Frank J. Macchiarola tops James Madison to win PSAL 3A title

Frank J. Macchiarola had this marked as the year to be perfect. And perfection is exactly what the Sharks accomplished, finishing the season 13-0 and being crowned PSAL 3A champions.

“We came to Sheepshead as a class together,” Jaycob Reid said. “And when some people left we didn't think we could accomplish this. But when they transferred back in the summer we knew what we wanted, we just had to put in the work and execute, and that's what we did — we went 13-0.”

After only being up eight points in the first half, FJM turned on the jets. They ran wild in the second half as No. 6 FJM defeated No. 2 James Madison, 46-6, for the PSAL 3A title on Saturday at Old Boys and Girls High School.

Frank J. Macchiarola led 14-6, but Reid didn’t take long to change the narrative of what had been a close game. On the first play of the second half’s opening drive, Reid juked two defenders and broke loose upfield. He followed a thunderous block from Amare Britt for a 55-yard touchdown.

“After the first two quarters, me and Nyheem looked at each other and said we had to turn it up,” Reid said. “This wasn’t how the game was supposed to go, but at halftime I received my sack leader award, I was feeling good, and I knew it was up from there.”

Nyheem Cooper then caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Jayden Browne, and FJM led 30-6 after the third quarter.

“We rallied around each other,” Coach Ubeaka McKinney said. “And a young man who played here a few years ago, who was drafted into the NFL — Titus Leo — spoke to them in the locker room, and then they just did what they had to do and played Sharks football.”

On the first two plays of the fourth quarter, Cooper did his thing. He hauled in a 29-yard pass downfield, then took off for a 38-yard touchdown on the next play, dragging defenders into the end zone to help FJM take a 38-6 lead.

In the first quarter, sophomore quarterback Michael Misla helped jumpstart the Sharks’ offense with two passing touchdowns. He connected with Wade Evans and Anthony Milan to take a 14-0 advantage.

“All the underclassmen did it for the seniors after they didn't win it last year,” Misla said. “The team overcame a lot this season, we worked hard for this, and we finally did it and it feels great.”

Madison battled back when Rayniel Valerio-Villanu connected with Nejiee Hunter, who batted the ball to himself and hauled it in for a 52-yard touchdown to trim the deficit to eight.

But in the second half, it was all Sharks. And for the first time in 21 years, they are city champions — and Ubeaka McKinney has earned his first PSAL championship as a head coach.

“I’m just proud of these kids,” McKinney said. “We lost the 2A title last year, but we told the kids we will get back to a championship. We added some great pieces to the program, we had a great offseason that helped us get here and do what we have to do.”

Petrides captures 1A title

Petrides didn’t get the comfortable 20-plus point win it had grown used to this season. In fact, the Panthers trailed East Harlem Pride 6-0 at halftime. But their defense responded when it mattered most and delivered a championship.

Michael Giordano recorded two interceptions and a fumble recovery that he returned for a touchdown to lead No. 2 Petrides past No. 4 East Harlem Pride, 14-6, in the PSAL 1A championship on Saturday at Old Boys and Girls High School.

“Our defensive backs just knew we had to attack the ball and go get it,” Giordano said. “When I had two passes toward me, I just took advantage. I never felt this feeling before. Two years ago we lost in the final, I’ll never forget it — and now doing this, it was something we dreamed of and we finally got the job done.”

Petrides missed a 27-yard field goal on its opening drive to keep the game scoreless. East Harlem Pride struck first. Quarterback Asher Lipman pitched the ball forward to Cody Arevalo, who cut back into open space and sprinted 77 yards for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead with 4:11 left in the first quarter.

Petrides repeatedly moved the ball in the first half but failed to finish drives, coming up empty on multiple long possessions inside the red zone.

In the third quarter, the Panthers finally broke through. David Lee rolled to his left and connected with Jaiden Brown for a 28-yard touchdown to give Petrides a 7-6 lead with 6:04 left in the quarter.

Senior Joshua Okwuabueze paced Petrides on both sides of the ball — dominating as a runner and on the defensive line. He finished with 34 carries for 198 yards.

“It was just consistency,” Okwuabueze said. “We didn’t change much, but our defense was key and helped us win. And this might be my last time ever having a shot at winning a championship, so I’m just happy to be able to do that with my team.”

Early in the fourth quarter, East Harlem forced a Petrides punt and got the ball back with just over seven minutes left. On the second play of the drive, Jamel Kamara delivered a hard hit that jarred the ball loose. Giordano scooped it and returned it 12 yards for a score.

“My teammate had a great hit,” Giordano said. “I picked up the ball, saw the end zone and finished it. The team was excited and we were just determined and motivated to finish it out.”

East Harlem had one final chance with 1:30 left, starting at its own 20. Arevalo and the Pride moved the ball to their own 47, but Jason Dennis sealed the championship with an interception on the third play of the drive.

Head coach Dave Olah secured his second championship with the program — Petrides’ first title since 2019. The Panthers reached the PSAL 1A final in 2023 but fell to Springfield Gardens. That sophomore class, now seniors, finished their careers with a championship.

“I love this group of kids. They put in a lot of effort,” Olah said. “These seniors lost in the championship two years ago, so to see where they were then, to see them push through adversity and be here now — it’s really special.”