* 7-Under * 8-Under * 9-Under * 10-Under * 11-Under * 13-Under *
October 13, 2013 @ Moon High School
8-UNDER JV GAME (exhibition game)
BROOKLINE 20 - Moon 6
Scoring Summary:
Dominic Monz 55 run (conversion failed)
Dominic Monz 22 run (Stephen Mescan pass from Dominic Monz)
Dominic Monz 35 run (conversion failed)
NOTES: Coach Maro Monz and his Little Knights finished their
season with a 20-6 victory over the Moon Tiger Cubs. The win
brings Brookline's final record to an impressive 5-1-1. As they
have all year long, the Knights offense was fueled by the legs
of the speedy Dominic Monz and the defense played a tough game.
Monz put the Knights on top 12-0 with two first half touchdown
runs, then thrilled the fans with a successful conversion pass
to Stephen Mescan. It was the first pass thrown all year by the
Knights. Brookline took a 14-0 lead into the halftime break.
The Tigers closed the gap to 14-6 with a scoring run midway
through the second half. The Knights came right back on their
next possession. Monz struck again with his third scoring dash
of the day to increase the Knight advantage to 20-6.
Moon finished the contest with a last-minute drive against the
reserve Knights. The red tide advanced to the Brookline five
yard line before the game clock expired.
The Knights defense, which has played well all season long, was
led by the fine play of Monz, Jonathan Campagna, Max Marzina,
Conner Bonilla and Landon Bauer.
For the season, the Knights outscored their seven opponents by
a score of 112-84. Monz's three touchdowns bring his season
total to fourteen and, adding in his one conversion run, gives
him eighty-six points. Conner Bonilla racked up ten points with
five conversion runs. Triston Pezzelle and Maurice Trent both
registered six points with a touchdown each. Dimajio Locante
and Stephen Mescan rounded out this year's scoring with two
points apiece on successful conversions.
Congratulations to all of Brookline's Little Knights on a fine
year. This team has some good ballplayers and they all deserve
a well-earned round of applause.
WEEK #8 - October 13, 2013 @ Moon High School
8-UNDER
BROOKLINE 22 - Moon 6
Scoring Summary:
A'Mirre Brown 45 run (Racari El run)
Keyshawn Harris 50 run (Will Coleman run)
Racari El 65 run (conversion failed)
NOTES: Brookline's eight-year olds finished the regular season
with a 22-6 victory over the Moon Tigers. It was another strong
win for Coach Jason's Knights, who improved their record to
five wins against only two defeats.
A'Mirre Brown registered the game's first touchdown early in
the opening quarter with a forty-five yard scamper. Racari El's
two-pointer set the score at 8-0. After that, both defenses dug
in and held firm. Neither offense could move the ball.
The defensive stalemate ended midway through the third quarter
when a Tiger runner broke loose and ran sixty yards to trim the
Knights advantage to 8-6. Keshawn Harris countered with a fifty
yard run up the middle, and a fine cutback to set himself free.
Quarterback Will Coleman aced the deuce to make the score 16-6.
Racari El added another six points to the Brookline ledger with
a sixty-five yard fourth quarter run to bring the Knights tally
to twenty-two. As the game clock entered the final minute, an
eight yard scoring dash by Mario Grannison was negated by a
penalty. Time expired soon afterwards.
This was a solid team effort by the young Knights and a fine
way to step into the post-season. Among the game's many stars,
Amiri Anderson played an outstanding game. Anderson made three
good tackles from his nose guard position and also performed
well at offensive guard, subbing for an injured player.
The Knights ride the positive momentum of consecutive victories
into next week's playoffs. The team has steadily improved over
the past seven games and, although it has suffered a setback or
two, looks primed and ready to rock. Way to go, Knights!
FINAL 8-UNDER STANDINGS
TEAM W L PTS
West Allegheny 7 0 14
Montour 6 1 12
BROOKLINE 5 2 10
North Hills 3 4 6
Moon 3 4 6
West Mifflin 2 5 4
Baldwin 1 6 2
Thomas-Jefferson 1 6 2
WEEK #8 - October 13, 2013 @ Moon High School
9-UNDER
Moon 46 - BROOKLINE 24
Scoring Summary:
Zaire Nelson 68 kickoff return
(Tristin Christe pass from Brandon Pezzelle)
Zaire Nelson 52 run
(Zaire Nelson pass from Brandon Pezzelle)
Zaire Nelson 82 run
(Zaire Nelson pass from Brandon Pezzelle)
Fumble Recovery: Nathaniel Sesay
Interception: Zaire Nelson
NOTES: Coach Joe and the Brookline Nines took a trip along the
Parkway West to meet the undefeated Moon Tigers. Like a jungle
safari gone terribly wrong, the Knights entered the bush and
were promptly mauled by a pack of rabid cats.
