Erasmus Hall football tops Curtis in meeting of top PSAL 4A programs
Erasmus Hall's Nasir Brown, left, and Jancell Torres jump in celebration during a PSAL football game against Curtis on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. Credit: Dylan Thiessen
Since 2016, every PSAL 4A football title has been split between two teams: Curtis (three) and Erasmus Hall (six).
And on Saturday, the heavyweight programs went at it in a good, old-fashioned slugfest.
Yellow flags painted the clear October sky amid a deadlocked first half before Erasmus Hall buckled down for a gritty 21–7 win over visiting Curtis at Sid Luckman Field.
“Whenever we play Curtis, it’s going to be a tough game,” Erasmus Hall coach Danny Landberg said. “I thought we just had to regroup and be a little more disciplined to get into our ‘controlled savagery’ mindset. We were able to take off from there.”
With the Dutchmen (5–1) clinging to a 14–7 lead late in the fourth quarter, they locked in defensively to force a turnover on downs with 3:02 left on their own 41-yard line. On the very next play, Richuard Dobbin broke free for a 59-yard house call up the right side to put the game on ice with just under three minutes to play.
“I’m very excited and glad I got the opportunity to do it,” Dobbin said. “I knew in that moment I just had to seal the game — it had to be done.”
As the undefeated Eagle Academy II tightens its grip on the top playoff spot, the Dutchmen now have a clear runway to secure the No. 2 seed, which would guarantee homefield advantage in the semifinals.
Jordan Bishop rushed for 72 yards on 12 carries and had two receptions for 29 yards and a touchdown for Erasmus Hall.
The Dutchmen and Curtis(4–2) fought to a 7–7 score in a first half defined by lockdown defense, penalty flags and groans from a fiery crowd. Fourteen penalties were called before intermission (20 total), including five on Erasmus Hall during Curtis’ opening drive. The latter capitalized with Richard Rainero’s 18-yard touchdown pass to Akai Lewis, which made it a 7–0 ballgame with 8:02 left in the first quarter.
The Dutchmen answered on their next drive, with Thomas Zeh lofting a 22-yard TD pass to Jordan Bishop to even things up with 5:32 left in the opening frame.
The stalemate persisted until midway through the fourth quarter, when momentum shifted sharply toward Erasmus Hall. After forcing a pivotal stop on third-and-long, the Dutchmen blocked a punt and recovered at Curtis' 34-yard line.
Bishop willed Erasmus Hall upfield with a catch and a few solid gains on the ground. After a penalty on Curtis, the Dutchmen were set up for first-and-goal on the 1-yard line. In stepped sophomore quarterback Jalen Pierre, who punched it in himself to put the team ahead 14–7 with 6:14 left in the fourth.
“Things weren’t working too well for us in the first half,” said Pierre, who threw only three passes but added multiple impact carries. “I missed a couple of opportunities earlier, so in my head I had to flip the switch and get that touchdown. I knew I was getting in.”
From there, the Dutchmen defense stopped Curtis on downs before Dobbin delivered the breakaway dagger.
