He never saw it coming.
The game-winning score went in right under the goalie’s nose when Beacon beat Grand Street 1–0 during the Public School Athletic League Class A title match at St. John’s University’s Belson Stadium on Nov. 7.
With two minutes left in double overtime, Beacon’s Cameron Bonfils fired a shot from the top of the box, and Grand Street keeper Jamari Warrack — whose view was blocked by two defenders — didn’t move a muscle as the ball rolled into the net. Still, the total miss wasn’t the keeper’s fault, a faithful teammate said.
“He was blind-sided,” said senior captain Jerdeani Johnson. “He had nothing he could do.”
Warrack may have blown the game for Grand Street, but he and his defense were the only things keeping the squad alive during the heated match. It appeared No. 5 Beacon (16–1–1) would take the lead in the 68th minute, but a charging Warrack deflected Garrett Ramos’s shot, and sweeper Jefferson Santana got there in time to clear it off the goal line and keep things scoreless.
But Grand Street (13–3–1) failed to put a major scare into Beacon, whose defense did not allow a goal all postseason. The team had two strong looks by Cesar Aguilera 50 minutes into the game, but Beacon keeper Carter Kneaves Dutton gobbled up the first, and the second went wide.
Poor Wolves passing failed to open up the seams in Beacon’s defense, a coach said.
“I think we could have exploited the space in their defense a bit more,” Wolves assistant coach Dario Trujillo said.
He took over for head coach Johnny Chavez in the second half, because the head man had somewhere to be, according to Trujillo. Chavez’s absence didn’t have an effect on players, they said.
“It wasn’t that difficult,” Johnson said. “We had to stick to our game plan, move the ball.”
The Wolves couldn’t move to the top of the heap in the league, but the team is still in the upper echelon after winning the Class B crown two years ago and reaching its first A final this year. Recent losses notwithstanding, team leaders are proud of the program’s progress, Johnson said.
“It’s a great accomplishment to be in the finals,” he said. “It was worth it. This year is a tremendous year for us.”