After forty minutes, the boys from Brookline narrowly escaped,
losing by a final score of 46-24. The numbers on the big board
did not adequately describe the severity of the ambuscade.
From the time the teams took the field, the Tigers overwhelmed
the Knights with a punishing offensive unit that moved like an
inexorable force up and down the turf. Moon drove to a pair of
early touchdowns, leaving the Knights feeling slightly dazed.
Zaire Nelson fired Brookline's opening volley. His sixty-eight
yard kickoff return, followed by a two-point toss from Brandon
Pezzelle to Tristin Christe, cut the Tiger lead to 16-8. Moon
countered with another scoring drive and a 24-8 advantage.
Still in the first quarter, Nelson got off another good shot
for the Knights with a fifty-two yard touchdown burst, capped
off by a conversion toss from Pezzelle. As the buzzer sounded
to end the opening period, the Knights were barely holding on,
down only 24-16 against the Tigers relentless onslaught.
Moon began the second quarter with their fourth blitz into the
Knight defenses. A touchdown at the four minute mark initiated
a Tiger feeding frenzy that left the Knights staggering. A pair
of successful onside kicks led to fourteen more Moon points. In
the blink of an eye the Tigers were ahead by a whopping 46-16.
A third consecutive onside kick was recovered by Moon. Before
the Tigers could do any more damage, Nelson intercepted a Moon
pass and ended the avalanche. The halftime buzzer brought a
brief but welcome respite to the bewildered Knights. By this
time they were looking a bit more dazed and slightly confused.
After halftime, Moon's big cats took a rest and the Tiger subs
entered the battle. With the contest on more even terms, the
Knights managed to hold the Tigers without a score.
With two minutes remaining in the game, Brookline proved that
the Knights might be down, but they still had some fight left
in them. An eighty-two yard touchdown run and two-point catch
by Nelson ended the contest on a positive note.
On this desperate day, when most Knights were casualties, Zaire
Nelson left the field without a scratch. Zaire Nelson truly was
Brookline's Knight in shining armor. His three touchdowns give
him eleven for the season.
Brookline's Nines ended the regular season with a 3-4 record.
Next week, Coach Joe's Knights begin the post-season.
 
 
 
FINAL 9-UNDER STANDINGS
TEAM W L PTS
Moon 7 0 14
West Allegheny 5 2 10
Thomas-Jefferson 5 2 10
North Hills 3 4 6
Baldwin 3 4 6
BROOKLINE 3 4 6
West Mifflin 2 5 4
Montour 0 7 0
WEEK #8 - October 13, 2013 @ Moon High School
10-UNDER
BROOKLINE 22 - Moon 6
Scoring Summary:
Jamyle Liebro 61 run (conversion failed)
Brandon McGough 28 pass from Grant Hamilton (Visawn Pennix run)
Raeshawn Caldwell 8 run (Visawn Pennix run)
Fumble Recovery: Visawn Pennix (2), Zachary Kalsek, Mekhi Gay,
Antwan Peterson
Interception: Brandon McGough
NOTES: Coach Bruce's Cardiac Kids lived up to their reputation,
overcoming adversity, playing staunch defense, and working hard
to put enough points on the board to walk away with a win. This
they did, in their time-honored, nail-biting way. The Brookline
Knights slugged it out with the Moon Tigers and came away with
a 22-6 victory in the final outing of the regular season.
The first quarter saw both teams launch drives across midfield
that ended with fourth down punts. As the period wound down,
the Knights found the endzone when Jamyle Liebro hit a hole and
sprinted sixty-one yards for a Brookline touchdown.
After the defense forced a fourth down, Brandon McGough began
the Knights next possession with an eleven yard punt return to
the Moon thirty-eight yard line. After Liebro picked up a first
down, quarterback Grant Hamilton launched a perfect strike to
McGough, who raced to the endzone for a twenty-eight yard
touchdown reception. Visawn Pennix's conversion run gave the
Knights a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
A promising Brookline drive at the end of the half ended with
a Tiger interception at midfield. Then, on the last play before
the buzzer, McGough returned the favor, picking off a Moon pass
and thrilling the crowd with a twenty-six yard return before
being brought down at the Tiger twenty-four yard line.
