Tottenville leaps over Lincoln at semi-finals  

It was a meeting of familiar playoff foes as the first-seeded Tottenville Pirates (9-0) hosted the fourth-seeded Lincoln Railsplitters (6-3).

During the regular season, the Pirates soundly beat Lincoln in the second half of a 43-20 Tottenville win. Returning to Staten Island for the semi-finals, the Railsplitters were now hopeful that the postseason would produce a better result.

Coming in as the underdogs, Lincoln quarterback coach Joe Sienna was confident that his junior quarterback Christian Borhi could move the Railsplitters down the field as he saw Borhi’s weekly improvement and his new ownership of the offense. However, the Pirate defense quickly stymied Lincoln’s ability to move the ball and scored 27 unanswered points in the first half.   

The Pirate scoring started on a Kory Brown three-yard run and a fumble recovery that led to a 16-yard pass play to Vincent Geller for a 13-0 first quarter lead.

In the second quarter, another Lincoln fumble set up Omar Mendez Jr.’s 11-yard reception for a 20-0 lead. Tyshawn Bent then scored the Pirates’ fourth touchdown on a three-yard run midway through the quarter.

Lincoln finally got on the board just before the half as the Railsplitters’ top running back Mekhi Negron squeezed into the end zone on a four-yard rush to end the first half at 27-7.

In the third quarter, Bent scored again on 20-yard rush, while the Railsplitters answered with a three-yard pass to Francisco Ortiz to make the score 34-14.

For the finale, the Pirates’ top running back Kory Brown (115 yard rushing) closed out the game with his second touchdown on a sweeping 65-yard dash for the final 41-13 Tottenville win to advance to the PSAL finals.

Tottenville’s senior quarterback Justin McGuire had a very efficient game, finishing with 12 receptions on 13 attempts for 160 yards and two touchdowns.

“We faced a really tough Lincoln team today, but I was confident that we were going to win,” McGuire said. “The coach has a lot of faith in me and let me call a selection of our plays. After those fumble recoveries, our defense gave our offense the momentum to score.”

Lincoln Principal Ari Hoogenboom attended the game and offered his congratulations on the season and his condolences on the team’s elimination after the hard-fought loss. He reminded the Railsplitters that other teams were feeling the same way and that there can only be one winner each year.

Coach Shawn O’Connor summed up the season for his team by saying, “I know that you’re hurting right now, but don’t be disappointed. You fought hard to make it to this season’s final four. You accomplished a lot this year, so be grateful for that.”  

Next, the 10-0 Pirates will be put their undefeated record on the line to play the second seeded 9-1 Dutchmen of Erasmus Hall for the PSAL 4A Championship at Midwood Field.