NYCHSFL Championship Weekend Preview

By Matt Diano: After two months of die-hard, blood, sweat, and tears football, “Championship Saturday” is finally here!!!

While some semifinal games were closer than others, when the smoke cleared, it would be all six of our #1 and #2 seeds that find themselves one step closer on their journey to Titletown.

In the A Division, is third time the charm for Cardinal Spellman as they attempt to avenge a pair of losses in 2015 to Xaverian? After two years of watching other teams celebrate at their expense, is it destiny for the Clippers to finally ascend to the top?

Is it possible for the encore between Christ the King and Xavier to outdo the opening number? After defeating the Knights for the first time in nearly two decades during the regular season, can the top-seeded Royals sweep the series? Does defense really win championships?

After 20-straight victories against downstate Catholic opponents, are the Stepinac Crusaders unbeatable? Can Hayes win a shootout against the top-ranked team in NYS? Will the scoreboard break from all of the points that could be put up collectively?

There is no tomorrow!!! Leave it all out on the field and may the best teams enjoy the spoils!!!

 

A:#1 Xaverian vs. #2 Cardinal Spellman (Saturday November 21st @11 a.m-Mitchel Athletic Complexxaverian

Bridesmaids the last two years in the A Division of the NYCHSFL, all signs this Saturday point at the Clippers and Head Coach, Mike Jioia, hoisting Catholic football hardware for the first time since 2006 when they won the AA title…Xaverian, who has compiled a perfect 7-0 this season against league opponents (38.5 average margin of victory), will be heading into the weekend with all the confidence in the world, having already bested Cardinal Spellman twice this season by respective scores of 36-8 (October 3rd) and 35-0 (November 6th)…The Single-A leaders in both total offense and total defense, the 2015 season has truly had a championship or bust feel to it for the Clippers.   While we hesitate to ever label a championship game as a mismatch, the Blue & Gold have been so dominant in league play that the notion of them losing in the end seems also impossible to grasp.  spellman

Like the well-oiled machine they have been all season long, look for the Clipper rushing attack to completely control the tempo of the game.   In the two previous meetings between our two finalists, Xaverian has been unstoppable on the ground, rushing for an average of 232 yards and scoring nine touchdowns…Spearheading their attack have been seniors, RB-Brandon Peterson (1,015 yards, 15 touchdowns in 2015) and QB- Phil DePaulis (522 yards, 13 touchdowns; has also thrown for 708 yards and 9 TDs this season) who have accounted for seven of those nine rushing scores…If the Peterson/DePaulis duo was not enough to contend with, last weekend in Xaverian’s 41-3 semifinal victory over Kennedy Catholic, it would be another 12th grader, Angelo Spata (averaging 8yds/carry; 4 TDs in 2015) finding the end zone on two separate occasions to show that he too is capable of impacting the game.

Not to be overshadowed on Saturday will be the amazing defensive players for the Clippers. The owners of a 57 percent shutout rate in league games this season (including the previously cited 35-0 over Spellman in the regular season finale), the Clipper D-unit, anchored by a pair of Marinellis—Junior DE, Mike (73 tackles, 9 sacks, 8 TFL) and sophomore DT, Anthony (45 tackles, 19 TFL), as well as a linebacking corps consisting of Robert Massucci (47 tackles), James Baglino (42 stops, 6 sacks, 8 TFL), and Julius Arcano (40 tackles, 2 INTs) have held Spellman to an average of 64.5 yards running and 25 yards passing.

Spellman, who advanced to its first championship weekend since winning it all in 2008, is not without quite a few weapons of their own on the offensive side of the ball…Utilizing a predominantly run-heavy scheme, if the Pilot offensive line can open some holes for the likes of junior, Rodney N’Guessan, and senior, Daijon Jones, then they just might be able to make a game of it on the 21st…Entering the postseason, N’Guessan and Jones combined to run for just under 1,000 yards (989) and 11 scores…Add to the mix an individual like Lenward Williams, who is known mostly for his play on the other side of the ball, but has averaged 8.1/carry in limited usage and if all falls into place, Spellman has to like their chances to, at the very least, keep the score a lot closer than it has been in the past.

