The Curtis Warriors traveled to the Bronx to battle for the PSAL Championship at Yankee Stadium. The Warriors played a familiar foe, the Erasmus Hall Dutchmen. In October, Curtis managed to pull out a breathtaking win 44-42, so the teams were sure not to disappoint the second time around.

The stadium held about 5,000 fans. Which might seem like an understatement for Yankee Stadiums stature but for an high school football game it was packed. “It was a different experience and one that I won’t forget .The atmosphere was amazing and the result of the game made it feel even better,” stated Christopher Mckeon.

The game between the number one Curtis Warriors and number two team Erasmus Hall Dutchmen was a classic. The high powered offense of Curtis struck early in the Bronx. A big run by Curtis running-back Tyson Lawton 73 yards run set the tone getting, the Warriors on the board. The Warriors quickly struck again with a 31 yard touchdown pass from Quincy Barnes to Joshua Decambre. The Warriors led for most of the first half with another hookup from Barnes to Decambre stopping the bleeding. As the hot Erasmus offense continued to click and took the lead 21-18 going into halftime. The second half was an offensive nightmare filled with many turnovers hurting both teams. The drama filled PSAL championship would come down to a 4th down in 20. Finally, after numerous misses and Junior Amad Anderson being double covered for the majority of night, the Barnes to Anderson connection finally clicked.The Warriors Quarterback dropped back and launched a throw to the right side to wide receiver Amad Anderson for the Game winning touchdown. Despite four turnovers Curtis remained undefeated and become 2016 PSAL Champions.

“ I got some gray hairs, but it was worth it I couldn’t have asked anything more of them this is a special group,” said Coach Gambardella after the roller coaster game.

With their win against  Erasmus Hall Curtis has revenged their loss to  Grand Street Campus in the semi-finals last year. Curtis hasn’t won a championship since 2009, which was also the last time a Staten Island team won.

A huge key to the success for the Warriors this season was senior wide receiver Joshua Decambre. The senior recorded 2 touchdowns for almost 100 yards receiving he seemed quite appreciative when asked about being a champion and his impact on the game he said “We were working the whole game on trying to have me come across the middle because I’m such a big target. It was successful against their zone. It’s such an unreal feeling to go from being on the JV for two years to catching two touchdowns in the championship game. It’s crazy,” said DeCambre. The Warrior pride was in full effect on Friday night. “I really enjoyed my experience and it was fun and we enjoyed our ride home singing songs as we talked about the championship game,” said cheerleader Ally Fava.

The race to repeat a championship win is coming soon. With 21 starters returning, the Warriors are going to have another playoff push.