By Matt Diano:
#2 St. John the Baptist (7-1) vs. #7 Cardinal Spellman (2-5)
When: Saturday November 6th, 2021 @2pm
Where: St. John the Baptist HS (1170 Montauk Hwy, West Islip, NY 11795)
Previous Meeting: 49-0 St. John the Baptist on October 23rd (Week #7)
Snynopsis: A rematch from just two weeks ago, even if you subscribe to the “Little Giants” mantra of “one time”, it is hard to rationalize a way that a 49-0 ending can turn around in such a short period of time…What we will say in respect to the Pilots is that this Saturday will not be the first time that they were written off and then made the critics eat a helping of crow. Just two years ago in the “A” title game, they transformed a pair of losses to Kennedy Catholic by an average of 17 points during the regular season into a championship contest that they were within a minute of triumphing. The previous season, they got swept by the Gaels by a margin of 14 points and then beat them when the stakes were highest to win the 2018 hardware. In 2017, they lost to Xaverian twice (including 20-6 in the second game) before rising to the occasion in the finals. The obvious point is that neither Head Coach, William Cawley, nor anyone who has ever worn the Pilot gear knows the meaning of the word “can’t”. Hence, they may win or they may lose, but
they are not going to accept a fate based on the opinion of a pundit…Baptist, who is in the midst of their best season since 2015 (8-2) when they were double-A semifinalists, (losing only to eventual titlist, Xavier), will present quite a bit to chew off though…Potent on both sides of the line of scrimmage, the Cougars, under the tutelage of Philip Alba, put up 28+ points per appearance this year while allowing just 9 per game…Tying their season-high for output with 49, SJB amassed 450 yards of total offense in the week 7 match-up. Lead by senior RB, Mark Anthony Scott (1,005 yards, 11 touchdowns on 94 carries) who rushed for 148 + 2 scores on 10 carries, the Red, Black, and White got tremendous contributions out of Elijah Alvarez (287 yards, 3 TDs on 26 handoffs) and Jason Campo (178 yards, 3 scores, on just 9 attempts) who compiled respective 75 (6 carries) and 65-yard (1 carry for a TD) efforts. Senior gun slinger, Kyle Chase, connected on 4-of-10 throws for 125 yards, which included a TD strike from 32-yards out to junior, Jayson Zeva (1 catch for the TD in the single game; 15 receptions for 271 yards + 4 touchdowns on the year). River McMillan (10 grabs for 123 yards, 2 TDs) ended the day with 2 catches for 29 yards, and 1TD (18-yarder from back-up, Kevin Pilewski). Bryce Robinson, who concluded the year atop the leaderboard in both total catches (20) and receiving yards (85) posted a 3 for 85 performance…Spearheading the shutout (one of two earned by the Baptist defense this fall) was Patrick Moloney (98 stops, 10 TFL, 1 sack), Stephen Charvat (50 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 picks), Jah’Rece Matthew (24 stops), Jomarcus Frank (59 tackles, 5 TFL, 1 sack), as well as the already praised Alvarez (67 stops, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions) and Campo (66 tackles, 1 sack). Moloney was credited with 17 tackles, while Charvat added 15 of his own + a sack and an INT for good measure…Spellman has had some troubles lighting up the scoreboard in 2021 (averaging a little over 11 points per game), but when the machine is running without a cog, it usually means that the man pulling all the strings is senior captain/QB, Aidan Hanley-Piri. An individual who gas refined his craft and improved with each year that has come and gone, #3 has it inside of him to deliver a mind-blowing exhibition…Michael Gierum, Leroy Biyo, Logan Arroyo, Seth Franco, Nicholas Sylvester, and Justin Bailon are a handful of 12th graders that the Pilots will lean on to try to tame the SJB offensive assault…
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#3 Kennedy Catholic (4-4) vs. #6 Xaverian (1-6)
When: Friday November 5th, 2021 @7pm
Where: Kennedy Catholic HS (56 Goldens Bridge Rd, Katonah, NY 10536)
Previous Meeting: 42-7 Kennedy Catholic on October 9th (Week 5)
Synopsis: Another game that on paper looks lopsided, the host Gaels need to be mindful to never underestimate their opponent. Championship weekend participants in both 2018 and 2019, they entered both of those contests as the “smart money” and barely came away with a split against Spellman. If Head Coach, Dominick Tassone, has the team motivated and focused on not looking past their Clipper foes, then there should be a healthy confidence (not cockiness) that permeates from their locker room on Friday night. When the two teams went toe-to-toe not too long ago (week 5), KC dominated the exchange in all facets of the competition, as the offense piled up a season-best 42 points while accumulating balanced totals of 153 yards throwing and 143 yards rushing. Defensively, they allowed Xaverian to gain a mere 86 yards of production (37 in the air, 49 on the ground). If both sides of the line play as extraordinarily in the rematch, it might very well be a rather long and quiet bus ride home to Brooklyn for the always tough and well-coached Xaverian squad…Blessed with the sharpest Swiss Army knife in all of the AA-2 division in the person of junior, Anthony Castaldi (317 yards throwing, 519 yards rushing, 168 yards receiving; 11 total touchdowns), there is