 

AA: #1 Christ the King vs. #2 Xavier (Saturday November 21st @2 p.m—Mitchel Athletic Complex

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Widely considered the best game of the season regardless of division, when these two programs met back in Week #6, it was Royals’ senior quarterback, David Navas (1,045 passing yards, 10 TD passes in 2015) connecting with fellow 12th grader, Alex Miranda (17 receptions, 375 yards, 5 TD catches this season) in the last 10 seconds of regulation to give the Queens Village based squad a 21-15 victory, earning them the top-seed in the AA playoffs….Prior to the late heroics from the aforementioned senior leaders, the contest had been as evenly played an affair as you see anywhere in the nation.   If you want proof of just how much of a back-and-forth war the initial showdown was on October 17th, let it be noted that after playing a scoreless opening quarter, the advantage would rotate at the conclusion of each subsequent quarter…King would lead 8-7 at the half, responding to Knights’ senior star running back, Mike Chiarovano’s (1,320 yards, 24 rushing touchdowns this year) 1-yard TD run by hitting a 40-yard TD pass from Navas to junior, Tosin Oyekamni (26 catches, 587 yards, 7 TD receptions)…In the third quarter, the only scoring would come on Chiarovano’s second TD run of the game, as the 5’8, 175-pounder would punch it in from 6-yards out for six and then tack on two more on a successful 2pt conversion…Trailing 15-8 at the start of the 4th, CTK would give the home crowd packed ixaviernto Franklin K. Lane HS something to cheer about in the end, as it would be the Navas/Miranda show in the final 12 minutes, as they hooked up not only on the previously cited game-winner, but also on the game-tying score, with the former finding the latter on a 67-yard bomb with just under 10 minutes remaining on the clock.

Part of what makes this epic rematch so interesting is that it pits the strengths of both teams against one another…Despite receiving season-highs in passing yards (282) and touchdowns hurled (3) on 10-for-15 passing from Navas, Christ the King at its core is a program that prides itself on a rushing attack that averaged 234.1 yards per game (2,341 total) and scored 41 touchdowns on the ground. In the two playoff victories (60-20 over St. Francis Prep; 41-7 over Fordham Prep), 11 of CTK’s 15 TD would be scored on rushes…One reason why the Royals’ running back has been so lethal in 2015 is because of the plethora of weapons from which to choose.   Similar to the end scene of the movie “The Three Amigos” where the townspeople banded together to defeat El Guapo, King is so diversified in their scheme that by the time you know where the shot is coming from, it is already too late because they have broken for big yardage….Last weekend, when they ran for 363 yards and five touchdowns in the semifinals against the FP Rams, four different student-athletes compiled 40 or more yards on limited touches, highlighted by juniors, Siddiq Muhammad (156 on 11 carries, 2 TDs), Elyjah Campbell (59 yards on 5 carries), and Adrian Velez (56 yards on 5 touches, 2 scores)…Making this predicament all the more frightening for opposing defenses is the notion that the three gentlemen cited above only ranked 3rd-5th on the team in production this season…Holding the baton and leading the parade are seniors, Ahmad Fernandez (526 yards on 62 carries, 8 TDs) and Giovanni Paul-Downie (446 yards on 33 attempts, 10 touchdowns)…The season totals of Velez (414 yards, 7 scores), Muhammad (388 yards, 10 TDs), and Campbell (265 yards, 4 touchdowns) suggest that no matter what happens this weekend, CTK will have to be considered the early favorite in 2016 because of this returning firepower.

