Akeeme Chavis heard all the talk, but was waiting for a chance to back it up.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound John Adams wide receiver kept being told that he was good enough to play in the PSAL City Championship division, its highest level of competition. The Spartans are in the Bowl Division, one level below. Chavis finally got the chance he was looking for in the 30th Annual Fred Fugazzi Senior Bowl against the best from Staten Island at Port Richmond Sunday afternoon.
“This game gave me a chance to show what I’ve got and how I can play with people in the other division,” he said.
All you needed to see was one play to know what Chavis is all about. August Martin quarterback Thomas Grayer threw a ball deep down the left sideline. A Staten Island defender tried to pull Chavis down backward by his jersey, but he was still able to make the 38-yard catch and stay inbounds.
“He was grabbing me down, but I found a way to stay up and catch the ball,” he said.
The grab set up his 1-yard touchdown reception to help tie the score at 7 right before halftime. Queens went on to hold off Staten Island, 14-13, for its first win in five years.
“I think everyone saw today that he can be up there with the 5s catching,” John Adams and Queens teammate Thaddeus Akkebala said.
Chavis’ teammates and coaches talked about his ability to explode after the catch, sure hands, crisp route running and ability to read defenses well. Queens and Flushing head coach Jim DeSantis called him a Division I talent and an all-city caliber player in the PSAL.
“If he is not the best, he is the second best player on the field every time he takes the field and this week was no different against the best on Staten Island,” he said.
He caught 27 passes for 380 yards and seven touchdowns from sophomore quarterback Daniel Perez for John Adams this season. Chavis added two touchdowns and 282 yards on kick returns. He helped lead the Spartans to an 8-3 record and the No. 2 seed in the Bowl playoffs, where they lost to eventual champion Thomas Jefferson in the semifinals.
“He is just a good football player,” DeSantis said. “If he was at one of the premier schools he would shine and everyone around would know who he is.”
Added Staten Island and Port Richmond coach Lou Vesce: “He is a great player.”
That’s what Chavis was hearing throughout the season. His talent would have made him an impact player at the highest level and he didn’t want to disappoint those who believed in him.
“People were saying that during the whole year,” he said. “I was trying to keep their word.”