Dream of perfect season ends

Through seven games and two quarters, John Adams could do no wrong.
The epitome of dominance, the Spartans were outscoring their opponents 304-75 and had yet to be tested, winning by an average of 26 points per game. But once an adversary responded to the challenge, Adams crumbled.
In a crushing collapse, they blew a 20-0 halftime lead to Wadleigh, seeing their dreams of an undefeated season die in the rain at home, 24-20, last Saturday.
Leading rusher Darren Baker twice fumbled away promising second-half possessions, Jonathan Jimenez had an onsides kick bounce off his chest, and the Hellfighters, aided by several Spartans’ penalties and missed tackles, scored on their last two possessions to pull the shocking upset.
“I’m shocked,” John Adams Coach Gerry Weitzen said. “I figured the score would be 40-0.”
“We didn’t get beat up,” he later added. “We just didn’t play smart football.”
By the way the first half went, it was looking like another ho-hum afternoon for the Spartans. Baker scored a touchdown, recovered a fumble and forced another. Luis Cerna connected with Christopher Berrios from 21 yards out on 4th and 17 and Kevin Patterson found pay dirt on a four-yard sweep.
The momentum turned on their first possession of the first half, when Baker coughed it up at the Wadleigh 44-yard line.
“If we would’ve scored one more time,” he lamented, “that would’ve been it.”
The Hellfighters took advantage, going 56 yards in five plays. The lead remained 20-8 well into the fourth quarter when, as heavy rain hit south Queens, the Spartans suddenly fell apart.
With 2:21 remaining, Terrence Mooney scored on a quarterback keeper from a yard out and Darrell DeLaire added the two-point conversion, slicing the lead to 20-16.
Even after Wadleigh regained possession on the onsides kick, there were yet more chances for the Spartans to end it. On fourth and five from the Adams 29, Patterson twice missed Mooney in the backfield. The fleet-footed signal-caller took advantage, scrambling for 12 yards. On the next play, Mooney lofted the game-winning scoring strike to JaJuan Marshall with 52 seconds remaining.
“It just showed that you always got to work hard,” Patterson said. “You can’t let up.”
The loss pushes Adams into a four-way tie atop the Cup Division with Wadleigh, William Bryant, and Lane, all at 7-1. The playoffs are still a mere formality. More importantly, the setback could be a blessing in disguise.
“It’s a growing experience,” Weitzen said. “It isn’t the worst thing, not at all.”
“I don’t want to feel this way again,” Baker said. “We’re still going to win. We just needed this loss. We’re going to bounce back from this loss and win everything.”