PSAL football Week 4 preview: Bryant faces a tough test in Springfield Gardens

Two of the top teams in Queens meet on Sunday. Defending 2A champion Bryant gets its toughest test of the young season against Springfield Gardens, which is coming off a 28-6 win over last year’s 2A runner-up, Boys and Girls.

Bryant’s offense is filled with athletic playmakers. Lorenzo Lopez, Jason Feaster and 6-3, 250-pound Houssine Altbouja have led the way on the ground. Jayden Suero has been terrific at quarterback, throwing for 356 yards and three touchdowns in two games.

“Jayden Suero [is] stepping up this season as quarterback and making throws that we need him to make,” Bryant coach Vincenzo Donato said. “Lorenzo Lopez [is] just picking up right where he left off. Whether we’re giving him the ball in the backfield or throwing it to him up the sideline, he’s as solid as it comes.”

Bryant will need to stop the run against a Springfield Gardens offense that wants to control the game on the ground.

“This is one of our first real tests for our defense, whether or not we can truly stop the run,” Donato said. “We know that’s what they like to do, and if we’re able to stop the run, we’ll see if we can compete with Transit Tech and McKee.”

Springfield Gardens had one-possession losses to two of the top small-school teams in the city in Beach Channel and August Martin before defeating Boys and Girls, 28-6. It starts with an experienced offensive line led by seniors Berdely Elie and David Offiah.

“They’ve been with us for most of the last three seasons,” Springfield Gardens coach Charles Yarborough said. “I expect them to be able to push people around and to know where they need to go at all times and kind of help boost the younger guys on the line. If those guys keep going and we can get four or five yards a pop, we can control the ball.”

Bryant has the ability to score at will. Springfield Gardens will look to slow down the game with its ground-and-pound style and make it a slugfest with its physicality.

“They look like they can score very quickly, and they look like they can get a lot of big plays,” Yarborough said. “It’s really on offense, just controlling the ball and making a long game for them and driving down the field.”

Conference 3A

Madison at Stuyvesant, Friday, 6 p.m.

We could have a high-scoring game in Manhattan. Stuyvesant has one of the most talented offensive units in 3A. Isaac Sprung totaled 210 yards of offense and three scores on 12 touches in a 35-14 win over John Jay. Travys Leahy and Tobias Milord both are dangerous weapons for Madison, which defeated Bayside, 36-26, last week.

John Adams at Lehman, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Lehman is looking to insert itself into the playoff race. Running backs Brandon Colon and Julian Ortiz guide a strong ground game. John Adams has been on the wrong side of two close, low-scoring defeats. Aiden Knight-Williams leads the defense, and Jaden Dennison is a terrific wide receiver.

Cardozo at Eagle Academy III (Queens), Sunday, 11 a.m.

The Eagles picked up a statement win over Sheepshead Bay, 19-12, before their bye week. Darnell Rink, a transfer from Holy Trinity, had an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Jaylen Cobb had three sacks. Cardozo likes to pass the ball, and it’ll have to keep Cobb contained to give talented quarterback Colton Fralick time to find playmakers such as Roman Flecha and Xavier Castillo.

Conference 2A

Transit Tech at Beach Channel, Sunday, noon

A clash of 2-0 teams and two elite defenses. Led by Terry McKay, Sharod Griffin and Elijah Raymond, Transit Tech limited Boys and Girls to 14 points and shut out KIPP. Beach Channel has a pair of shutouts. Diego Martinez Capellan had 10 tackles last game, and Michael Shaw had three tackles for loss in a 16-0 win over Jamaica.

Conference 1A

George Washington at Frederick Douglass Academy, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Frederick Douglass Academy possesses one of the highest-scoring offenses in PSAL 1A, averaging nearly 34 points per game during its 3-0 start. Nicolas Bello has 448 passing yards and three touchdowns. It faces a George Washington team that is sitting at 2-1 and just shut down A-Tech in a 16-6 win behind Argenys Lopez’s team-leading six tackles.

Note: Conference 4A is on bye.