By Matt Diano:
#1 Iona Prep (8-1) vs. #4 St. Anthony’s (6-3)
When: Saturday November 13th, 2021 @1pm
Where: Wellington T. Mara Field on the campus of Iona Prep (255 Wilmot Rd, New Rochelle, NY 10804)
Previous Meeting: 35-34 Iona Prep on October 22nd (Week #7)
Synopsis: The rematch that everyone wanted has now come to fruition! An instant classic that has to be among the best football games we have ever seen at any level of the sport, the difference between sweet victory and sour defeat on Friday October 22nd was a mere couple of yards. After seeing their 27-7 first half lead wiped away, the host Friars had an opportunity to steal the “w” in the closing seconds, as they completed a Hail Mary just short of the goal line and desperately tried to muscle their way in, only to fall just short of the miracle!!! Conjuring up memories of Super Bowl XXXIV (Rams vs. Titans), the biggest victors at the stadium last month were the fans in attendance that got to witness such stellar play from the student-athletes on both sidelines…As we ready ourselves for round #2, we do so with a firm expectation that the sequel is going to be every bit the war that the original produced!
The top-seeded Gaels, who also happen to be the #1 ranked team in the entire Empire State per MaxPreps, enjoyed the luxury of receiving a bye in last week’s quarterfinal round. Hence, they are going to step onto their home turf healthy, recharged, and determined to take the next step towards the title they feel they would have claimed had COVID not compromised the 2020 campaign…A program that went pretty much unchallenged (aside from the first match-up with STA) for most of the fall, Iona Prep is easily the most well-balanced team on both sides of the ball. The owners of the #3 offense and the #2 defense among triple-A playoff contenders, anywhere you look, you are destined to find a superstar wearing Maroon & Gold…The offense is anchored by the second-ranked, in-state, dual-threat QB in the class of 2023, Ajani Sheppard. Boosting a league leading total of 26 touchdowns in his junior season at the helm, the Bronx resident has amassed an incredible 2,604 yards of production this season, throwing for 1,856 and 16 touchdowns (133 of 197 in the air), while tacking on an additional 748 yards and 10 more scores (98 carries) with his legs. During the week #7 affair, Sheppard was potent with all limbs, as he completed 18 of 25 attempts for 214 yards and rushed for 182 +2 TDs on 26 keepers. It was his 9-yard TD run late in the 4th quarter that handed IP their first advantage of the night…Complementing their heralded signal caller is a group of gentlemen that just might be the best overall pass-catching corps in NYS—Justin Joly (48 catches, 848 yards, 7 touchdowns), Mike Ryan (30 grabs for 336 yards, 2 scores), and Michael Senatore (20 receptions for 302 yards, 4 TDs). Joly, the University of Delaware commit, posted a game-high nine catches for 100 yards when the two teams hooked up last month; Ryan was not far behind, making 5 grabs for 64 yards…While the offensive game plan seems to focus on air>land, on those occasions where Sheppard neither throws, nor calls his own number, Iona Prep will rely on 11th graders—Zyian Moultrie-Goddard (298 yards and 8 scores on 37 attempts) and Colin O’Garro (240 yards, 1 TD on 46 carries) to get the job done. The former has shown himself to be a short-yardage/red zone wizard (scored twice on runs of 14 and 1 versus the Friars), whereas the latter is more of the traditional, every down RB (46 yards on 11 carries during the initial showdown)….Moultie-Goddard (rated a 3-star), Darryl Reaves, Scot Mackie, and Kaloni McIntyre headline a fierce group of linebackers, while sophomore sensation, Ellis Robinson IV (the #4 overall prospect in the class of 2024) is the focal point of a secondary that also features talented youngsters—Terron Johnson, Kieran Connolly, and Terrence Walden (had an INT late in the 4th that set up the go-ahead TD)…Capri Martin, Christopher Foster, Jaylin Hicks, and Anthony Turner just some of the names that make the DL stout!
The visitors from South Huntington are not too shabby themselves on either side of the ball either. 
