AA Quarterfinal Playoff Preview

By Matt Diano

#1 Holy Trinity (7-1) vs. #8 Kellenberg Memorial (1-7)

When: Sunday November 6th, 2016

Where: Holy Trinity HS

Time: 1pm

The last time they met:

-Holy Trinity won 28-0 on October 22nd…21-0 at the half

-Umari Taylor rushed for 271 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries

-The Titans defense held the Firebirds running attack to only 1 yard, led by Jonathan Brown, Brandon McLaren, and Chretien Brown who recorded seven of HT’s eight tackles for a loss.

-The Holy Trinity secondary held a trio of KMHS quarterbacks to 5-for-21 passing, yielding only 78 yards, and surrendering an interception…Will Corchado was especially effective, making five successful pass defenses

 

 

Synopsis: 

While it could be argued that the Hicksville based Titans were the beneficiaries of a favorable schedule, which allowed them to claim the top spot in the Double-A playoffs, what is not up for debate is the fact that there has not been a more explosive student-athlete this season than their senior running back, Taylor, who has a very strong case to be named the AA Offensive Player of the Year following a swan song campaign that has witnessed him post four 200+ yard games (including two in a row to conclude he regular season) and seven 100+ yard performances….With a deep run in the playoffs, the Freeport resident realistically has an opportunity to reach and exceed the 2,000 yard milestone in 2016.  Currently he is among the leaders on Long Island with 1,593 yards and 19 rushing TDs….While it may be unfair to ask him to match the 270 yards he produced in the first meetings between these programs two weeks ago, the truth is that we are fully anticipating him putting another massive number on the board; this is not because of any inadequacy among the Kellenberg D-line; he just is that unbelievably good.  No matter the opponent, he is consistently the best athlete on the field.

 

Equally troublesome If you are the Firebirds or any other Catholic Double-A foe is that Taylor is hardly a lone wolf within Tony Mascia’s offensive scheme….He clearly is the star and the one who commands the most respect from the media, but despite what we wrote in the season preview, he is not the entirely team….Rather, the #2 and #3 options out of the backfield, Corchado and Jared Williams (also seniors) have combined to run for just under 900 yards and have found the end zone seven times apiece…Therefore, if you put all of your eggs into the “Stop Taylor basket”, one or both of his fellow 12th graders is going to make you pay the price.

 

An underappreciated facet of the Holy Trinity offense is their passing game, captained by senior field general, Matt Ragno….Because the rushing attack has been so deadly this season, there has not been much reason to air the ball out (Ragno only made eight throws on October 22nd).  However, when there has been a need to incorporate a more diverse attack, Ragno has gotten the job done, completing 60 percent of his attempts for 761 yards and 10 touchdowns (versus 0 turnovers)…If KMHS tries to stack the box, don’t be surprised if Ragno teams up with his favorite target, tight end Matthew McCarthy for multiple big gainers.

 

As it pertains to the visiting Marianist school from Uniondale, the validity of the situation is that it has been a frustrating season where the results have not quite added up to the known talent level….On paper, 1-7 suggests that this team is a pushover; that is not and never will be the case….If you look at their roster, you see names like Patrick Leahy (233 yards rushing, 459 yards receiving), Marco Mongelli (29 catches, 592 receiving yards, 7 TD receptions), etc and you immediately come to realize that lack of ability at the skill positions is not a shortcoming.

 

Where is seems that the Firebirds are struggling is in their ability to control either side of the line of scrimmage….Too many times they have given up big runs because they are losing the battle in the trenches…Against a team like HT which features one of the top two-way linemen in McLaren, this is an area that they are really going to need to figure out by the weekend.

 

A second major concern involves the quarterback position as Kellenberg, which was averaging a respectable 22 points/game through six contests, have been shut out over the course of the last eight quarters following the loss of senior signal caller, Joe Grimm….With a healthy Grimm (1,452 passing yards and 10 TD hurls) under center, the chance at an upset would be very much in the conversation (you have to remember that as sophomores, this group of 12th graders emerged from the #6 seed to make the Junior Varsity finals)….But alas, with him on the shelf, a lot of the optimism and faith is compromised….Kellenberg does have the option of promoting future gem in the making, Matthew Sluka (who has been described as every bit as good as Grimm at leading an offense).  But, with the J.V. Firebirds owning the #1 seed in their playoff bracket, it is to be expected that the administration will elect to allow the future studs to finish what they started and go all in for the hardware.

