By Anthony Parelli
A big afternoon from running back Deandre Ross-Lomax got Flushing’s season moving in the right direction.
He ran for 185 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Red Devils to a 31-21 home win over Grand Street in PSAL Champions Conference football Saturday afternoon. Ross-Lomax also added an interception that he returned 25 yards in the fourth quarter.
“I call him the franchise,” Flushing football Coach Jim DeSantis said. “I’ll put him up for player of the week.”
Flushing’s offense was a bit stagnant to start the game before Ross-Lomax sparked it halfway through the second quarter. He started running behind the huge left side of the offense line, particularly juniors Emir Mrkulic and Abel Joseph. That adjustment eventually led to a 45-yard scamper from Ross-Lomax and set up his one 5-yard touchdown run to put Flushing on the board.
“They were blocking well and I tried to run hard and finish and not get tired,” he said.
The other two scores for Ross-Lomax were both in the third quarter, as the half back added touchdown runs of 5 and 45 yards. Quarterback Terrence Chavis threw a touchdown pass to end that first half that gave his team a 17-8 lead they would never relinquish.
“If teams stack the box against us, our QB can really sling it,” DeSantis said.
The other three points came from a 25-yard field goal by Kevaun Dunn after an interception by safety Marcus Mendez that set the Red Devils up in plus territory. Dunn was Flushing’s Mr. Everything Saturday afternoon. He handled the punting and kicking duties as well as playing safety and wide receiver. Dunn recorded an interception and two receptions on the day.
“He does everything for us,” DeSantis said.
The front four for the Red Devil’s defense caused problems for the Grand Street offense all day. They got to the quarterback and slowed down Grand Street’s rushing attack. Flushing gave up a couple of late touchdowns while resting its starters and struggled early with penalties on both sides of the ball. While it didn’t hurt them in the long run, limiting them is something DeSantis wants to improve on off a solid win.
“I’d like to try to get a little bit of polish offensively and defensively,” DeSantis said. “Offensively we were a bit sluggish and I’d like to pick up the pace a little bit and just keep working towards our goals.”
