Tigers open season with new look

The Fort Hamilton Varsity Tigers opened the 2023 PSAL football season with a hard-fought 30-30 pre-season tie game against the Vikings of South Shore H.S. This season Fort Hamilton has a new-look offense, with junior Aidan Farley at quarterback and Manny Dimitrakios as his prime receiver.

Last season Farley led the JV team to a 4-2 record for that squad’s best record in recent years. Farley profiles as a traditional “drop in the pocket” type quarterback with a strong arm who can hit receivers deep downfield. Along with defensive lineman Sebastien Zamy, the Dyker Heights resident has earned a co-captain’s position on this season’s team.

As one of Farley’s top receivers, Dimitrakios is a two-way player who also plays linebacker. For the first offensive gain of the South Shore game, Farley hit Dimitrakios on a 36-yard screen pass to set up the duo’s 6-yard touchdown pass for the first score of the game.

Fort Hamilton mainly featured an air attack that saw Farley throw for 247 yards to four main receivers. First, August Porter scored a touchdown on 81 receiving yards, while “Little Manny” King accumulated 78 yards on receptions. Along with Dimitrakios’ first touchdown, he also had 45 receiving yards. Finally, Jawad Feres, a two-way player who appears to be this year’s surprise receiver, scored two touchdowns on 31 yards.

Although Fort Hamilton enjoyed air superiority (247 yards) throughout the game over South Shore’s 80 yards, the tough Viking defense held the Tigers to just 17 yards on the ground compared to the Vikings’ 133 rushing yards. With two weeks off before the regular season starts, the Tigers will be concentrating on their running game as well as making front line defensive stops. The Tigers open at home against Boys High at noon on Sept. 23.