Christmas is coming early to Brooklyn sports fans.
December’s opening days will provide the borough’s faithful sports fanatics with a plethora of big events. There are high-school football championships, the world-title Battle for Brooklyn bout in Barclays Center’s boxing ring, some college hoops at Madison Square Garden, and one of the biggest girls’ basketball games of the early season. The only drawback is you and I can’t attend them all.
The big stretch begins Saturday night, Dec. 5, at the home of the Brooklyn Nets. The undercard of the middleweight world title fight between champion and Brownsville-native Danny Jacobs and Downtown resident Peter Quillin begins at 4:30 pm and includes undefeated Heather Hardy of Gerritsen Beach and Crown Heights firefighter Will Rosinsky. Then Showtime will broadcast the main event at 9 pm, when the heavy hitters Jacobs and Quillin square off for the belt, bragging rights, and the chance for a title unification bout in the near future.
If you are trying to save a little extra cash for gifts for that special someone this holiday season, then dress warm and take the train to Coney Island for a high-school football battle of the presidents at MCU Park at 7 pm — defending champion Franklin D. Roosevelt faces Harry S. Truman in the Public School Athletic League Bowl Conference title game.
Roosevelt reached the game in improbable fashion, scoring on a fake field goal in the semifinal’s last play to take down previously unbeaten McKee-Staten Island Tech. Those same Seagulls handed Truman its only loss of the season.
Can’t get enough live football? Then roll out of bed nice and early on Sunday morning, Dec. 6, and head to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx for the big boys’ city championship game at noon. Second-seeded Grand Street and Rugters-bound receivers Taysir Mack and Ahmed Bah will look to finally climb to the top of the mountain and win the team’s first title at the highest level.
Erasmus Hall — a program that is no stranger to the final and Yankees Stadium — is the only thing standing in the Wolves’ way. And the Dutchmen want to make this trip more memorable than many previous ones — Erasmus has won just once in its previous three visits there.
For those of you hoops fans who want to keep warm, we have plenty for you too. Former Xaverian star and Brooklyn’s own Chris Mullin coaches his first game as St. John’s men’s basketball coach at Madison Square Garden at 11 am on Sunday, where the Red Storm faces local St. Francis College in the Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival.
If that isn’t enough, two of the best girls’ basketball team in New York State will take the court in Fort Greene when Bishop Loughlin hosts defending Catholic Class AA champion Christ the King at 6 pm on Dec. 6. The winner gets an early leg-up in the Brooklyn-Queens standings.
Drop the shopping and treat yourself to one of these awesome events.
