Reilly Classic showcases senior All-Stars 

The 34th edition of the PSAL’s Reilly Senior All Star Classic was held at Old Boys High Field on December 13. The game was founded by Sheepshead Bay coach Richard Reilly (1981-1994). This esteemed coach started a final game for deserving Brooklyn seniors as their last hurrah to showcase their skills after the season.

Over recent years, Reilly’s son Kevin, who played tight end for his father at Sheepshead Bay, and Boys High coach Clive Harding have preserved the game’s long run. Additionally, the Carbonaro family has helped to continue that run with their support by providing the game’s MVP Award and a scholarship award which had been named for the late Vincent Carbonaro, who was Coach Reilly’s football mentor at John Jay High School.

After the PSAL’s November championship games, All-Star selectees had two weeks to prepare as the Brooklyn high schools were divided into North and South teams. Coming off of a PSAL Division 3A Championship, coach Ubeaka Mckinney from Sheepshead Bay and coach Kyron Jones of the Eagle Academy II headed the Brooklyn South team, while Grady’s coach Andrew Jashyn and Canarsie’s coach Ron Sears led the Brooklyn North team.  

The Brooklyn South Team was the first to get on the board on their initial possession when Eagle Academy II’s Travis Harris made an acrobatic catch at the edge of the end zone on a 15-yard pass for an early 8-0 lead.

Feeding off their first score, the North made two scoring attempts in the second quarter but was stopped twice by Brooklyn Tech corner back Nate Schulman on consecutive interceptions. After the North regained the ball on the second interception, Schulman’s Tech teammate Ezra Josse ran a 10-yard fade pass route into the end zone for a completion to narrow the South’s lead 8-6 by the end of the first half.

To start the third quarter, the North’s A-Tech quarterback Tashoffe Pelloy scored on a 15-yard dash after Lincoln’s Ron Jones’s 75-yard interception return to put the North ahead for the first time by the score of 12-8.  Nearing the end of the quarter, the South recaptured the lead at 16-12 when Fort Hamilton’s wide receiver Zak Benchemarr dragged his North defender into the end zone from the five-yard line on a 10-yard pass play.

Midway in the fourth quarter, the South wrapped up the game when Eagle Academy II quarterback Aaron Smith ran 40 yards on a “power left” play to give his team the final 22-12 win.  

“This was one of the better-played and closest games that we’ve had in recent years,” said a pleased Kevin Reilly to both teams assembled at mid-field after the game. “My father and I are proud of the way that you boys performed today. This game continues as his legacy and is a living testament to him after all these years.”