here."
Just four years removed from playing at the developmental level, Flushing has charted a rapid rise to the PSAL's upper tier.
The players understand that they've made it, but they're not content that accomplishment.
"It was good to hear (O'Connor) say that, but we want to win," said linebacker Nathan Elder-Solomon, and senior captain who started playing in Flushing's first year of JV, back in 2006. "We want to win."
Flushing coach James DeSantis - who steered the Red Devils' program from freshman-only in 2005 to JV in 2006, Cup Division in 2007 and Bowl Division last year - doesn't want his players to use the fact that they're the new kids in the top tier as a crutch when they lose to more experienced squads. And it shouldn't be considered a fluke, when they win.

Disappointment set in for Flushing's football players as they lined up to shake hands with Lincoln after Friday's 16-12 home loss, their first defeat of the season.
The Red Devils fell short at Flushing Memorial Field, but they'd earned Lincoln's respect.
"Welcome to the 5," said Railsplitters coach Shawn O'Connor, referring to the Championship Division, the most competitive level of the PSAL's three-tiered alignment, to which Flushing was promoted before the season. "You guys deserve to be here."
Just four years removed from playing at the developmental level, Flushing has charted a rapid rise to the PSAL's upper tier.
The players understand that they've made it, but they're not content that accomplishment.
"It was good to hear (O'Connor) say that, but we want to win," said linebacker Nathan Elder-Solomon, and senior captain who started playing in Flushing's first year of JV, back in 2006. "We want to win."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2009/09/21/2009-09-21_flushing_out_to_prove_that_rapid_ascent_was_no_fluke.html#ixzz0U13tsUTy

Flushing shows stature in loss to Lincoln

By MARC RAIMONDI
Last Updated: 1:13 AM, September 19, 2009
Posted: 10:34 PM, September 18, 2009

Jim DeSantis didn’t find validation in his team’s 16-12 loss to Lincoln at home Friday.
Yes, his Flushing football team is in its first season as a Level 5 squad just five years removed from being a developmental program. And sure the Red Devils hung in – and even had a chance to win – against one of the PSAL’s flagship programs. But DeSantis denied it being symbolic.
“We knew we [belonged] anyway,” the coach said. “We don’t want that to be our barometer. We felt like we could beat this team today.”
Flushing (2-1) came close.
Talbor Campbell blocked a Lincoln punt late in the third quarter and, on the next play, sophomore Andrew King bulled his way into the end zone from 3 yards out. His 2-point conversion attempt was no good, leaving the score at 8-6 in favor of Lincoln (2-1).

Read more at: http://www.yournabe.com/articles/2009/09/24/sports/queens_sports/sports_queens_sportsrddhvfi09232009.txt

Flushing 30, James Madison 12

Jordan Beranger ran for 150 yards and three touchdowns and threw for another score to lead Flushing (2-0) in Brooklyn. Shittu Salami caught Beranger’s touchdown pass, a 7-yard strike, and Andrew King ran in another for the Red Devils, who are in just their first season as a Level 5 squad. Madison is 0-2.

Read more at http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/high_school/football/psal_football_roundup_ellam_wagner_UDoKPbzmVcSIoSd8Zy0bdJ

Flushing rallies to bedevil Columbus

BY Elio Velez
Sunday, September 6th 2009, 10:57 AM

The Flushing Red Devils faced a 12-6 deficit early in the third quarter against Columbus HS, after struggling to move the ball throughout the first half. Then senior tailback Andrew King scored his second TD of the afternoon, and that was all the Red Devils needed as they cruised to a 32-12 win, their first victory in the PSAL's Championship Division.
King's score gave Flushing a 14-12 lead and served as the catalyst of an offensive explosion. Senior signal-caller Deon Frazier added to the onslaught, tossing two TD passes. Junior Jahleel Mozie, who caught one of Frazier's scoring passes, keyed an aggressive defense with a 40-yard return on a fumble recovery.
The victory signaled the continued resurgence of the Flushing football team and announced the squad's presence as a contender in this year's Championship Division. Just two years ago, the Red Devils were playing in the Cup Division, the lowest level of the PSAL's three-tiered system. Last year, they moved up to the Bowl/Championship Division as a level-3 squad, the mid-level in the league's setup, and went 7-2.R

ead more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2009/09/06/2009-09-06_hsfb_rup.html#ixzz0R8Kv6gLa

