By Matt Diano: The name of the game in week #2 was versatility….Three of the four players honored were two-way performers that made their respective presences known as much on the defensive side of the ball as they did on offense.
In addition, all three of our divisions were represented, giving us the balance that we always seek in preparing this weekly column.
Combining to score 15 touchdowns and create four turnovers , this foursome more than demonstrated that there is much validity in the old saying that there is more than one way to skin cat (or an opponent).
Stephen Lebitsch (Sr.); LB – Kennedy Catholic Gaels
One of the senior leaders on a much improved Gael squad, Lebitsch was a one-man turnover creating machine this past weekend in helping the Somers based school to a 38-14 win over Nazareth Regional….Totaling four solo tackles and one assisted stop, the 5’9 175-pound linebacker forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, and added an interception in doing his part to put that first check in the win column for Kennedy Catholic.
The Hopeful Junction resident is the first “A” player to be honored this season and he is most definitely deserving as the Gael offense built a 20-6 lead at the half and then it was the defensive side of the ball that never allowed the opposing Kingsmen to get back in the game, holding them to only eight points in the second half.
As good as Lebitsch and his teammates were last weekend, they know they will need to be even better when they square off with defending Single-A champs, Xaverian, at home on the 24th.
Gavin Monreale (Sr.); RB/S – Monsignor Farrell Lions
At the rate and skill-level level at which they are playing, the Monsignor Farrell Lions remain on pace to have a POTW honoree every week of the season as they have started the season a perfect for-2-for-2….Two weeks ago, it was the defensive line dominance of Adley Raboy (4 sacks) that won the day….Last Friday, it was another Staten Island senior [Monreale] who was so outstanding that even if his coaches had not nominated him, we still would have found a way to get him his much earned acclaim.
In our preview, we cited the inexperience at the running back position as a potential concern….Now, after watching the 5’10, 170-pounder do his thing two weeks in a row, the ground game is the least of our worries going forward for the Anthony Garofalo mentored cohort.
Just six days removed from an 83 yard, two touchdowns performance in the season opener, Monreale was a proverbial untamable beast last Friday, racking up 244 on 20 carries (12.2/touch) and a trio of 6’s to propel Farrell to a 24-18 victory over returning AAA runners-up, Cardinal Hayes.
A match-up of the #5 (Hayes) and #7 (Farrell) ranked teams in NYC per News 12 Varsity, thanks in large part to Monreale’s refusal to be contained, the game would not be as close as the final score indicated as his touchdown runs from 7, 11, and 26 yard away, coupled with a 46-yard field goal by Paul Inzerillo, gave the host school a 24-6 fourth quarter lead.
When speaking to Staten Island Live about his career night, Monreale, always the modest gentleman, was very quick to deflect the attention off of himself and bestow it onto his offensive linemen—Nick Preza, Ryan Rivera, Noah Lancia, Paul Panettiere, and Matt Kindya.
Also a starting safety on defense, while his effort on “O” is hogging all of the headlines, it is important to note that Monreale was also very steady on the other side of the ball, making three tackles, forcing a fumble, and defending two pass attempts to prevent the always dangerous Cardinals from establishing any momentum until it was too late.
Jalen Johnson (Sr.); RB/FS – Xavier Knights
Like Monreale, it was another ironman, Knight senior Johnson, asserting his will in all areas en route to helping the defend
ing Double-A champions pick up what Head Coach, Chris Stevens called, “an important rebound win that put the 2016 season back in the right direction,” 33-8 over St. Francis Prep
Named a team captain prior to the game in recognition of his excellent play in week #1 when he scored all 12 of Xavier’s points (one rushing, the other an INT return) in a 24-12 reversal of last year’s AA title game against Christ the King, the 5’9, 180-pound Brooklynite continued his work as a master of all trades, scoring in a variety of ways for the second week in a row.
As a running back, Johnson rushed for an average of 7.3 yards per carry, accumulating 73 yards and one touchdown as part of an ensemble that totaled 176 yards and three scores.
From the secondary, he made seven tackles, forced a fumble, and was an integral part of a collective defensive effort that held the Terrier offense scoreless, relinquishing only 23 yards on the ground and 12 in the air before being relieved by the second-string.
Johnson would also return a punt 60 yards for a touchdown on special teams, as he finished the day with 151 yards of total contribution.
By far the most productive of the Knight players early into the 2016 season, Johnson’s two-game totals thus far in his senior season are as follows: 18 tackles, two interceptions, 85 rushing yards, total yardage equaling 264 yards, and four touchdowns scored three different ways.
Atrilleon Williams (Jr.); RB/DB – Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders
Pitted in a match-up between the #1 and #3 ranked teams in the Lower Hudson rankings, “Trill” Williams simply did what he always does….He picked his moments carefully, but when it was time to strike, he did so unapologetically and to the tune of a five score game, captaining the two-time defending AAA League champion/reigning Catholic State Champion Crusaders to their 21st consecutive victory over a downstate Catholic opponent, 42-34 over Iona Prep.
A student-athlete that is so dynamic that he can affect the outcome of a game by possessing the ball only a handful of times, Williams’ quantity of touches did not even reach double digits, but yet, there was not a single moment during a 48-minute contest that he was not the most feared person on either sideline.
Scoring the first of his quintet of TDs by being on the receiving end of a 20-yard pass from junior signal-caller, Michael Nicosia, to give Stepinac a 7-0 lead, Williams seemed to be the person whose number got called whenever Coach Michael O’Donnell needed to flip momentum.
Utilized mostly on offensive as the quarterback in a wild cat scheme, anytime the 6’2, 180-pound NCAA DI prospect (has drawn the attention of Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers among his suitors) was unstoppable anytime he was inside or close to the red zone……Trailing 14-7 midway through the second quarter, Williams put the team on his back and ended the half by logging TD runs from 26 and 4 yards out on back-to-back drives to put the team into the lead (21-14) at the break…He started the third quarter in the same manner in which he concluded the second, capping off a nearly five minute drive by dashing to the corner of the end zone from four yards away for his third rushing TD and fourth overall to increase the Stepinac lead to 28-14.
The “never over till it’s over game” would set the stage for Williams’s fifth and biggest score of the game as Iona Prep (who tied the game at 28 only to fall behind by seven and then try a 2pt point to go for the win) recovered an onside kick with 1:25 remaining in regulation…Needing only to get into field goal range to attempt a game stealing three-pointer, the Gaels were inching closer when on 4th-on-5, Williams stepped in front of a Michael Apostolopoulos pass and cruised 70 yards untouched to emphatically slam that “w” into the record books.