Grady Takes LIC Bulldogs 42 to 29
BY DAN MILLER

Christian Delvento heads downfield on his way to four touchdowns and 309 yards for LIC. Photo Dan Miller/DMD Images

On Saturday morning September 15, the Long Island City Bulldogs took their home field with the dream of upsetting the 2005-06 Cup champion, Brooklyn's William E. Grady H.S. It was a perfect day for football and Coach Stephen Agresti, in his sixth season with LIC, and Andrew Jashyn, coaching at Grady for the fifth season, had to feel good about the conditions of the field for their second game of the PSAL high school football season.

Grady scored the first two touchdowns of the game with ease. Trailing 16-0 in the first quarter, LIC mounted a comeback attempt when the LIC quarterback threw an 80-yard touchdown bomb down the left sideline. The two-point conversion was good, bringing LIC within 10 points- Grady 16, LIC 8.

On their next possession LIC showed signs of life when their junior quarterback, Christian Delvento, threw another bomb, this time down the right side to junior No. 32, Troy Walker. The extra point was not good and LIC trailed by only 4- Grady 16, LIC 14.

On the ensuing kickoff, Grady ran the ball back 60 yards but a fumble recovered by LIC ended the first quarter with LIC trailing Grady 16-14.

The second quarter saw LIC mount a march down the field on the arm of their quarterback, No. 11, Christian Delvento, and the legs of junior running back, No. 39, Mark Taylor. LIC scored two more touchdowns. Delvento led all passers with 15 for 29 and 309 yards in the air and 4 touchdowns. His longest touchdown was for 80 yards. But their scoring came too late, leaving them short against a very impressive ground attack put on by Grady runners, who rushed for 295 yards, adding 4 touchdowns on the ground.

In a winning cause, Grady quarterback Ahmad Abdallah went 2-3 for 60 yards and 2 touchdowns. The defensive standout of the game was LIC linebacker Emmanuel Gonzalez, who registered 15 tackles, a game high for both teams.

The 42-29 victory was the second win for Grady, who defeated Thomas Jefferson Campus H.S. last week 26-0. Grady first introduced football as a club in the 2002-03 academic year, fielded a junior varsity team in 2003-04 and in September 2004 had its first varsity season. The school won the Cup in 2005-06, its second varsity season, according to Jashyn, who has been with the football program since its days as a club. Team equipment was donated by the New York Jets through the NFLHeads Up program in cooperation with the New York City Department of Education and the PSAL.