After Fort Hamilton’s last home game 34-26 win over Brooklyn Tech, recognition for the 12 graduating seniors is in order. This group of seniors has been playing together for three seasons on the varsity level since their sophomore year.
During their first season together on the varsity, they elevated the team’s record to 5-3 in 2023 from a previous 2-5 record in 2022. In their junior year, they were the linchpin of the 2024 team that went 7-1, advancing as finalists to the PSAL Division 3A championship game. Returning this year as seniors, this group’s efforts returned Fort Hamilton to the PSAL’s highest competitive level in the 4A Division.
“It’s going to be a challenging and exciting season getting back to this level,” said team captain Thomas O’Neill early in the season. As it turned out, O’Neill’s prediction of “challenging” was accurate as the 2-6 Tigers struggled in the highly competitive 4A Division. In terms of “exciting,” that prediction panned out for the last game on the schedule when the Tigers got the satisfaction of beating Brooklyn Tech after their one-point loss (37-36) to the Engineers in last year’s championship game. Finishing up a losing campaign, the win over Tech became the Tigers’ “circle on the calendar date” to finish on a high note.
As per Tiger tradition for the last home game, the 12 outgoing seniors were saluted by running the “Senior Gauntlet” before the Tech game. One senior in particular finishing on a high note was Manny King, who rushed for two touchdowns and 104 yards and scored the winning touchdown to beat Brooklyn Tech. King finished the year as the team’s leading rusher, gaining 600 yards along with 245 yards in receptions for a total of 845 all-purpose yards along with five touchdowns.
“It was an honor to play with these boys [seniors]; I’ll never forget them,” said King. “I’m still weighing my options for college and football. But I can tell you one thing: Watch out for these young guys next season because they’re real nice players. They’re going to show you that they are for real.”
Coach Dan Perez said, “Next season starts right now for us. It’s back to the weight room where we begin our training for the fall.”
Additionally, Coach Perez recognized the leadership of media manager Kate Farley, who managed the team’s website and arranged for postgame food and beverage support from neighborhood businesses.
Contributing to the last game of the season for the senior salute dinner was Fort Hamilton alumnus Mohammed Najjar of Brooklyn Baklava, Omar Kasi of Bay Ridge’s Bubbles and Suds Laundromat and Franck Mancini of Mancini’s Wood-Fired Pizza.
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