not a hat that the Wappingers Falls resident cannot and has not donned during the season. When these two programs clashed back on 10/9, Castaldi accounted for FOUR touchdowns, as he completed 12-of-15 for 153 yards (2 TDs) in the air, while also cruising to the tune of a 106-yard, 2TD showing on the ground. Isreal Centeno-Johnson (16 catches for 109 yards w/2 TDs) and Nick Duryea (4 receptions for 88 yards, 1 TD) each made three grabs for 40 and 91 yards respectively in the midst of hauling in one score apiece. A terrifying notion for the Clippers is that KC’s top option out of the backfield, sophomore, Chris Kalle (777 yards, 7 touchdowns on 116 handoffs) was relatively inactive on offense but can assert his will at any time if called upon…Nick Mittag (62 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) was the showstopper on “D” for the Gaels, making 11 stops while tacking on a sack and pick. Chris Hutchins (23 tackles, 1 sack) posted a fall-high 7 stops. Evan Bernal (30 tackles, 1 sack) got into the mix with his own 7 stop/2 TFL showing. Nick Calandros (14 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 interception) put up a 4 stop, 1 sack display. Casey Crawford (24 tackles, 4 INTs) was stellar with a five-stop, 2-pick outing. Bobby Piesco (31 tackles, 1 sack) and Mark Theriault (35 tackles, 2 QB bags) joined forces for 8 tackles (3 TFL) and 4 quarterback hurries…On the other sideline, if Xaverian has any hope of reversing their fortune, then they must be a little more accurate in the passing game. In the first meeting, junior QB, Bobby Benoit (29-for-71, 245 yards) hit on only 5-of-15 throws and turned the ball over on four separate occasions. If he can utilize the likes of CJ Manzola (9 receptions for 106 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Charles Torres (6 grabs for 38 yards) more often (they combined for all five grabs) then just giving the Gaels something else to worry about could go a long way towards opening up the running game for Luke Carson (375 yards, 3 scores on 60 carries) or Michael Kenny (218 yards, 1 TD on 35 rushing attempts). Carson, fresh off of a career-high 114-yard effort that earned him POTW acclaim in week 8, does not appear to have played in the early October game. Having him in the line-up is definitely a factor. Kenny was the team’s leading runner in the loss, gaining 28 yards on 9 handoffs…Defensively, freshman, Owen Conti (23 tackles, 2 INTs) had the best showing of his rookie campaign, making 7 stops and picking off a pass. Timothy Wood (21 stops, 3 sacks) emerged with 4 stops and 1 sack. 12th graders, Brendan DiLorenzo (19 tackles) and Christopher Fieramosca (18 stops, 1 sacks) each mustered five tackles each!
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#4 Holy Cross (4-3) vs. #5 Mount St. Michael Academy (2-6)
When: Sunday November 7th, 2021 @1pm
Where: Flushing Memorial Field (149th St. & 25th Ave, Flushing, NY 11354)
Previous Meeting: 26-20 Holy Cross on October 9th (Week 5)
Synopsis: The obvious choice for “Game of the week” in the AA-2 division, when the two schools went head-to-head, the early impression was that it was going to be a fairly routine outing for the Knights. Never trailing in the contest, the Tim Smith lead program held a comfortable 26-6 advantage with under 7:00 remaining in the 4th quarter. But to the credit of the Mountaineers, the war may have been lost, but by continuing to claw away and adding two late touchdowns to draw within 26-20, they surely won a proverbial battle or two in the mental/confidence aspect of the sport. MSMA now knows they can hang with
Holy Cross…Off to a 4-1 start, the schedule bug bit HC a bit at the end of the season as they collided with the top-2 seeds in the bracket (Holy Trinity and St. John the Baptist), dropping both by respective scores of 35-6 and 17-14. Will entering the postseason on a two-game slide shake them? We don’t think so, but it goes without saying that it is always preferable to bring momentum with you into a must-win situation…What Holy Cross may be lacking in mojo, they make up for with a universal, game-changing talent in the persona of Devin Grant. A three-star prospect according to 247 sports, Grant versatility enables him to influence the game on every snap. In meeting #1, he was responsible for 154 yards (52 in the air, 102 on land) and recorded two touchdowns (one passing, one running) while serving as the field general. Defensively, which is regarded as his forte, he notched a third touchdown when he returned one of his pair of INTs to the house for the pick-6. Sophomore RB, Terrance Alexander, was an excellent supplementary piece in the backfield, gaining 40 yards and also finding paydirt once on his spot carries. Nicholas McAloney made two catches, including being on the receiving end of the TD throw from Grant to round out the key personnel on “O”…Sophomore LB, Nicholas Woods topped all Knights with 8 tackles (2 for negative yardage). Terrence Avin was a pest in the secondary, earning three pass-break-ups…For the Mount, junior QB, Luis Ferran (66-for-141, 961, 7 TD passes) shattered all previous appearances, as he chucked for 271 (15-of-35) yards and a pair of touchdowns in the loss. If you remove the two unfortunate interceptions, then this was a banner day for the 11th grader in the #3 shirt. Kameron Wheeler (19 catches for 240 yards, 4 touchdowns), Terrie Francis (16 receptions for 194 yards, 1 TD), Anthony Hernandez (4 grabs for 71 yards), and Hezekiah Hillsman (2 catches for 19 yards, 1 TD) all shined as targets for Ferran. Gaining a modest 17 yards on 16 attempts rushing, for MSMA to advance to the semis, it will be necessary that Tyler Bobe (247 yards, 2 scores on 61 yards) put forth a much better showing. Named as a POTW week in the regular season finale behind a 13-carry, 76-yard, 2-TD affair versus Nazareth, Bobe was held to 8 yards on 8 attempts by the Knight “D”…Tyler Cadienhead (35 tackles, 2 sack), as he has done all season, was the foundation of the defensive unit, logging a team-high 6 stops + 1 sack. Christian Barton (15 tackles, 1 sack), Malique Outlaw-Butler (23 stops), and Gabriel Almodovar (23 tackles) were nipping at his heels in the category with 5,4, and 3 stops apiece. Wheeler registered the first of his two interceptions this fall during the game!
#1 Holy Trinity (8-0) 1st Round Bye