Xavier-40; Fordham Prep-14
Spearheaded by their vaunted ground attack, the Knights snapped their three-year losing streak in this annual Thanksgiving tradition…Scoring three touchdowns apiece on the ground was senior, Matthew Geruso, and 11th grader, Andrew Scariano….Geruso, who was awarded Most Valuable Player honors in his final appearance in the Maroon & Blue, rushed for 143 yards and three second-half touchdowns (as well as punched in a successful two-point conversion) to tie his career-high of 20 points (previously set on October 26th in a win over St. Peter’s) in a single outing. His TD runs came from distances of 4, 77, and 32 yards…Scariano, who notched the first three-score effort of his scholastic career, was a major catalyst during the opening moments of the 1st quarter, taking the ball to pay dirt from 60 yards away on Xavier’s first offensive snap of the game and then adding a 1-yard TD plunge (following a Christian Valentino fumble recovery) on their next possession to give the Knights the quick 13-0 edge…Scariano added his third TD of the game in the 3rdquarter on a 2-yarder…Leo DeRisi and Gregory Steffens, both played outstanding on defense, as each created a turnover (DeRisi strip and recovery in the 3rd quarter; Steffens INT in the 4th)…The Rams, which still enjoy a 52-41-4 lead in the series, got their points off of a 7-yard hook-up from Jack Annicelli to Christopher Devine in the 2nd quarter, and a two-yard run (after catching a long pass on a wheel route) by Matthew McKilop in the 4th.
Cardinal Hayes-38; Mount St. Michael Academy-0
Bouncing back from the heartbreak of their last last-second loss in the Catholic State title game less than a week ago, the Cardinals sent the class of 2020 off with a victory, as they made it seven in a row on “Turkey Day” against the Mountaineers….Suiting up in the Cardinal & Gold one last time, Sidiki Kone put his versatility on full display, scoring in 2/3 of the phases of the game by returning a kick-off 60 yards in 1st quarter to break the ice and then later returning a fumble recovery 10 yards to the house for his second touchdown of the opening half…Fellow senior/2019 NYCHSFL AAA title-game defensive MVP, Nicholas Burgess, also turned “D” into “O” during the first half, returning a fumble of his own 20 yards for the touchdown…Sophomore sensation signal caller, Henry Belin, accounted for three total TDs, connecting with Kuno Mendez, on a 55-yard strike in the 1st quarter, using his legs to run for a 10-yard score in the 2nd, and tacking on the final touchdown of the game when he teamed up with Jerald Munoz, on a 17-yard connection.
*= Our gratitude to Cardinal Hayes’ Henry Belin for providing live scoring updates via MaxPreps.