Bassick snaps 28game losing streak with win over Central
Bassick snaps 28game losing streak thanks to McKoy’s late tackle BASSICK 12 CENTRAL 7
BRIDGEPORT — He made the tackle to end the game at the 5 yard line, got up, sprinted toward the sideline, put his hands to his helmet, kept sprinting, dropped them, kept going.
Quinshon McKoy brought down Jean Desir on Central’s lastchance play, preserving Bassick’s first win in almost three years, a 127 victory on
Saturday morning at Kennedy Stadium.
“They kept throwing to No. 5 ( Desir),” said McKoy, a senior, “so I see No. 5: He keeps coming around, kept coming around. I saw him, made a play on the ball, made a good tackle.”
And what did that feel like? “Like the Super Bowl.”
Bassick’s last win was Nov. 12, 2016, a 3321 win at O’Brien Tech; this snapped a 28game losing streak. The Lions are 16.
“I just did it for the young guys under us. The juniors, the sophomores and the freshmen, they’ve got to get a win,” McKoy said. “They don’t know how it feels to win. Last time I won was freshman year. I just had to do it for them.”
Bassick’s last win over the Hilltoppers was Oct. 10, 2013, when Derrick Lewis was their head coach and Desmond Lymon, his friend since childhood from West Haven, was defensive coordinator.
Lewis is now Central’s secondyear head coach, and Lymon is the Lions’ firstyear head coach.
“I’m extremely proud of him,” Lewis said, emotional.
“I know what it felt like on the other side of things six years ago, We know what it did for kids like that, saved kids from being on the street, saved kids from being out of jail. I really, really hope the best for those ( Bassick) kids just like I hope for my kids. I’m proud of both sides, and I’m proud of him. He’s a man who has kids’ best interests at heart.”
McKoy also scored the winning touchdown with 2: 07 left, bouncing left for a 15yard run, capping a lategame backandforth on the scoreboard after nearly three quarters of scoreless football.
“There weren’t too many mistakes on either end,” Lewis said. “It was just hardnosed Westies style football all game. Everybody made plays when they needed to make plays. This is the way it’s supposed to be. I just wish and hope that one day we’ll be able to compete like this against anybody.”
Central is 07.
The Lions struck first in the last minute of the third quarter, a double pass, Jason Marrero hitting Jerry Torres for a 26yard touchdown.
But a long kickoff return ( Desir took a handoff 25 yards to get near midfield). A couple of penalties and a pass from Rafael Garcia ( 11for19, 126 yards) to Desir set up Jaquis Fleming’s 7yard touchdown run. Alejandro Jimenez’s extra point gave the Hilltoppers the lead.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Quinshon McKoy scored the goahead touchdown and made the gameending tackle for Bassick.
KEY PLAY
On thirdand13 from the Central 38 with just under three minutes left, Marrero found Tyquan Newkirk for a 23yard gain that set up McKoy’s winning touchdown run a play later.
Newkirk spent most of the game at quarterback, going 8for15 for 121 yards.
Marrero had six of those catches for 89 yards.
NOTABLE
Andy Carasco had two firsthalf interceptions for Central.
BEND, DON’T BREAK
On three of Central’s first four drives, the Hilltoppers got as far as the Bassick 4, 19 and 26. The Lions forced turnovers on downs on all three drives.
“Defensively, they just put it all together. They were lightsout, fullspeed. They were electric,” Lymon said.
“They played like Lions today.”
QUOTABLE
“My kids mean so much to me. People don’t understand this. Growing up in broken homes, in rough environments, you really don’t care about stuff. You really don’t care. It’s amazing to see, when they care about it, what they can do. All we need is the community support.” — Bassick coach Desmond Lymon