By Laura Amato
The Bayside football team is having fun.
Of course, it’s easy to have fun when you’re undefeated, but the Commodores don’t just boast a perfect record so far this season. They have also been consistently dominant on the gridiron, including a 39–8 victory over James Madison last Friday.
The win was a statement of sorts for Bayside as the squad handed the Knights their first loss of the fall.
“Let’s go out there and have fun,” said Commodores coach Jason Levitt of his gameplan. “Let’s hit, let’s have fun and let’s execute. And that’s what they did. They weren’t uptight because you’re nervous in a football game. They just had fun, legitimately they had fun.”
The Commodores (4–0) executed on every level, jumping out to a quick lead when Nathaneal Faison barrelled into the end zone from one yard out on the team’s first drive of the day.
It only got better from there.
Bayside racked up over 200 rushing yards in the first half alone, seemingly unstoppable against Madison’s (3–1) front line. The Commodores made nearly every defender miss, bouncing off tackles like it was a pinball machine and, more often than not, finding the end zone.
“We have a good team,” Levitt said. “I try to be as complete as possible. Special teams are good, defense is good, offense is good. They’re tough.”
While the Commodores’ offense was consistently putting points on the board, Bayside’s defense was busy shutting down Madison.
Elijah Walcott’s second-quarter fumble recovery—which came directly after a Bayside touchdown and helped set up another—was a game changer, effectively taking the wind out of Madison’s sails early in the game.
“Coach told us to get the ball, he wanted the ball back so we had another chance to score,” said Walcott, who also excelled at wide receiver in the win. “He just told me to go get it and I did that.”
The Knights finally got on the board in the fourth quarter, as Matthew Melbourne scored from 15 yards out, but it was far too little, too late. And the Bayside defense had already made a statement.
The Commodores’ defensive front set up camp in the Madison backfield throughout the game, consistently notching tackles for a loss and refusing to allow the Knights to settle into a rhythm.
“Domination. Our d-line is really good, it really is,” Levitt said. “We have two guys who don’t really play on offense so they’re fresher. And then we have an athletic end and we rotate at tackle, but it’s just a really athletic and experienced group.”
By the final whistle, the Commodores saw four different running backs find the end zone and the team never lost steam down the stretch. In fact, Bayside’s most impressive scoring drives—including 51- and 52-yard runs from Robert Williams and Jonathan Cato—came in the second half.
It’s still early in the season, but the Commodores are feeling confident. They’re undefeated, they’re attacking from every angle and, most importantly they’re enjoying themselves.
Bayside is hoping, this season, that’s a recipe for a championship.
“We believe we are championship contenders,” Walcott said. “We believe that this is our chance and this is our year.”
