Quadare Gomez delivers in OT for Curtis in PSAL 4A playoff win over Eagle Academy II

Curtis running back Quadare Gomez wasn’t suited up for this first-round playoff game. But when another running back went down, Curtis suddenly found itself in trouble against Eagle Academy II (Brooklyn).

Coach Peter Gambardella gave Gomez the nod. The junior sprinted to the locker room and came back in full pads.

“I was banged up last week and wasn’t supposed to play,” Gomez said. “But as the game went on things weren’t looking promising. I looked at Gambo and he nodded at me, and I told the manager to get me some pants please and ran to the locker room. I just couldn’t sit on the sidelines in a big moment like that.”

That was the spark Curtis needed. Gomez delivered the game-tying two-point conversion and the winning touchdown in overtime to lift host No. 3 Curtis past No. 6 Eagle Academy II, 24—18, in the PSAL 4A quarterfinals.

“He was banged up and we expected to rest him,” Gambardella said. “He kept telling me he was good. As the first half went on, he looked at me and said, ‘Can I get dressed?’ I said go get dressed and we’ll see. Then we realized, hey, he’s sore, but there might not be a next week, and he kept telling me he was ready.”

Eagle Academy opened fast. Aaron Smith connected with Juvens Lindor for a 22-yard touchdown less than a minute into the game.

Giovanni Bennardo hit a 29-yard field goal for Curtis, and quarterback Vincent Canzoneri found Akai Lewis for a 37-yard score to take a 10—7 lead after the first quarter.

In the second, Eagle Academy’s defense tightened. Chase Hyacinth and Sincere Hester helped bottle up the Curtis offense. After those stops, Gomez suited up with under five minutes left in the half.

“The talent they have at Eagle Academy was on display,” Gambardella said. “All those guys played their butts off and made it so competitive. The more teams that play like this make New York City football better. They were well-coached and we knew what we were going into.”

A 27-yard field goal from Martin Koppelman tied the game at 10 at halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, Curtis opened the fourth with a punt — but the snap sailed high. Eagle Academy’s Nate Ellis and Josiah Brown made the tackle in the end zone for a 12—10 lead with 11:50 left.

Zy’eare Schulters then broke a 52-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 18—10 with 3:11 remaining. The extra point was missed, keeping it a one-possession game.

A strong return from Daniel Lewis set Curtis up at the Eagle 43. It was there that Canzoneri went to work.

He connected with Akai Lewis for a 15-yard touchdown with 50 seconds left to cut it to two.

“Nothing phases Vinny,” Gambardella said. “He’s always mellow regardless of what happens, and when we need a big play he always seems to be out there.”

On the conversion, Curtis turned to Gomez, who powered across the goal line.

“Even though I wasn’t 100%, in my head I knew I couldn’t be stopped at the goal line,” Gomez said. “I already knew I was lowering my shoulder and drove.”

In overtime, Eagle Academy started with the ball. On third-and-16, Koppelman threw to the end zone, but Jayden Melendez broke it up. On fourth down, Charles Simmons made a tackle for loss to give Curtis possession.

Canzoneri hit Melendez for 12 yards on the first play. On the next snap, Gomez bounced outside to his left and scored the game-winning eight-yard touchdown.

“It was a great feeling to win it, uplifting and joyful at the same time,” Gomez said

Curtis will face second-seeded Erasmus Hall at Sid Luckman Field on Sunday, Nov. 23 at noon.

“We’ve got the Curtis team we need to compete,” Gambardella said. “We were down 18—10 with three minutes left. Some people believed, but with that type of performance now everyone believes and everyone is bought in.”