Adams Comes From Behind To Beat Bryant 16-7 in PSAL Semi Finals
BY DAN MILLER

Justin Polizzi scores the game's first touchdown giving Bryant H.S. an early lead in the second quarter. The kick was good giving Bryant a 7-0 lead. Photos Dan Miller/DMD Images

On Sunday November 18, the John Adams H.S. and William Cullen Bryant H.S. faced off for the second week in the row, this time to decide who would play in the finals of the PSAL boys varsity football cup division championship game against the winner of the Wadleigh-Franklin K. Lane semi finals game. A week earlier Bryant stunned the high school football world by defeating Adams who was ranked higher in the standings coming into the last game of the regular season.

Following a scoreless first quarter, the more than 200 spectators who came out in the windy and rainy weather saw Bryant take a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter on a touchdown by Justin Polizzi (#12) who ran for 91 yards on 15 carries for the game. The point after touchdown kick was good by quarterback/place kicker Nicholas Dais, making the score Bryant 7- Adams 0.

Adams came back in the second quarter scoring two touchdowns. The first on a two-yard touchdown pass from Luis Cerna (#12) to receiver Christophe Berrios (#10) who bobbled the ball but tucked it in for the score. The second touchdown came on a Bryant miscue when Bryant quarterback Dais was intercepted by Adams defender, Ariel Medrano (#50), who ran it back for the score. Medrano stood out on defense throughout the game leading all defenders with 10 tackles. Each time they scored Adams selected to go for the two-point conversion making it both times. Adams led at half time 16-7.

The final score was 16-7 sending Adams to the PSAL finals against Wadleigh H.S., who defeated Franklin K. Lane 44-20 earlier in the day to reach the finals.

During the post-game handshake ceremony Bryant's Coach Carl Brosnan wished his counterpart Gerald Weitzen at Adams luck in playing Wadleigh next week in the championship game. Just before the two coaches left the field Brosnan said, "I think we lost the wrong game," referring to the fact that Adams lost to Bryant on the last game of the season but the game that propelled the winner to the championship was this game that Adams took 16-7 to end the season for Bryant.

This was the first time in the history of Bryant H.S. that the boy's varsity football team has ever made the playoffs. Although they lost the game, the Bryant Owls football players can be proud that they now can tell their grandchildren that they played on the first Owls team ever to reach the playoffs.

For more information about the championship game go to the PSAL Web site, www.psal.org.