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2009/09/06/2009-09-06_hsfb_rup.html#ixzz0R8KkDQ24

THE POST'S PSAL PREDICTIONS

By ZACH BRAZILLER and MARC RAIMONDI
Sep 4, 2009
NY Post


Flushing @ Columbus (Saturday, 12 p.m.)
Raimondi: Saturday will be the day The Streak ends. Columbus has not won a game since 2006, but the Blue Steel is going to upend new Level 5 team Flushing -- I can just feel it. Look for Al Page, an all-city-caliber defensive lineman, to have a big day. Pick: Columbus
Braziller: Marc, I'm not following why The Streak ends here. Led by monster Jason Bromley, Flushing is strong in the trenches. Most importantly, the Red Devils know how to win, as their 8-1 mark in the Bowl Division last fall suggests. Pick: Flushing

read the rest of the predictions at http://www.nypost.com/seven/09042009/sports/highschool/the_posts_psal_predictions_188103.htm

FLUSHING FULFILLS DREAMS OF BIG TIME

By ZACH BRAZILLER
Sep 1, 2009
NY Post

The Flushing football team played 10 games last fall and won eight, several in blowout fashion. For a program that was re-established four years ago, it was remarkably fulfilling.
Instead of basking in that glow, the Red Devils focused on that last loss: a 35-0 opening-round decimation at the hands of eventual PSAL city runner-up Fort Hamilton.
Rather than let the loss marinate, Flushing used it to take another step forward as a program by joining the PSAL's Level 5 City Championship division.
"It made us want to play with all the big boys all the time," senior offensive guard/linebacker Nate Elder Salomon said.
They now have that opportunity.
Shortly after the painful defeat, as Salomon described it, coach Jim DeSantis forced his team to watch film of the shellacking. What they saw wasn't a mismatch. Sure, Fort Hamilton blew them out, but the Red Devils weren't blown off the ball, they weren't outclassed physically or even athletically. They were simply out of position or failed to execute.
"It made us realize we can play with those guys," Salomon said. "When we didn't give up bad field position, we were right there with them."

Read more at http://www.nypost.com/seven/09012009/sports/moresports/flushing_fulfills_dreams_of_big_time_187564.htm

Red Devils discuss the resurgence of football at Flushing

Tuesday, October 14th 2008, 5:17 PM

NY Daily News

Wildecson Lincifort is as excited as he's ever been.
The Flushing senior rushed for 96 yards on Saturday against Truman, helping his Red Devils to a 26-14 win. Now 5-1, Flushing is ranked 10th in the PSAL.
"It feels good to be contending at the highest level," he says.
In four seasons, Lincifort (second from l.) has morphed from pudgy lineman to rushing standout, and he's watched the program make a similar transition. Three years ago, Flushing had a developmental program; two years ago, they fielded a JV squad. Last year, the Red Devils went 5-5 in the Cup Division before leaping to the Bowl/Championship Division as a level-3 team.
"This competition," Lincifort says, "is what we've been waiting for."
Here, Lincifort and senior teammates Malcolm Chichester and Rumeal Williamson talk about finally facing Championship division competition.
CHICHESTER: "I've been hurt (with a broken right thumb) all season, and it sucks that I haven't gotten to play. Every day I just watch practice.
"This is the reason I really wanted to play football. Games (the past few years) mattered, but they just didn't matter like this. Nobody would respect us playing a level-1 (Cup Division) schedule.
"People still don't respect us. Nobody expects much from us."
WILLIAMSON: "As a Cup team, we came out to play, but this year, the drive is better. Level-5 programs and level-3s didn't take us seriously to start this year.
"This year means a lot to me. It's my senior year. I want people from every borough to know about Flushing football. And if they look at the PSAL site and click on the scores, they'll see we're doing good."
LINCIFORT: "We're trying to get the Flushing name out there, so when I'm gone the program keeps on. Four years ago, we had a different team, but this year, we're playing better and we're working harder. We're trying to show we belong.
"I know guys from other teams and they haven't always respected us. But the more we win, we're starting to get that respect."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2008/10/14/2008-10-14_red_devils_discuss_the_resurgence_of_foo.html#ixzz0PrqnOt9W