The Knights kept the heat on at the start of the second half
when Raeshawn Caldwell returned the kickoff seventy yards for
a third Knight touchdown. The excitement quickly turned to
dismay as Raeshawn's fine run was called back on a penalty.
The remainder of the third quarter was a defensive stalemate.
The Knights defense harrassed the Tigers, with Zachary Kalsek
registering two sacks and a fumble recovery. McGough also had
a sack. The Tiger defense was just as determined, holding the
Knight attack in check.
At one point, a Tiger intercepted a Hamilton pass and returned
it thirty-eight yards to the Knight fifteen. A come-from-behind
tackle by Liebro saved a sure score. Worse, Hamilton was hit
hard as he threw the ball and sustained an injury on the play.
Brookline's defense squashed that immediate threat, but after
a failed offensive series, the Knights punted and Moon returned
it thirty yards to the Brookline six yard line. The Tigers ran
the ball in on the next snap to cut the Knights lead to 14-6.
The tension on the Brookline sideline increased another notch
when reserve quarterback Antwan Peterson went down on the next
possession. Mekhi Gay stepped up behind center. Brookline's
defense also stepped up, forcing the Moon attack into reverse
while Gay did his best to get the Knight offense back in gear.
With 1:32 remaining on the clock, the defense forced Moon to
turn the ball over at the Tigers own eight yard line. With the
end in sight, Hamilton came back off the bench and called one
play. It was a handoff to Caldwell, who sped around the corner
to cover the eight yards to the endzone. Pennix's two-pointer
finished off the scoring.
Brookline gained 215 yards on forty one plays. The Knights ran
the ball thirty-five times for 162 yards and completed four of
six passes for fifty-three. Rushers included Liebro 10/91,
Caldwell 9/27, Antwain Carter 4/14, Peterson 2/10, Pennix 6/7,
Gay 2/7, and Hamilton 2/6. Four receivers caught a pass: Liebro
for three yards, Pennix for eleven, McGough for twenty-eight
and Andrew Cagey for eleven. The Knights had five penalties
totalling thirty-five yards and earned five first downs.
Moon ran the ball twenty-three times and gained one yard. The
Tigers completed three of seven passes for twenty-six and were
sacked five times for a loss of thirty-seven. That makes their
total offensive output minus-ten yards. Moon managed two first
downs and were penalized only twice for fifteen yards.
The Cardiac Kids finished the regular season with a respectable
6-1 record and a lock on at least a second seed in the upcoming
playoffs. Next week is the start of the post-season. This is
the kind of team that, if they continue to work hard and stay
focused, can accomplish great things. Go Knights!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FINAL 10-UNDER STANDINGS
TEAM W L PTS
North Hills 7 0 14
BROOKLINE 6 1 12
Montour 6 1 12
Baldwin 3 4 6
Moon 3 4 6
Thomas-Jefferson 3 4 6
West Allegheny 1 6 2
West Mifflin 0 7 0
WEEK #8 - October 13, 2013 @ Moon High School
11-UNDER
Moon 22 - BROOKLINE 6
Scoring Summary:
Jonathan Morin 34 pass from Nick Roell (conversion failed)
Fumble Recovery: Dominic Elliott
NOTES: A wise man once said, "Expect the unexpected." On the
13th of October, 2013, no truer words were spoken. Sometimes it
gets hard to write the same thing over and over again. How many
ways can a person describe a football team that never loses and
makes a habit out of destroying their opponents?
Last week we initiated a challenge to the Moon Tigers, pointing
out how impressive the Brookline Knights eleven year old team
has been over the past seventeen games. It seems so ironic now
how we quipped that this game would most likely be another
"shock and awe" treatment, and that despite the inevitability
of a victory, we play the game because anything can happen.
Well, on this afternoon anything did happen, and we are now in
uncharted territory. The worm has turned and we are now free of
the shackles that come with an endless string of dominating
victories. We can now exercise a new set of catchy phrases.
Enough of the editorialish hogwash. Time for the nitty-gritty.
Newsflash of the Month:
The Streak Is Over!
... and we don't mean the Pirates.
The Moon Tigers did the unexpected and beat Coach Don's mighty
Knights by a final score of 22-6. The herd of rampaging horses
met a pack of hungry Tigers. When all was said and done, the
Tigers had tamed the Wild Stallions and had them firmly tucked
away in the corral. The Tigers didn't just beat the Knights,
they humbled them. It was "Shock and Awe," Tiger-style, and
the Brookline Knights were the victims.