On the other side of the line of scrimmage is Xavier’s #1 rated run defense, led by a who’s who of hard hitting, shutdown stoppers…Surrendering less than 10 ppg this season, the Knights are so good defensively that in many cases, their goal is not just to contain you, but to dominate you to such an extent that you finish with negative yards on the ground…In fact, one of the reasons why King elected to go to the air during crunch time in Mid-October is because of the struggles they were enduring when trying to run their normal offense (17 yards on 19 attempts, 0 TDs)…Should Xavier succeed in all but negating the Royals’ run game, then all it may take is a slightly better job in pass coverage to swing the edge into their favor…One big confidence booster that they will bring with them on Saturday is the knowledge that they are fresh off of posting a defensive goose-egg (14-0 semifinal victory) against a St. John the Baptist squad (33 points, 400 yards rushing per game) that very much resembles the Royals…Limiting 2014 All-Catholic honorees, Jerome Brooks III (1,473 yards, 17 TDs) and Nicholas Cipolla (1,369, 14 scores) to 100 yards combined, Xavier knows that if they can negate this tandem, then they can erase anything that CTK tries to hit them with on the ground….Making up what appears to be the best and deepest front-7 in all of the NYCHFL are linebackers, Frank Masella (104 tackles, 7.5 TFL; returning All-Catholic selection from a year ago), Rory Kinsella (66 tackles, 6 TFL), Ian Dopsch (42 tackles, 6 hits for a loss, 3 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries), and Matthew Lydon (32 tackles, 5 TFL)…Joining them are the keepers of the ends, Anthony Pugliese (62 tackles, 13 TFL, team-leading 7.5 sacks), Clayton Kendrick-Holmes (51 tackles, 11.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks), and Malik Fisher (44 Tackles, 16 hits for a loss, 3 sacks)…Complementing the big men will be secondary players, Zach Cilmi (80 tackles, 3 INTs), Jack Abbruzzese (46 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 picks), and Guiseppe Orlando (32 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 Interceptions)…Should King opt/be forced to feature their passing game on Saturday, any one of these last three young men could step up and emerge as the difference maker for the Knights.

Ball control and time of possession should be considered paramount to determining who the champions will be when the sun sets on Saturday…King wants the quick-strike, light up the scoreboard type of pace, whereas the Knights will rely on their bread-and-butter pound it out style that chews up clock and wears down opponents…Whomever is better at sticking their game plan will be the ones that enjoy the spoils.

Note: Both program are making their first finals appearances since 2012…That year, Xavier was the AA titlists, defeating John the Baptist, 35-14….Christ the King would settle for runner-up duties in the A division, losing 49-6 to Bishop Ford.

 

AAA: #1 Stepinac vs. #2 Cardinal Hayes (Saturday November 21st @6:30 p.m–Fordham University)

Stepinac League Champions 2014A classic David vs. Goliath match-up, if you were to ask 100 CHSFL fans, 99 would probably tell you that Stepinac is a shoe-in to repeat as AAA champs this weekend….The owners of both the top offense (41.7 ppg) and top defense (12.3/game allowed) in the league, Head Coach, Mike O’Donnell’s NYS #1 ranked program have hardly been tested all season and certainly have not been pushed since the start of the playoffs, advancing to this point behind respective 50-3 and 49-7 wins in the quarter and semifinal rounds over Chaminade and St. Peter’s Boys…By virtue of having already bested Cardinal Hayes by three touchdowns (43-21) on October 10th, Stepinac will also enjoy the mental edge.

Identical to the way in which we described Christ the King’s offensive versatility, the biggest asset that the defending champs from Westchester possess is that they imageare so stacked with natural athletes that they have the luxury more times than not of choosing how they wish to dispose of their foes…Entering Saturday averaging 254 rushing yards/game and 197 passing yards per contest, the question has to be asked, is there actually a way to contain this team? No matter what you attempt to do on defense, Stepinac seems to have the answer….If you decide to drop your linebackers and safeties in an attempt to negate All-State QB candidate, Tyquell Fields (1,922 passing yards, 62.8% completion percentage, 20 TD passes), then Antonio Giannico (717 yards, 8 touchdowns), Malik Crawford (482 yards, 4 TDs), Kobe Miranda (451 yards, 6 TDs), Atrilleon Williams (255 yards on only 12 touches, two scores), as well as Fields himself (432 rushing yards) will all team up to torch you on the ground…God forbid you decide to stack the box; doing so is an open invitation for Fields to feast on secondary by connecting with the likes of Jesse Brown (39 receptions, 478 yards, 6 TD catches), Devante Reid (33 catches, 404 yards, 4 touchdowns receptions), and TJ Morrison (22 catches, 308 yards, 6 scores). Miranda (33 catches, 307 yards, 1 TD reception), along with Kai Clarillo (17 receptions, 298 yards, 2 TDs) further bolster the depth of the passing game.