Surprising Flushing claims quadruple-overtime victory

BY MATT GAGNE
Tuesday, September 25th 2007, 12:16 PM

NY Daily News

It was in the game plan, but they hadn't planned on using it like this.
Facing fourth and goal from the 8-yard line in quadruple overtime, Flushing quarterback Deon Frazier dropped back, rolled left to avoid pressure and lofted a jump ball to tight end Rumeal Williamson, who made the reception despite being double-teamed in the back corner of the end zone.
"We put the play in earlier in the week, but didn't run it until that point," Flushing coach Jim DeSantis said. "As soon as my assistant coach called the play, I knew we were going to score. The defense was coming up hard against the run, and we had a play-fake to get our tall guy deep in the end zone."
Wildecson Lincifort, who had 49 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 15 carries, added the two-point conversion, taking the ball off right tackle to give the Red Devils a 22-20 victory at Mckee/SI Tech on Sunday.
"This win's for Blake, most definitely. We're thinking about him all the time. We don't want to fail him, we want to win every game for him," Williamson said, referring to teammate Blake Hunt, a senior cornerback who suffered a broken neck while trying to make a tackle in a Sept. 1 scrimmage against Erasmus Hall.
"We're thinking about Blake all the time," Frazier added. "We're worried about him. We wish he was here with us."

Read the rest at http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hschool/2007/09/25/2007-09-25_surprising_flushing_claims_quadrupleover.html#ixzz0Q9IYakLu

Hunt's courage inspiring teammates

Injured RB broke the C5 vertebra in his neck on Sept. 1
By Marc Raimondi / SNY.tv
Sep 15, 2009

NEW YORK -- It was an extremely unusual sight before a Public Schools Athletic League football game: both teams, coaches and all, gathered together at the 50-yard line, got down on one knee and prayed.
"I probably can get in trouble for it, but I've done worse things," Flushing HS coach Jim DeSantis said. "I know the whole church and state thing. This is bigger than us."
On Sept. 1, one week before the regular season was to begin, Flushing senior Blake Hunt broke the C5 vertebra in his neck in a scrimmage against Erasmus Hall Campus. The running back/defensive back is resting in fair condition at New York Hospital Queens in Flushing, but has no movement in his legs or right arm. Doctors are unsure if he will ever walk again.
"I can't let this beat me down, I'm definitely not going to," Hunt said from his room in the intensive care unit of the pediatrics ward this week, a few days before his Red Devils teammates would take the field for the first time in a varsity game.

Read the rest at http://web.sny.tv/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070916&content_id=1437789&vkey=45

FLUSHING HONORS HUNT

By DAN MARTIN
September 7, 2007
NY Post

Flushing will play its first varsity football game since 2001 when it hosts Stevenson tomorrow at Flushing Memorial Park, but the Red Devils will be without Blake Hunt, who suffered a broken neck in a scrimmage last week.
The senior suffered a broken C5 bone in his neck trying to make a tackle against an Erasmus player on Flushing's home field. He had surgery on Sunday and is in fair condition, but it is unclear whether he will walk again.
"All I can say is I was crying right there," said Erasmus head coach Danny Landberg of the injury. "It was horrible."
Jim DeSantis, a former Bayside assistant who is trying to bring back a Flushing program that has been inactive for much of the past six years due to lack of student interest, told the Times Ledger of Queens, "We're going to play for Blake now.


read the rest at http://www.nypost.com/seven/09072007/sports/flushing_honors_hunt.htm

When Football Is Fundamental; Students Learn Basics: Blocking, Tackling, Laundry

By MITCH ABRAMSON
Published: December 20, 2005
NY Times

To start a high school football program from scratch, first assume that the prospective players know nothing about the game.
Teach them the rules. Teach them how to launder the uniforms (take the pads out first). And warn them that it is, as they say, a contact sport.
''The game was a lot more physical and violent than I thought it was going to be,'' said Joshua DeBaptiste, 14, a receiver for the iHawks, the new team at Information Technology High School in Long Island City, Queens. ''A player from Flushing knocked me back and his helmet hit my thumb. It hurt, but I never thought about it the rest of the game. I never thought of quitting.''
Now that the season is over, two New York City high schools that started football teams from scratch this year, Information Technology and Flushing High, are sitting back, pleased with the results, though their seasons consisted of only one game, against each other. Flushing defeated Information Technology, 36-0, on Nov. 20.


Read the rest at http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9905E6D71730F933A15751C1A9639C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all