The game began much as Knight fans had expected. A good kick
return by Aaron King was followed by sizeable gains by Marques
Watson and Mason Ventrone. A thirty-four yard pass to Jonathan
Morin from Nick Roell gave Brookline an early 6-0 lead. That
would be the high water mark for this Knight attack, and it
occured only a minute and a half into the contest.
From then on the downfall began. While the Knight defense kept
the Tigers in the cage for the remainder of the first quarter,
the vaunted Brookline offense grew uncharacteristically timid.
The period ended with the Knights turning the ball over to the
Tigers at their own forty-two.
Moon ran and passed their way forward, then found the endzone
with an eleven yard run. A failed conversion left the game
knotted at 6-6. Brookline responded with a ten-play drive that
fizzled on fourth down at the Tiger thirteen yard line. The
half ended shortly after. The Knights entered the intermission
break with a growing case of nervous apprehension.
The Moon Tigers were here to play football, and starting to get
the best of the mighty Knights. The dragon was exposing it's
proverbial soft white underbelly and the Tigers were gaining
the confidence necessary to end it's reign of fire.
Moon began the second half with a ten-play, sixty-seven yard
march to the Brookline endzone, capped off by a six-yard burst
through the heart of the Knight defense. When the conversion
attempt appeared to be stopped for no gain, a timely lateral
found its way into the arms of an open Tiger, who waltzed over
the goal line to give Moon a 14-6 third quarter lead.
The Knights tried to recover on their next possession. A short
nine-play effort moved the ball to the Moon thirty-one, but two
incompletions and a penalty doomed the effort. When the Tigers
got the ball back, they wasted no time delivering the knockout
blow. Midway through the fourth quarter, a fifty-four yard Moon
touchdown reception and a three yard conversion run increased
the Tiger advantage to 22-6.
As the fat lady began to sing, the Brookline reserves took the
field to finish the game. They lost three yards on three plays
and were forced to punt. Jordan Bonilla's kick was blocked and
recovered by the Tigers at the Knight twenty-eight with over
two minutes remaining in the game.
A long Tiger run for a first down was stopped at the one yard
line. Instead of driving the dagger in a little deeper, as was
their right, the Moon Tigers performed the classiest act seen
so far this season. They took four knees to end the game. What
was six more points to the Tigers anyway? Moon had just beat
the mighty Knights of Brookline, and did it handily.
For the game, Brookline's offense gained 131 total yards, with
eighty-two on twenty-eight rushes, and forty-nine on three pass
receptions. Watson was held to forty-six on eleven carries and
Ventrone gained thirty-eight. Jonathan Morin accounted for all
of the airmail yardage and another seven on the ground. The
Knights were penalized six times for thirty-five yards.
Moon's offense gained 210 yards, with 141 on the ground and
sixty-nine through the air. They were penalized only twice and
held a 9-3 advantage in first downs. Our hats off to the Moon
Tigers. They played an outstanding game and did what nobody,
except themselves, ever expected.
And now that the streak is over, where do the Knights go from
here? Well, with the myth of invincibility shattered, it's a
good time to re-learn how to play the game with both feet on
the ground. This loss, although difficult to accept, might just
be the best thing to happen to this team.
It's time to return to the fundamentals and get back to winning
football games. It shouldn't be too hard for a talented team
like the Knights. This wasn't the end of the world, it was just
a setback. Let's redouble our efforts at practice and come out
next week with that same fiery resolve that Brookline fans have
become accustomed to.
And always remember the words of that wise old man, "Expect the
unexpected," and this average guy, "Anything can happen."
 
 
A Picture Can Tell A Thousand Words.
FINAL 11-UNDER STANDINGS
TEAM W L PTS
BROOKLINE 6 1 12
North Hills 5 2 10
Moon 5 2 10
Montour 4 3 8
Thomas-Jefferson 4 3 8
West Allegheny 3 4 6
Baldwin 1 6 2
West Mifflin 0 7 0
WEEK #8 - October 13, 2013 @ Moon High School
13-UNDER
BROOKLINE 34 - Moon 0
Scoring Summary:
Quran Powe 58 run (conversion failed)
Jeremy Jenkins 1 run (Curtis Bradley run)
Quran Powe 3 run (Jeremy Jenkins run)
Quran Powe 80 run (conversion failed)
Sylvio Cercone 65 pass from Evan Miller (conversion failed)
Interception: Brent Ivory, Sylvio Cercone
NOTES: Brookline's Elder Knights extended their unbeaten streak
to seven games with a 34-0 taming of the Moon Tigers. It was a
dominant performance from start to finish. Brookline's offense
amassed over 300 total yards while the Knight defenders held
the Tiger attack to under 100.
