On Saturday, the first ever Cardozo Judges football team completed an undefeated season (8-0) with a 42-12 blowout win over the Warriors of Alfred E. Smith High School in the Bronx.
"We're undefeated and we had a target on our backs and (Alfred E. Smith) put us against the ropes today. They had a couple of pretty good athletes who made us work," said Cardozo head coach John Kaso. "They gave us a game early on and then Fabian went down. The reality is we have enough good players around him and we just went to them."
Sophomore running back Fabian Bramwell ran for 26 yards on the first possession of the game and added two more for a touchdown to put Cardozo ahead 6-0.
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The Warriors answered back quickly, when quarterback Gerrard Harris made a 67-yard sprint to the end zone to even the score board for the home team.
Bramwell, who came into the game with 1,074 rushing yards on the season and 24 touchdowns, was injured after being crushed on the 1 yard line. Sophomore Jensan Liu finished Bramwell's drive and brought the score to 14-6.
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The Alfred E. Smith squad never quite gave up, but the game was never close again. Cardozo's entire roster was active on both sides of the ball. Tevin Brown, Chris Quiroz, and Alex Dassardo all scored for the Judges and should all remain with the team to compete with the school's first ever varsity squad next year. Judges quarterback Perry Haskowitz completed three straight passes in the first half for 15, 34, and 15 yards. The last toss went for a touchdown.
"I had really great blocking today and I think that was the major thing," said Haskowitz. "Coach told me I'd throw more this game and I've felt a lot more confident in the last few games."
The Warriors were lead by freshman Gerrard Harris who completed six of nine attempts for 33 yards and rushed for another 102 yards. Harris also recorded two fumbles, but made five tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown on the defensive end. With the loss to Cardozo, Alfred E. Smith finished the season 3-5 overall.
For Coach Kaso and the Judges, Saturday's win marked the completion of the first step in the process of establishing football at Cardozo. Kaso added that he's excited to have the opportunity to use current Cardozo juniors (to-be seniors) on next year's team.
"We proved that there is a need for the football program at Cardozo and we proved there are a lot of talented players who want to be a part of the team," said Cardozo head coach John Kaso of the Judges. "We're 8-0. We're the Queens Division champs. It sets a very nice tone for the program moving forward."