LIC pulls shocking comeback

When Campus Magnet and Long Island City began play Sunday afternoon in Cambria Heights, the two programs were headed in opposite directions.
LIC, the reigning Cup Division champs, were reeling, having dropped three of their first four, in particular a disappointing and unsightly loss at Beach Channel. Campus Magnet, by contrast, was riding high at 4-0 with a meeting with city juggernaut Curtis forthcoming.
Three-and-a-half quarters later, not much had changed. Campus led 26-6 when Jason Weston picked off LIC quarterback Christian Delvento and returned it 95 yards with 7:06 remaining.
By the end of the day, though, they had switched positions.
Behind Delvento, LIC scored 22 unanswered points in the final seven minutes. LIC recovered two Emmanuel Gonzalez onside kicks and a Campus Magnet fumble, and blocked a last-second 18-yard field goal to pull the biggest upset in the borough’s PSAL season to date, 28-26.
“I’ve never been part of a game like that,” LIC Coach Stephen Agresti said. “You rarely see that on the pro or college level. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to be on the high school level. Everybody was so excited; it was insane.”
Unlike a week ago, LIC didn’t point fingers at one another or bicker on the sidelines. They transferred all of that energy onto the field in a wondrous comeback.
Delvento had the game of his life, hitting on 13 consecutive passes at one point. In the comeback, he completed touchdown passes to Kevin Milton and Juan Luis Jimenez and caught the tying score on a well-disguised pass play from Troy Walker with 1:22 remaining. Delvento, who threw for 286 yards on the day, also rushed for LIC’s first score.
“I think it was a coming of age performance for Chris Delvento,” Agresti said. “He really kept his composure.”
After Delvento hit Jimenez for the decisive two-point conversion, Campus Magnet nearly pulled victory from the jaws of defeat. They may have, too, if not for a few questionable calls.
Quarterback Datalia Holness hit Jonathan Achab Syms with a 25-yard pass to the LIC one-yard-line. Campus Magnet Coach Eric Barnett said he crossed the plane and knocked over the pylon, but the officials didn’t see it that way.
The next play, Holness completed a pass in the end zone to Stephan Benjamin, but he was ruled out of bounds, another point of contention. On the next play, Jerome Harrisingh’s 18-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Jimenez and Shabaka White, setting off a raucous and unlikely celebration on the LIC sideline.
“We came together as a team and finished it off with a big bang,” Delvento said.
As exhilarating as the win was for LIC, it was equally demoralizing for Campus Magnet. The program has taken several steps forward under Barnett in just three seasons. They were rolling so far this year, winning by an average margin of 28 points per game.
They seemed on pace to another rout, setting up an appetizing showdown with Curtis. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were unable to seal the deal. Now, with undefeated Grand St. Campus followed the Curtis meeting, the Bulldogs have reached a crossroads.
“It’s something we’ve got to learn from,” Barnett said. “If we don’t learn from it, we’re not good learners.”