Moon kicked to start the game. They avoided putting the pigskin
anywhere near Quran Powe. Unfortunately, they couldn't stop
quarterback Jeremy Jenkins from handing off to the speedster.
Powe ran the second play from scrimmage fifty-eight yards for
a quick six less than a minute into the contest.
Brookline tried an onside kick, which was recovered by Branden
Wysong. A long run by Raekwon Caldwell into the Tiger redzone
was negated by a penalty. Brookline overcame the setback and
drove deep into Tiger territory. An interception at the three
yard line ended this promising effort.
Moon began a drive of their own. Eleven plays and three first
downs advanced the Tigers to the Knight thirty-seven yard line
before failing on a critical fourth and one play. Brookline
seized the momentum and drove downfield. A pass interference
call gave Brookline a key first down, then Powe burst forth on
a forty-seven yard run. He was brought down at the Tiger one.
Jenkins covered the remaining distance for the touchdown, then
handed off to Curtis Bradley for the two-point conversion.
With four minutes remaining in the half, Moon went nowhere on
three plays and elected to punt. The kick was blocked by Khalil
Weathers, who chased the ball down and pounced on it at the
Tiger twelve. Three plays later Powe found the endzone again.
Jenkins added a deuce to increase Brookline's lead to 22-0.
With only twenty-six seconds to go, Moon ran eighteen yards for
a first down, then attempted a final pass. The throw was on the
mark. As the buzzer sounded, the ball reached the receiver, at
which point he was blasted by Powe. The ball careemed into the
arms of Brent Ivory, who ran it back twenty-four yards before
being brought down. The referee's whistle signalled the start
of the intermission.
Brookline kicked off to start the second half. A Tiger fielded
the ball and ran it back forty-five yards before being brought
down from behind by Powe. Two Tiger receptions and a good run
advanced the ball to the Knight eleven yard line before their
drive stalled on fourth down.
Caldwell ran nine yards to the twenty, then Powe covered the
remaining eighty yards to the goal line for his third score of
the game, making it 28-0, Brookline. Moon's offense tried once
more to knock down the door, passing their way to a pair of
first downs. Once again, the drive stalled on fourth down.
Brookline's reserve offense took the field to start the fourth
quarter. Three running plays netted one yard, and quarterback
Evan Miller was forced to go to the air. Miller launched a nice
toss to Sylvio Cercone, who broke free of his defender and took
it sixty-five yards down the left sideline. The Knights now led
by the score of 34-0 and the running clock took effect.
With the game on the fast track, a booming Mar Oaks kick pinned
the Tigers deep in their zone. Moon's reserve offense began a
final drive from their own sixteen yard line. They moved the
ball seventeen yards on five carries, then tried a pass. The
errant toss was intercepted by Cercone at the Moon forty.
With five minutes left, Miller got off six plays and ran for a
first down to run out the clock. The Knights left Moon Township
with another quality win and looking forward to next week's
regular season finale versus the 5-1 Bethel Park Hawks.
The Knights gained 329 total yards, running for 247 and passing
for eighty-two. Rushers included Powe 7/198, Caldwell 4/14,
Jenkins 5/13, Anthony Carrington 2/12, Bradley 2/6, Miller 2/6,
Logan Solomon 1/1, Wysong 1/0 and Nathan Ault 3/-3. Caldwell
added a reception for seventeen yards and Cercone caught his
for sixty-five.
On the other side of the ball, the Tigers ran twenty-one times
for sixty-five yards and completed twelve of twenty passes for
another eighty. Moon held the edge in first downs, 5-4, and
penalties, 4-3, while the Knights were ahead on takeaways, 3-1.
 
 
 
 
CURRENT 13-UNDER STANDINGS
(eight-game season)
TEAM W L PTS
*BROOKLINE 7 0 14
*Bethel Park 5 1 10
North Hills 3 4 6
Moon 1 5 2
West Mifflin 0 7 0
* Clinched Super Bowl Berth
2013 Knights News - Previous Week's Game Summaries
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