The Fort Hamilton Tigers hosted the Eagle Academy for Young Men II in the PSAL season home opener. This was the first time the Tigers played the Eagles since advancing to the 4A Conference, the league’s top level.
With three seasons of 4A Conference play under their belts, the Eagles gave the Tigers’ rookie quarterback Aiden Porter a baptism by fire for his first game, limiting the junior to 6 of 17 pass completions for 35 yards along with two interceptions. From their first possession, the Eagles went on an offensive tear to score 20 unanswered points in the first quarter.
The Eagles closed the second half with a 34-0 lead that, for all intents and purposes, sealed the game for the team from Ocean Hill. At quarterback, senior Aaron Smith and junior Martin Koppleman threw three touchdowns apiece for 243 combined passing yards for 11 completions on 20 attempts. On the receiving end, Corey McCraken Jr. and Josiah Brown caught two touchdowns each, while Sincere Hester and Zyeare Schulters also scored on touchdown passes.
For the Tigers, Tom O’Neill finished with five solo tackles and Zaire Thomas’ receiving efforts resulted in three receptions for 24 yards. The Eagles added one more score in the third quarter for a 40-0 win.
Frank Mancini of Bay Ridge’s Mancini Wood-Fired Pizza stepped up to the plate as a postgame food sponsor for the third straight year to provide the beleaguered Tigers some much-needed comfort food.
Next week, the Tigers take on a familiar foe when they host the Wolf Pack from Canarsie.
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