Football Week-by-Week Recap
On Saturday, November 9, the Poly Prep Football Team, led by senior captains Chris Howell, Eli Musmand, and Connor Igoe, brought the Metropolitan Independent Football League Championship (MIFL) trophy back to Brooklyn, upsetting their fierce rivals Hackley 41-21. Their win culminated a season’s worth of hard work, grit, and perseverance.
First Week of Preseason Camp (8/12-8/17):
On August 12, the team filed into room 008. Although this marked the end of summer leisure, it signaled the beginning of something more exciting—something that had lived rent-free in the minds of every coach and player since last November: a chance to win back the MIFL trophy. “This is the last time you will feel 100% this season,” warned Head Football Coach Jerrell Jones.
An exciting season lay ahead—a season filled with hard work, but one that promised rewards to those who persevered.
Two days later, the team had their first practice outside and were finally in their helmets and pads again. The air buzzed with excitement and promise for the season to come.
Second Week of Camp (8/19-8/24):
As the team returned to campus for their fourth official day of preseason camp that Monday, they fell into a steady routine: a practice in the morning, followed by a break from eleven o’clock to noon, and then another afternoon practice. This routine would soon be interrupted, however, as the following Tuesday, the team made their annual trip to Connecticut.
After practice, the team separated into two buses and made their way to Hartford. Though they made time for bonding and fun, the objective of the trip was clear: to test the ability of our players against some of the best competition in Connecticut.
Over the next two days, the team engaged in two intense scrimmages, one against East Hartford and the other against New Britain High School. Unfortunately, the team left the trip with three injured seniors, two of which would not see the field again this year. This was a shocking result for the team, who would now have to figure out how to navigate the season without some of their best talent on the field. Although the trip yielded some adversity, senior Chris Howell believed, “The experience we gained from playing tough competition in Connecticut was really important to how our season panned out.”
With much to figure out and overcome, the team returned to Brooklyn ready to do whatever it took to make it to the championship in November.
They were now closer than ever to their season opener, set to take place in Hartford against Capital Prep next Thursday. As the team prepared, one challenge was evident: They would have to stop Hashim Jones, a three-star running back who was the core of the school’s offense. As the team counted down the days, the intensity of every repetition in every drill ramped up. They knew it would be a tough game.
Third Week of Camp (8/26-8/31):
On Monday, August 26, the team filed back into room 008 to hear the game plan for the upcoming season opener. Everyone was bursting with excitement; they had waited for this game since the schedule was announced in May. Every off-season lift or spring day spent on the field was in preparation for this season, which their first game would mark the start of.
“Almost every lift, we would talk about how we were gonna play Capital Prep in X amount of days,” noted Howell.
The team went quiet as Jones entered the room. He walked to the front of the room and broke the news that Capital Prep had forfeited due to their insufficient squad depth because of injury. The team was very disappointed; they had waited all year, counting down the days till they could retake the field and start their journey back to the championship. With Capital Prep’s withdrawal, a game week turned into another camp week, and the team went back to two-a-day practices, waiting impatiently for their first game against Dalton.
Dalton Week (9/2-9/7):
Room 008 buzzed with excitement as the team arrived on Labor Day to a room filled with formations and plays drawn up on the walls. After 10 months of waiting, it was finally game week. They practiced all week, preparing for their season opener on Blue Devil Night.
Excitement mounted as the team walked out to packed stands in their home opener. Although Dalton scored first, Poly quickly changed the momentum, winning 36-18. Junior Nate Rosenblatt led the Blue Devils in receiving yards with 139, and Junior Holden Morse racked up an impressive 79 rushing yards. Senior Quarterback Connor Igoe also had an impressive showing, throwing for 255 yards and three touchdowns. With their dominant performance against Dalton, Poly set the tone for the rest of their season.
Fieldston Week (9/9-9/14):
Poly’s game against Fieldston ended in another great victory for the Blue Devils. The game, ending early in the third quarter due to a Fieldston forfeit, was extremely one-sided, with a score of 36-0. Rosenblatt led the team in receiving yards with 85 while Morse led the team in rushing yards with 27. The Devils totaled 227 yards, while their opponents only managed to rack up 22 yards, demonstrating their dominance in this match-up.
Rye Week (9/16-9/21):
The Blue Devils’ match-up against Rye was one that the team had looked forward to since their schedule was released in May. To the team, this was no ordinary regular-season competition. It was a chance to beat the team that had taken their championship away last year in the bitter November cold. “It’s one of those games that you prepare yourself for all offseason. We were ready for a game that was gonna be very mentally tough,” said Howell.
