Frank J. Macchiarola improves to 7-0 with impressive win over James Madison
Frank J. Macchiarola players celebrate their victory over James Madison in a PSAL football game in Sheepshead Bay on Saturday. Credit: Jeff Bachner
The Frank J. Macchiarola football team wanted to make a statement on Saturday that it could play with the best teams in the conference after moving up to 3A from 2A this season.
Consider the message delivered.
The Sharks scored a convincing 32-0 victory over visiting James Madison on Saturday in a clash between the two Brooklyn schools. With the dominant win, the Sharks improve to 7-0 on the season.
"We just locked in," coach Ubeaka McKinney said. "I got a good group of guys on the coaching staff, a good program, and a good group of kids. All we had to do was execute the game plan."
Before Saturday, James Madison was 3-0 against the Sharks since October 2015. The last time the two teams met, in September 2017, James Madison won, 24-20.
But this time it was a different story.
Senior running back Nyheem Cooper set the tone early with 43 yards on three carries and a touchdown on the first drive of the game to give the Sharks a 8-0 lead in the first quarter.
"I got to give credit to my teammates," Cooper said. “We came into this game knowing we were going to dominate."
In the second quarter, quarterback Michael Misla threw a lob pass to Anthony Milan, who turned around and made an acrobatic catch over the James Madison defender at the 10-yard line. Misla connected with Milan again on a slant route for a 15-yard TD to get the crowd on their feet and extend the lead 20-0 before the half.
"We put 100 percent in practice, and 100 percent on the field," Milan said. "We work hard as a team, and we want that No. 1 spot."
Senior running back Jaycob Reid scored a 53-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to extend the lead 26-0. He finished with 83 all-purpose yards and a score.
"This team is full of guys who bring great energy on the field," Reid said. "I'm confident in my ability as a player to help contribute to my team's success."
Travys Leah rushed for 42 yards on 13 carries for James Madison, which fell to 3-2.
"We bend but we don't break," Sharks senior defensive lineman Amare Britt said. "That's our main goal, nobody scores on us, we have a statement to prove it doesn't matter what level of football we are playing at."
McKinney was a former defensive coordinator for James Madison and was part of their championship teams in 2011 and 2012. Getting a win over his former team made the victory extra sweet.
"I needed this win," he said. "But now that I've got it, we have to move on to next week."
Jonathan Ruban covers high school sports for Newsday after graduating from St. John’s.
