The 1-0 Fort Hamilton Tigers traveled to Canarsie to battle the 0-1 South Shore Vikings. Playing a re-scheduled Monday game following the weekend nor’easter, the Tigers were motivated to gain an early lead in the PSAL 4A Conference standings.
Sophomore rookie quarterback J.T. Turner started the game by leading the Tiger offense downfield to the three-yard line in a series of handoffs to running backs Jayden Pagan and Mehki Smith. From the three, Turner threw a screen pass to Amyr Melendez, who fought off three defenders on his way into the end zone from the one-yard line to give Fort Hamilton a 6-0 first-quarter lead.
As the defense continued to hold the Vikings scoreless, Turner then connected with Nathaniel Jolicoeur on a 35-yard pass play for the second tally. On the Vikings’ next possession, Mario Batz Tzunun sacked South Shore quarterback M.K. Walston to prevent the Vikings’ scoring attempt from the red zone. Mounting another march downfield, spearheaded by a 22-yard catch by Aiden Porter, Turner again connected with Melendez on a six-yard pass to close out the first half with a 20-0 lead.
Photos by Jim Dolan
Midway in the third quarter, the Vikings made a breakthrough when Prince-Marquis Batten intercepted on the 15-yard line to make a return to Fort Hamilton’s 40-yard line. However, the Vikings’ first sustained drive was short-circuited when Sean Tanyhill made a fumble recovery to end the threat with the lead unchanged at 20-0.
In the fourth quarter, Turner salvaged a low snap from center and managed a clean handoff to Thomas O’Neill, who swept right to score on a 30-yard rush. The Player of the Game, new senior transfer student Amyr Melendez, then put an exclamation mark on the contest with the Tigers’ second quarterback sack of the game. The final score was 26-0.
Playing in only his second varsity game, Turner impressively engineered four scoring drives and finished with substantial stats, connecting on eight of nine passes while throwing for 100 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. The Tigers’ defense had another strong showing, holding the Vikings scoreless while allowing just 86 yards, with only 26 on the ground and 60 in the air.
“The defense came through for us again,” said coach Dan Perez. “Melendez was a star for us this game with his two touchdowns and a sack. He’s really brought our defense together.”