 

 

#2 Christ the King (7-1) vs. #7 Xavier (2-5)

When: Sunday November 6th, 2016

Where: Franklin K. Lane High School

Time: 1pm

The last time they met:

-Christ the King won 24-12 on September 10th

-Demetrius Wilson completed 8 of his 11 attempts for 130 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted three times by the Xavier defense

-Playing without their #1 running back [Siddiq Muhammad], CTK still averaged 5.2 yards/carry, totaling 134 w/a touchdown…Sophomore Andre McGann was the team leader with 83 yards on 9 touches.

-Senior LB Kylon Coombs had two sacks and a fumble recovery while leading the Royals’ defense with nine stops.

-Terrell Jones had a pick-6, intercepting Joe Morelli’s pass attempt and bringing it to the house from 47 yards away.

-The King defense gave Xavier a dose of their own medicine, limiting them to only 1.5 per carry and 51 yards total on the ground….Knights’ top back, Jalen Johnson (who enters the weekend with three straight 100+ yard games on his resume) was kept to only 12 yards on 11 touches during this week #1 match-up.

 

Synopsis: 

If we have said it once, we have said 100s of times, on paper when they play up to their capabilities, we feel that the second-seeded Royals are potentially the best team in New York State…The problem for Coach Jason Brown and company is that too often this season (even in games that they have won) that error free, smooth style of play that they were seeking at the start of the season has not been present…In a way, it is a curse to be as talented and lightning fast across the board as they are, because you learn that more times than not, your natural God-given skills will allow you to win when competing at a level lesser than your best….Make no mistakes about it, If the host Royals put all the pieces together and begin to play flawless (or close to it) football, they are going to be impossible to defeat in the postseason.  After all, in a sport where lower division teams hardly ever get the better of their AAA brethren, King has a victory over Triple-A top-seed St. Anthony’s in a non-league contest.

While they were able to get their revenge during the opening week of the season by doubling-up Xavier without his services, it goes without saying that CTK will be happy to see what Muhammad can do to add to their firepower…The senior tailback, who has is fresh off of being named a CHSFL Player of the Week in the regular season finale, has rushed for 100+ yards in the seven games he has played this season.  There is no doubt that had he been in the line-up earlier this season, the margin of victory may have been more significant.

 

Yet another way in which King could open up a much larger advantage against the defending champions is if the junior signal caller, Wilson, steps up his performance…In his eight starts as an 11th grader, he is posting a ratio of nearly 1:1 in terms of TDs vs. interceptions….When you have a lethal weapon like Tosin Oyekanmi (21 catches, 515 yards, six of the team’s 10 TD receptions) as a primary target, you need to make all of your throws count for something ….Back in week #1, Oyekanmi only had two catches for a modest 19 yards.

 

More than anything, what we love about this CTK squad has been the overall stellar play of their defense (especially the front-four)….When writing the 2016 season preview, we raved about all of the shooting stars the team returned on “O”…What unfortunately got forgotten is that this team is also a defensive juggernaut, giving up only 13 points per game despite playing an ambitious schedule that included victories over Poly Prep and the aforementioned Friars of St. Anthony’s….In both of these wins, the defense showed true grit, making a goal line stand despite playing against the #1 OT in America to defeat the Blue Devils and then the following week, stopping a two-point conversation to knock off STA….Names such as Nick Hunter, Coombs, Randy Pringle, Anthony Lang, Jonathan Coste, Anthony Young, and so forth have all risen to the occasion, making the moniker true that defense may really be the key to King’s title hopes .

 

With regard to Xavier, when thinking about how/what they needed to do to pull the huge upset on Sunday, we actually came back to the realization that there was nothing special that they could do….Much like their 2015 title winning effort, they just need to play their game a little better than they did the first time ….No matter the personnel, if you play for a Chis Stevens coached program, you know that anything and everything starts and ends with solid “D”….The Knights are not a team that is ever going to blow you away on offense; they incorporate a very military style, time of possession dominating ground attack…So, come this weekend, they need to do a little better job winning the line, allowing them to compile a series of 3-4 yard carries….A Muhammad who does not touch the ball is a Muhammad that cannot burn you.  As overly simplistic as they sounds, it is the truth….Xavier needs to make this a single digit game on the scoreboard and hope that they do just enough with the ball in their possession to squeak out a “w”….As noted earlier, Johnson enters on a hot streak and Morelli is no slouch himself on the QB option, as both have surpassed the 500 yard mark this season…King wants to beat you with the 50+ yard play; Xavier’s key to victory is endless quantities of short gain after short gain….King has a fierce defense, but like any group, if they are not able to get off the field, they will wear down like any mortal men.

 

 

#3 Iona Prep (5-3) vs. #6 Fordham Prep (4-4)

When: Sunday November 6th, 2016

Where: Wellington Mara Field on the Campus of Iona Prep

Time: 1pm

The last time they met:

-Iona Prep won 70-20 on October 15th

-Senior QB Michael Apostolopoulos completed 21 of 24 attempts for 416 yards and a career high six TD throws.

