Islanders QB Quintin Iriarte tries to get rid of the football before being taken down by a Sanchez defender. (photo by Joey Blas)
The Simon Sanchez Sharks fought their way past the John F. Kennedy Islanders as they defeated JFK 13-0 in IIAAG Football action Saturday night at the JFK Ramsey Field.
The Sharks began the game very aggressive relying on their running game once again to set the pace and control the momentum. However, things did not start out smooth for the Sharks as they turned the ball over on downs.
After a failed offensive series by the Islanders, Dondre Barnes bolted down the field for a big gain, picking up the first down in the red zone. On the next play Barnes would punch in the lone offensive touchdown and putting the Sharks up 6-0.
“We started out pretty slow in the first half,” said Barnes, “Plus I’m a kind of sick and you can hear it in my voice, I had trouble running the ball a little bit.”
McDonald’s Player of the Game Dondre Barnes
Things did not get easier for the Islanders, who were never able to get past midfield as quarterback Quintin Iriarte threw an interception to Sanchez’s Daniel Cruz in the closing minutes of the second quarter. “We got a lot of picks this game which was good,” said Barnes.
Just as the Islanders caught some momentum, a fumble in the back field fell into the hands of Sharks defender Jovan Ignacio who returned it for a touchdown making the score 12-0. The PAT was good which made it 13-0.
In the second half, it seemed as if the Islanders were poised for a comeback after strong runs from Jadrian Rivera and Alan Pinkine, who were both able to pick up first downs on two consecutive plays. That set up Iriarte to throw the ball downfield to Wayne-Michael Jesus for the first down. However, plays later, Shark defender Shawn Dumanal intercepted another pass from Iriarte.
By the fourth quarter all the Sharks contained the Islander offense within the pocket as time expired. With the win the Sharks improve 3-1 as the Islanders fall to 1-3.