Interestingly, despite being this offensive juggernaut that steam rolls everything in its path, if you were to ask O’Donnell, he would say that the backbone of this team is what it does on the other side of the ball…The unit is led by a senior cohort consisting of linebackers, Jordan Gunther (97 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries), Dan Negron (71 stops, 3 TFL—missed three games), and Nick Dadario (52 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT); defensive ends Malcolm Koonce (51 tackles, 6 stops for a loss, 7 sacks), Robinson DeLaCruz (48 tackles, 2 sacks); as well as DBs, Jaychar Howell (73 tackles, 1 INT, 7 pass defenses), Crawford (35 tackles, 2 INTs, 6 pass breakups), and Morrison (33 tackles, 3 INTs, 7 defended passes)…Juniors, Louis Blackwell (OLB; 55 tackles, 2 TFL, 3 fumbles caused), Devonte Myles (S; 43 tackles, 5 hits for a loss, 2 caused fumbles), 5 pass break-ups), and Gene Brown (DE: 39 tackles, 5 sacks) are others capable of changing the course of the game with their outstanding play….Striking us as absolutely amazing is the fact that not only does the Stepinac defense keep the opponent off the board, they also have grown quite good at putting up a few 6’s of their own, returning three fumbles (including one against C.H.) and three picks to the house…With the odds stacked against Cardinal Hayes as it is, should the Crusader defense add a few defensive scores to their growing tally, it could spell doom for the school from the Bronx.

Hayes, under the watchful eye of Head Coach, CJ O’Neil, is far from shabby either when the ball is in their possession. #3 in the league in total scoring (32.6/game), on paper, the Cardinals are actually averaging more rushing yards per game, putting up 279.6/contest…Since the playoffs started, that number has continued to rise, with Hayes rushing for 348 yards in a 31-14 quarterfinal win over Holy Cross, and then following it up in the semifinals by accumulating 481 yards and six touchdowns in an electrifying 44-39 victory over St. Anthony’s….Standing on the front line of this charge has been senior running back, Justin Covington, whose 549 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in the 2015 postseason has improved his seasonal totals to 1,489 and 20…Ready to assist Covington if needed on the ground will be junior quarterback , Christian Anderson (436 rushing yards, 3 TDs), and sophomore tailback, Carlos Fernandez (349 yards on the ground, 3 rushing scores)…Anderson is also quite adept with his arm, compiling 1,500 yards passing and 15 touchdowns while tossing the pigskin to the likes of Shameen Jones (6), Dante Rodrigez (5), and Raheem Wilson (5) who have accounted for 16 of their team’s 17 receiving touchdowns this season….For Hayes to have a shot at winning their second title In three years (2013 AA Champs), Covington (46 yards on 14 carries in the first meeting) will need to put early-October behind him and continue this frantic pace he has been on over the course of the past two weekends.

Assuming Covington and the Hayes “O” does manage to put up their fair share of points (which we do expect will happen), another key to pulling the upset will be the effort they receive from their defense…Unlike last week where surrendering 39 points did not come back to bite them in the butt, Hayes cannot allow this game to turn into a track meet…For this reason, the responsibility falls on sack master, Abdoul Kouyate, along with fellow D-lineman Terrell Alexander, defensive back, Timothy Pointdexter, and the rest of the Cardinals’ speedy “D” to play their best game of the year…Contrary to week #5, Stepinac must not be allowed to run for 276 yards, and Fields must not be permitted to complete over 50 percent of his passes…If this game becomes a shootout, then the feeling is that Stepinac may have just one too many bullets in their proverbial holster.

One final intangible that must be taken into consideration is the passion, emotion, and spirit that Cardinal Hayes will surely be feeling as they attempt to win it all in honor of their fallen teammate, Delano Cowan…With his #90 jersey guaranteed to be with them on the field at Fordham University on Saturday, this is not just a title game for the 48 players on the Hayes sideline…There is nothing more noble and cherished than winning in tribute to a friend….Whether it be Bobby Murcer driving in all five of the Yankee runs in their victory over the Baltimore Orioles following the tragic death of captain Thurman Munson, or Bret Favre throwing for 311 yards and four scores In a 41-7 Packer win over the Oakland Raiders the same day his father passed away, history has shown us that when playing in memory of a loved one, magic can and will ensue. Might this higher purpose represent the stone that knocks the giant off his throne?

To check out the League Stat Leaders heading into chmapionship weekend for each division click here.

MSG Varsity will broadcast all 3 Championship Contests Live. Click here to see their live game schedule.

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