CONEY ISLAND: Lincoln blows big lead, loses in overtime.

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By Joseph Staszewski

Brooklyn Daily

The Linconl Railsplitters blew a 16-point fourth-quarter lead — and ended a 14-game winning streak that dates back to last year’s championship season — with a heartbreaking 29–28 overtime loss to the Tottenville Pirates in Coney Island Friday night.

The Railsplitters (1–1), who held a 22–6 lead midway through the fourth quarter, squandered the lead, but scored first in overtime to go up 28–22. The team’s greatest flaw — a weak kicking game — forced the Splitters to try for a two-point conversion after the touchdown, and the Staten Island powerhouse (2–0) stopped Lincoln quarterback Javon Moore’s sneak before marching down the field, scoring a touchdown, and hitting the extra point to win the game.

Junior wide receiver Jamiek Davis caught five passes for 86 yards and scored two touchdowns —including a 12-yard reception in overtime — but hurt his ankle on the last play. The upset Davis did not return for the point-after attempt, which forced coach Shawn O’Connor to go with the sneak.

“I felt like crying,” Davis said. “I felt like breaking down as soon as I came out.”

Davis wreaked havoc on Tottenville, ranked by many as this year’s most talented team, up until that point. He had the game’s opening score, a 24-yard grab that saw him shed Pirates corner Eric James after the catch. Davis also showed his versatility as a route runner, making catches while staying in bounds along the sideline and on the run over the middle.

“When he gets the ball in his hands he is dangerous,” Moore said. “Little hitches he turns into 20-yard gain.”

But in the loss, Davis and his teammates got a lesson in adversity that they feel will make them a better team moving forward, stating with Curtis back in Coney Island this Friday night.

“Coach always stresses that we finish the job,” a subdued Davis said. “That’s going to be something we are going to work on.”

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