-Rodney Samson Jr. needed only 12 touches to compile 167 yards and two scores on the ground…As a team, the Gaels ran for 331 yards and four touchdowns

-Three different receivers surpassed the 100-yard mark, as Michael Degasparis (9 catches, 117 yards, 2 TDs), Johnryan Freeman (5 catches, 149 yards, 1 TD), and Ki’Shyne Shipmon (5 catches, 135 yards, 2 touchdowns) were all outstanding

-Junior PK Rory Naughton went a perfect 10-for-10 on PATs

-In a losing effort, Rams’ WR Will Loffredo caught both of QB Matt Valecce’s TD passes, racking on 170 receiving yards on his six grabs.

-Jose Matos was a bright spot for the FP defense, recording a pair of sacks in an otherwise disappointing afternoon for the unit.

 

Synopsis: 

A match-up that when it went down the first time, we knew there would be major points being thrown up, I don’t think even we thought that the Gaels would put up 70….However, it just happened to be one of those days where it seemed anything that the third seeds from New Rochelle tried, worked to the tune of a big yardage play…While some of it can definitely be attributed to missed tackles and such, it is equally valid to suggest that the Joe Spagnolo inspired offense is just that potent….Averaging a head turning 40 points a game this season (47/contest in their five victories), IP has so many weapons that it is a shame that there is only one football to go around.

 

Following in the tradition of the legendary field generals that have come before him, Apostolopoulos, has routinely lit up opposing secondaries, throwing for over 2,100 yards and 22 touchdowns.  His QB rating of 108.0 ranks among the best in Catholic football, regardless of division….While we cannot envision or ask that he put forth another six TD effort like he did in Mid-October, we are confident that his golden arm will yield multiple scores.

 

On the back end of all of these pinpoint tosses have been a trio of receivers who if they played for other schools would all be #1 options…..Combining for 20 TD snatches, Degasparis (62 receptions, 891 yards, 7 TDs), Freeman (36, 645, and 8 scores), and Shipmon (33, 463, 5 touchdowns) have been so adept at getting open and presenting themselves as targets that there is no way all three can or will be shut down on Sunday…The best that Fordham Prep can hope for is that they contain two and hope the third does not do enough to make a difference.

 

Collectively, the host Gaels are pretty efficient with their ground attack too, as Samson (827 yards and 13 TDs on 96 touches), Shipmon (yes, he does it all; 300 yards on 26 carries), and Lamont McGriff (had his best game of the season when he gained 46 yards on five carries versus the Rams) are all reliable rushers that possess the potential to bring it to the house on any given snap.

 

Changing gears and looking at Fordham Prep’s prospects, it is no secret what needs to happen for the Pete Gorynski coached squad to avenge their previous loss….Because their defense has struggled to stand up against the upper tier teams this season (45 points against Holy Trinity, 70 to Iona Prep, 42 against AAA Chaminade, and 41 against Christ the King), this game needs to be a shootout where both teams are in the high 40s or low 50s and they happen to have the ball last to drive for a winning score.

 

During the preseason, when giving thought to whom we felt might be the biggest challengers to odds-on favorite, CTK, Fordham Prep was admittedly high on our list because of the rapport that junior QB Valecce seems to enjoy on a weekly basis with his endless corps of receiving threats….A returning All-State hurler, Valecce is well on his way to rewriting the CHSFL record book in most categories….This season, he is converting on 60 percent of his throws, has chucked for 2,200 yards, and has 24 TD passes…In six of his eight games as an 11th grader, he has thrown for 3 or more touchdowns, so it need not be said that if he gets into a rhythm, he is more than capable of taking over a game.

 

Like Iona Prep, FP is quite deep at the wide-out position as they their counterpart to Degasparis is none other than the junior, Loffredo, who led all pass catchers with his 170 yards on October 15th….Already a 1,000 yard receiver (1,016) in 2016, Loffredo’s 11 TD reception puts him in a company of his own in the AA division….When the pigskin is not finding its way into the hands of Loffredo, more times than not, it probably is headed in the direction of either Thomas Natkin (28 catches, 481 yards, 4 TDs), Jack O’Neil (17, 264, 1), or extraordinary TE, Liam McHale (5 of his 14 catches have come for TDs).

 

One area where the Rams are going to need to get a better display is in regards to their running game…Senior Justin Otunba (317 yards, 3 scores) has the tools to be a major contributor, but with the exception of one 100-yard performance, has yet to breakout and assert himself as the missing cog….When he played against the Gaels a few weeks ago, he was limited to 23 yards and averaged less than 4 pgc….He is going to be need to be much more impactful this weekend.

