The Nassau Lions travelled to Suxxex CC and defeated Sussex 27-7. It was an overall great day for the Lions as they opened the season with a great victory.
Defensively, the Lions were flying around the field all day. The 1st string defense didn't allow a 1st down and they shut down the Sussex run game. The defense was only on the field for 34 plays and were outstanding except for a last minute touchdown. Dante Antione, Jaden Sinclair, Khristan Hernandez and Sonny Mayo were outstanding in pass coverage.Shaq McPherson also added an interception which changed the momentum early.
The defensive line was tremendous. Frantz Compere and Jordan Campbell led the defensive ends with 2 tackles each and were all over the field. Dashaun Polk and Cesar Villenueva were dominant on the interior, eating up double teams to free up the Linebackers.
Nyrel Sevilla led the way with 5 tackles and was in the backfield all day. He was selected player of the game for his performance. Fellow LB Jaden Martinez added 4 tackles. Jalen Ware contributed a sack and had the hit of the day.
The Special teams performed well all day. They were led by Deyvon Wright who had some great returns. Wright also contributed a pass break up on defense. Here is 1 of his 2 40 yard returns.
Offensively the ground game led the way with the 3 headed monster of Brian Lowry, Kayee Williams and Albert Daniels pounding the football. The offensive line was led by Shamar Riley, Josh Becote, Thomas Goncalves, Anthony Blanco and Yosef Karmi. Greg King was rock solid at tight end as both a blocker and receiver.
Brian Lowry put the Lions up 7-0 on a nice run early in the 1st quarter. He touched the ball on all 4 plays on the drive, accounting for 45 yards and the 1st quarter score.
The passing game was diverse as LIU transfer Luke Sprague led the way. He was sharp and hit his brother Cole on a 41 yard touchdown pass to put the Lions up 13-0. Luke stayed in the pocket and delivered a strike on a key 2nd quarter drive. Overall he spread the ball out to several receivers.
After a 13-0 lead going into halftime, the 3rd quarter began with an outstanding interception by Khristan Hernandez. One of the top Juco corners in the country, he made 2 great plays in a row and the interception below was top notch.This set the Lions on their way as the offense took over and marched down the field. The drive was 10 plays and 80 yards. It was finished with a beautiful 25 yard strike from Cole Sprague to Josh Limage.
The final touchdown came after another great return by Deyvon Wright. He returned a punt to the 8 yard line. From their Kayee Williams punched it in to finish off the scoring with 2 great blocks from Ethan Bonachi and Josh Becote. That put the Lions up 27-0. They gave up a late touchdown and ended up with a 27-7 victory.
In case you missed the game, you can see the game below on YouTube.
Also, Sussex has some photos from the game on the link below.
https://www.sussexskylanders.com/sports/fball/2022-23/photos/0001/index
The Lions will travel to Lackawanna Saturday. The game is at 1pm.
You should be able to see the game on the channel below.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBqcuz-KVmqAPKSBMXZX2KA/live
