See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
By Joseph Staszewski
Brooklyn Daily
You can sense the frustration about last season when you mention it to Fort Hamilton quarterback Adrian Maldonado. The senior lost nearly his entire junior season to a concussion in what was an injury-plagued campaign for a proud Tigers program.
“My season was cut extremely short because of my concussion,” said Maldonado, who played just three games. “That hurt. That was my junior year. It’s not fair.”
This year’s Fort Hamilton squad is looking to learn and grow from a disappointing 1–7 season last year. It seemed every week the Tigers lost another key player to injury. The players feel the experience has only made them stronger and more determined to return the program to its winning ways. Fort Hamilton won the Public School Athletic League city title just three seasons ago.
“They really want to rebound from last year,” fourth-year coach Danny Perez said.
Fort Hamilton is relatively healthy entering the season and return an arsenal of offensive weapons starting with Maldonado, a tough runner and a consummate leader on the field. He could split time with Sharif Legree, brother of former Fort Hamilton star signal caller Jeff Legree.
Maldonado raved about his wide receivers Juan Tejada, also the free safety and Devon Watts, who will also line up at defensive end. The Tigers added Xaverian transfer Jordan Blake to its receiving core as well.
“They came out of nowhere making great catches, running great routes,” Maldonado said.
He will have a number of talented running backs at his disposal, including returning starter Isaiah Washington and Michael Brooks. Washington is more of a pounding runner and Brooks is a speedster.
“We have a great combination,” Washington said. “We bring a lot to the table — we have speed we have power.”
Fort Hamilton will need to shore up its lines on both sides of the ball. They will feature plenty of new faces outside of senior center and defensive end Peter Mazidis.
“A lot of new guys all over the place,” Perez said.
Fort Hamilton wants to return to its old form among the city’s top programs. The players know people around the league don’t hold them in as high regard after last season. They intend to change that.
“I believe everything happens for a reason,” Maldonado said. “Even though it was unfortunate last year that we lost and had a bunch of injuries, I think God put us through that to motivate us for the work that is to come this year.”