By Matt Diano: Another week, another collection of superstars as the NYCHSFL recognized four more young men from four different schools for their tremendous efforts during the weekend of September 25th-September 27th. Nominated by their coaches and selected by the league for this special consideration for their week #3 performances were:
Rob Regina; WR/DB – Monsignor Farrell Lions
“Excelling in all areas of the game” as was stated by Lions Head Coach, Anthony Garofalo, the 5’9, 175-pound senior [Regina] would be a special teams superstar on Saturday night, responding to a Chaminade second quarter touchdown (made the score 10-7) by taking the ensuing kickoff 90 yards to the promised land to crush any momentum the visiting Flyers may have created, enabling the Lions to emerge with a 31-14 triumph to up their AAA record to 1-1 (2-1 overall)…Regina would also use his strong leg to help Farrell win the field position battle, handling punting duties and as Coach G. phrased it, “got us out of a few jams with outstanding kicks.”…Regina would also turn in a big effort on defense, living up to the hype as a shutdown corner by notching eight tackles and helping to hold opposing quarterback Nick Creenan, to 7-for-19 passing, by contributing three pass breakups…Finally, even though it will not show up on a stat sheet, the three-year varsity starter would also be a major catalyst on offense, as his extraordinary blocking on the perimeter enabled fellow senior, Stephen Viegas, to have his second 200-yard game of 2015 (220 yards on 30 carries).
Jerome Brooks III; RB/CB – St. John the Baptist Diocesan HS Cougars
An honor that could have just as easily gone to his fellow senior teammate, Nicholas Cipolla (who also surpassed the 100-yard mark with 165 yards on 16 carries and two scores), it would be the impact that Brooks III had on defense that ultimately led us to select him as the Cougars’ representative following SJB’s 35-14 AA victory over Kellenberg Memorial High School…Propelling his team to a 14-7 lead at the half when he recovered a fumble and returned it 45 yards for the touchdown midway through the first quarter, Brooks broke the game open on the second drive of the second half, finding a hole and dashing 64 yards for his second TD of the game to make the score 28-7. The resident of Central Islip finished the game with 155 yards on 14 carries, and added 55 yards as a receiver, including a 40-yard catch that came as part of a 15 play drive that culminated with the Cougar’s fifth and final touchdown (Cipolla 5 yard run) of the game…As noted above, the 6’1, 180-pound two-way player would be just as forceful from his spot in the defensive secondary, racking up 11 tackles and neutralizing the Firebird air attack with six pass defenses and his second takeaway of the game via interception…Reflecting on his student-athlete’s prime time performance, Head Coach, Ralph Carusillo had the highest of praise for Brooks III, saying, “Jerome is in the conversation as one of the best players in our league and he made another statement towards that this weekend.”
Matthew Valecce; QB – Fordham Prep Rams
How good was the sensational sophomore this past Sunday? He was so good that he made this list despite playing only one half of football in the Rams’ 34-14 victory over Mount St. Michael Academy…Looking every bit the part of the sniper that he was described as, Valecce would complete 11 of his 14 pass attempts for 205 yards and four touchdowns (to three different receivers) as his team improved to 2-1 this season in the AA division…Standing 6’4, through FP’s first three games, Valecce’s talent has more than matched his stature in terms of height. He has compiled a 71.4% completion percentage and is well on his way to outdoing his frosh campaign that witnessed him toss 17 TD passes. He currently has nine with the majority of the season still left to be contested.
Phil DePaulis; QB – Xaverian Clippers
Italian poet, novelist, and literally critic, Cesare Pavese, once uttered that “We do not remember days; we remember moments.” Never would these wise words prove truer than this past Friday for Xaverian senior quarterback, Phil DePaulis. Competing in the final Homecoming game of his scholastic career, the 6-foot Staten Island native would create a wealth of moments that he will take with him for eternity. Utilizing all of his limbs in leading the Mike Jioia mentored Clippers to a 48-2 victory over visiting St. Dominic’s to improve to 2-0 (2-1 overall) in A Division games, DePaulis would account for 200 of the team’s 336 total yards. On the ground, he would strike for touchdowns runs of 8 and 60 yards as a part of a night that yielded 120 rushing yards in total. From the sky, he would not throw much, but when he did, he made sure it did maximum damage, going 3-for-3 for 80 yards, including touchdown passes of 44 and 25 yards respectively.