And a tough matchup it was. The Blue Devils went into the half trailing Rye 22-15. During the half, Poly got a chance to recuperate and prepared to hit the ground running in the second half. In Poly’s first possession, Rosenblatt scored a rushing touchdown, not only closing the distance between the two teams but changing the momentum of the game. The Blue Devils kept putting points on the board while locking down Rye on defense, ending the game with a score of 32-22. The team had by no means done everything they had set out to do, but coming back to beat Rye, whom they had lost to last year, was an important box to check off on the way to reclaiming the championship.
Riverdale Week (9/23-9/28):
Unfortunately, The Blue Devils suffered their first loss of the season against Riverdale. The weather during the matchup was dreary, to say the least. Cold temperatures and wet conditions limited both team’s ability to throw the football, so they had to resort to the run game. The game remained close throughout, with a final score of 13-6. Although the loss was a blow to the team, it was not detrimental to their season. They had a lot to figure out in practice but also still had many games ahead of them to work their way to the championship.
St. Luke’s Week (10/7-10/12):
The team did a lot of work in their week off following their loss to Riverdale in preparation for their out-of-league match-up against St. Luke’s. Their work paid off, as Poly played a dominant first half, ending with a score of 27-7. This was thanks to an on-point passing game between Igoe and his favorite target, Rosenblatt, who ended the game with 110 receiving yards. The second half was a different story, however. St. Luke’s was able to close the distance to just three points, making the final score 27-24. The game was a nail-biter, but a Blue Devil win nonetheless.
Morristown Beard Week-Homecoming (10/14-10/19):
In one of the most exciting, intense games of the year, Poly edged out a 29-26 victory against the Morristown Beard School in front of a packed homecoming crowd. It was a close game throughout, with Igoe scoring the winning touchdown on fourth down within the last minute. This victory placed the team as the third seed in the MIFL playoffs. The fast-paced, tense win was an excellent way to cap the regular season for the playoffs-bound Blue Devils.
Horace Mann Week- Quarter Finals (10/21-10/26):
The team showed out in their last home game of the year, beating Horace Mann 33-0. This was an impressive victory for the team, who totaled 147 rushing yards and 237 receiving yards. Morse had an amazing game, leading the team in total yards with 140 combined rushing and passing yards. He also scored four touchdowns! With their victory at home, the Devils advanced into the semi-finals against an undefeated Montclair Kimberley Academy side.
Montclair Kimberley Academy Week- Semi-Finals (10/28-11/2):
The Blue Devils entered the week as the underdog, as they were playing against one of the best running backs in New Jersey, Kalvin Thomas. Thomas ended the season with 1751 yards and 24 touchdowns for Montclair. The Blue Devils worked tirelessly all week to practice stopping Montclair’s dominant rushing game. Their hard work paid off, as they limited Thomas to rushing for only 67 yards the entire game. Poly went on to beat Montclair 30-7, advancing to the final round of the playoffs. Montclair was the toughest team the Blue Devils played all year; their ability to not only take on the challenge but crush it is a testament to the stellar game-planning abilities of the coaching staff and the resilience of this team in the face of adversity.
Hackley Week-Finals (11/4-11/9):
With the most challenging opponent behind them, the team entered championship week confident but not lazy. Projected to lose to Hackley 24-36, they knew they would have to work hard to win and overcome expectations. The team drilled intensely, extending practice until 7:30 pm three times to ensure that they were adequately prepared.
The game was held at Suny Purchase, only 15 minutes away from Hackley, meaning they were sure to fill up the stands with students and alumni. However, despite the hour-and-a-half commute, Poly students showed out and cheered on the Blue Devils, rivaling the Hackley fans.
The team arrived at Suny Purchase two hours early to prepare for the game, then filed into buses, waiting patiently in the brisk November air. After a five-minute ride to the field, they arrived. The team took the field for the last time expecting to see a Hackley-dominated crowd but instead found stands surprisingly dominated by the blue and gray. They then warmed up for the last time this season with a strong sense of confidence brought by their supporters’ cheers through the nighttime chill. For the last time, Captains Igoe, Howell, and Musmand walked out arm in arm to midfield for the coin toss, then came back and rallied their team.
Immediately in the first quarter, Poly set a tone of authority with a score of 13-0. Their domination continued into the second half, with the Blue Devils leaving the field for halftime up 27-0, after Igoe completed a 60-yard throw to Junior Kobi Marshall with only five seconds left on the clock. The Blue Devils continued to run up the score throughout the second half as Hackley fans fizzled out and Poly cheers took over the stands. The final score was 41-21 Poly.
After the clock finally ran out, the team stormed the field to collect the trophy they had lost one long year ago. Every off-season workout, spring practice, sprint, and drill had led them to this moment. Not a single rep was wasted, for they had achieved their ultimate goal: reclaiming their status as the MIFL champions.