 

It’s not very often that we choose to spotlight a kicker, but if by some chance this is a close game down the stretch, it is worth pointing out that there may not be a better kicker in the Catholic League than Patrick Wolff, who nailed a 52-yarder in the loss to IP and then as an encore, connected from 56-yards out the following weekend versus Chaminade….This young man has been so good this season that we are starting to wonder if his range might be as long as his home in Tarrytown; that is pretty much the only spot he is not hit from in his senior campaign.

 

 

#4 St. Joe’s by the Sea (5-3) vs. #5 St. John the Baptist (3-5)

When: Sunday November 6th, 2016

Where: St. Joe’s the Sea High School

Time: 6pm

The last time they met:

-SJS won 36-20 on September 16th

-Senior QB Francis Perry completed 17-of-25 pass attempts, finishing with 259 yards and three TD passes

-Perry also ran for 99 yards and two more scores to conclude the day with 5 touchdowns

-Future Cornell University student-athlete, Dom Anderson, did work on both sides of the field, setting a career high with 200 receiving yards on seven receptions (2 of which were for TDs); on defense, he notched one of the team’s two interceptions in limiting Cougar QB, Will Shaw, to only 80 yards in the air on 6-for-13 passing.

-Despite falling short on the scoreboard, SJB ran for 364 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair of 100-yard efforts from Sean Cavanagh (19 carries for 180 yards and 2 TDs) and Christian Legagneur (19 touches, 133 yards, one score)

 

 

Synopsis: 

One of the most anticipated showdowns of the weekend, despite being a two score margin in September, we are expecting an absolute war this time around as both teams enter the quarterfinal contest with some momentum.

 

For the Mike Corona coached Vikings, who will have the luxury of playing on home soil, they come into Sunday on a three-game winning streak, having knocked off defending Double-A champs, Xavier (21-20), followed by 28-26 and 21-0 victories over St. Francis Prep and Class-A title contender, Xaverian.

 

On the opposite sideline, the Ralph Carusillo guided Cougars have been one of the hottest teams in all of Catholic football during the last four weeks, as they overcame an 0-4 start to 2016 to win three of their final four contests, including a shocking 26-13 triumph over Christ the King two weeks ago…While they were upended in the final week of the regular season, 20-14 in OT against AAA league member, Holy Cross, the West Islip based program has started to belief that yet another semifinal berth is well within their grasp.

 

The parallels between these two programs does not end with just their respective clutch play the past month or so…In addition, whether it is the Sea blue or the Baptist red, both sidelines are going to live and die behind their senior leaders.

 

Perry, who without a shadow of doubt has established himself as one of the top-2 dual-threat QBs in the Catholic League (on par with Cardinal Hayes’ Christian Anderson) demonstrated in the first meeting that if you give him the freedom to do so, he is 100 percent capable of being a one-man show….If John the Baptist hopes to erase the two TD loss during the onset of 2016, they need to do a much better job controlling both aspects of Perry’s game…If he is permitted to exceed 200 and 100 in terms of pass and rushing production, it spells doom for the visiting Cougars.

 

Complementing Perry is three-way standout, Anderson, who is the ultimate game-changer, as his back of tricks allows him to be the leading receiving option (35 catches, 760 yards, 7 TDs), a shutdown defensive back (team highs in INTS and pass defenses with 3 and 4), and an explosive special teamer, averaging 25 yards as a kick returner (1 TD) and recently had a game-clinching field goal block in the “w” over Xavier.

 

For the road team, SJB, everything starts and ends with their power players along the line of scrimmage, Frank Guidice and Patrick Woods….Both named as Preseason top-100 players on Long Island, behind these mountains of young men, the Baptist running attack has been every bit as successful this season as in year’s past when they were perennial semifinalists…Behind the two-headed monster linemen, SJB has compiled nearly 2,300 yards running and 20 TDs, led by Cavanagh’s  totals of 1,119 and 13…. Legagneur (who had his best game of the season when he ran for 133 versus the Vikings) has put up 546 yards and five scores of his own….

Legagneur (43) and Guidice (41) will also be asked to do a lot on the defensive end as the #1 and #3 ranked tacklers on the team are going to be responsible for making sure that Perry does not have another insane performance…Guidice and junior, Raphael Moses, have combined for double digit sacks, with the former tallying five and the latter six…if they can get consistent pressure on Perry, it will increase their team’s chances of advancing tremendously.

Even though both teams do have solid defenses, our gut tells us that similar to the 3/6 game above, this is a battle where the winner will have 30-40 points by the time the final whistle blows….We just feel that there will a plethora of big gainers that leads to points being scored like they are in the Big-12 conference…What makes this game so critical is that we realistically could see whoever emerges going on a Cinderella run that could take them to the final weekend of the year.