Rochester Falcons Off to Strong Start After 56-41 Victory Over Adams

The Falcons scored a 56-41 victory against their first conference opponent and crosstown rival Adams High School tonight.

Two 4-year varsity players and team leaders – Taylor Perry and Paris Pereira – led the Flacons' offense with 22 and 20 points, respectively.

"Anytime these guys beat Adams, it's great for them, but we have to play them two more times, so we need to keep our heads on straight," Rochester head coach John Pleasant said.

Pleasant and Highlanders head coach John Hall have a lot of respect for each other and enjoy the rivalry just as much as the players do.

"I've always had a lot of respect for Adams, and they have one of the best-coached teams in our division," Pleasant said. "They always find a way to be competitive."

The Highlanders kept it close and trailed 30-27 at halftime with senior James Berger leading his team with 17 points and connecting on five 3-pointers.

Although the momentum shifted many times during the game, the Falcons' constant attack on offense proved too much for the Highlanders in the end.

The Falcons (2-1) play next at Detroit Country Day High School against Cody High School on Monday, Dec. 26 at 7 p.m.

Team-building leads to victory

The Falcons have an unprecendented 10 players returning to the varsity squad, including Perry and Pereira.

"Defensively, our guys are further along, and because of the returning core we have been able to put more sets in than we have ever had,” Pleasant said.

“We’re deep this year, so we can go hard for two minutes, and then some other guy will come in and go harder. It brings a lot of energy,” senior Kurt Apostol said.

“Our returners allow for better execution, and we know where guys are going to be at,” Pereira said.

Pleasant said team continuity and chemistry are great, but they're also lucky to have players that make good choices.

The Falcons hang out off the court as well, and they have an interesting pregame ritual.

"Even though it’s probably not a good idea, we go to Pizza Hut before home games,” Pereira said.

"We have 10 returners and four new guys coming in from the JV team that know what it takes, so we like our odds," senior Apostol said.

Apostol is a returning starter that was not part of the offseason training because he was playing football, and Pleasant encourages his players to play other sports in the offseason.

Pleasant is confident in a 10-man rotation, but it also brings up some challenges from a coaching standpoint.

"When you have that many kids who can play, there comes a point where there’s only so many minutes to go around,” Pleasant said.

Eyeing a district championship

The Falcons haven't won a district championship since 1989, and that is their first and foremost goal this season.

“I think in our out-of-league schedule, we play a lot of tough opponents, so I think we should have an edge on our division opponents,” Pereira said.

Pereira and Perry both expect their team to be able to step up and win the district championship.  

"Districts is definitely something we have our eyes on,” Pleasant said.