Once again September brings back the PSAL high school football season to Bay Ridge as the Fort Hamilton Tigers take on the Central Cougars of New Dorp in Staten Island.
After a disappointing 1-7 season in 2021, the Tigers are looking forward to improving their record this year as two key players return to the offense. As the team’s top scorer from last season, Charles “The Rocket” Kitsakos will again be the Tigers’ primary running back, while Mark “The Rocket Launcher” Kiss will again call the signals at quarterback.
Playing together since their younger days in the Parkview Pee Wee League, this will be the second year that the senior Kitsakos and the junior Kiss will be paired together on the varsity. Also returning is versatile senior linebacker Kevin Sanchez, who is also playing tight end on offense.
Anchoring the Tigers’ defensive backfield will be another returning player, senior Gabriel Zindani at strong safety, who will also pick up the kicking duties. The Tigers will feature a “Three-Four” defensive set this season as tackle Sabastien Zamy, nose guard Amr Abdalla and tackle Benny Quezada look to stop the run in front of the team’s four linebackers.
The Tigers will have a challenging opener this Friday, playing the runner-up Cougars who lost to James Madison in the 2021 PSAL Championship game. On the way to the post-season last year, New Dorp beat Fort Hamilton 28-13 to finish with an 8-3 record.