In fact, other than a few letdowns in the 4th quarters of their games against Stepinac and Iona Prep, there were definite moments of the 2021 fall that St. Anthony’s looked like it might be the class of NYCHSFL…As noted above, the Black & Gold were the only opponent able to put a serious scare into the Gaels; and they succeeded in doing that by lighting up the scoreboard and the stat sheet to the tune of 34 points (most surrendered by the IP defense) and racking up 482 yards of production…Lethal in the air during chapter 1 of this two-part saga, Dante Torres connected on 21 of his 42 tosses for 313 yards and four touchdowns (hitting six different targets)…Perhaps the only team that comes close to equaling the depth possessed by their foes out wide, as suggested in the parenthesis, there is no shortage of individuals that can beat you with their hands for STA. Sophomore, Korey Duff Jr., who we will continue to tout as a future power-5 conference player was the person who came down with the ball on that last-ditch bomb to end his night with a 6-grab, 124-yard, 1 TD affair. Kenyon Miles, who would be the #1 option on almost any other team on LI, if not New York State, had his own 5-reception, 53-yard, 1-TD showing. Tim Longo, seems to play his finest when the spotlight is brightest, as his two top efforts (both for 5 receptions) this season occurred versus Iona Prep and then again last week in the 42-28 quarterfinal win over Cardinal Hayes. Longo concluded the loss to IP with a career-high 118 yards (plus 1 TD). Alex Celeiro, who made two snatches for 23 yards last month, enters with momentum after a 3-catch, 41-yard display in the quarters. Darius Morant recorded a 45-yard TD on his lone catch of the evening and is always dangerous when the pigskin finds him (either as a runner taking handoffs or a pass-catcher out of the backfield)…Speaking of the St. Anthony’s ground attack, Morant is just 1/3 of a trident that showcases both power and speed. In the first match-up, Frank Ruta (10 carries for 75 yards, 1 TD) and Joshua Escobar (9 attempts for 85 yards) accounted for 160 of the Friars’ 169 yards rushing. Ruta is also fresh off of the best game of his scholastic tenure, as his 102-yard, 4-TD exhibition earned him POTW distinction in this week’s quarterfinal edition of the list…Defensively, Andrew Bardak simply did Andrew Bardak things, ending week #7 with 15 total stops, 4 TFLs, and a pair of sacks. D-Back, Michael Leo was also quite strong in the losing effort, compiling 7 tackles (2 for negative outcomes) and a sack. Shawn McCabe had one of his top performances of his swan song on 10/22, ending with 7 stops, 2 TFLs, and a sack. Look for Antonio Testa and Michael Maguire to show up big this Saturday. Combining for just four tackles between themselves against Iona Prep previously, both will be riding the adrenaline push of outstanding quarterfinal outings (Tesla with 3 sacks; Maguirre with a strip sack that set up what became the deciding TD).
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#2 Monsignor Farrell (7-2) vs. #3 Archbishop Stepinac (7-3)
When: Saturday November 13th, 2021 @5pm
Where: Monsignor Farrell High School (2900 Amboy Rd, Staten Island, NY 10306)
Previous Meeting: “Did not Meet This Season”
Synopsis: A classic tale of the “unstoppable force” clashing with the “immovable object”, our second semifinal on Saturday will pit a Stepinac offense that averaged 35+ points per game this season against a Farrell “D” that allowed a Triple-A low of 14 points per appearance thus far in the fall…Phrased another way, it would suffice to state that the higher the score, the more the pace will favor the lower-seeded Crusaders!…Farrell does have the artillery to compete in a shootout, but their best bet is to try to make it an old school battle of blood, guts, and toughness, where 14-20 points is enough to come away with the dub. If the evening of November 13th transforms into a track meet, our gut just tells us that the slightly faster/more athletic cohort from White Plains gets the tall end of the proverbial exchange!
Farrell, who we noted in our quarterfinal preview, is seeking their first trip to title weekend in over two decades, has the added pressure of overcoming the unusual predicament of entering as the higher-seed, but still being regarded by pundits as the underdogs…Because it was tiebreaker criteria and not head-to-head wins that landed them above both Stepinac (four-time champs, 2x runners-up since 2014) and St. Anthony’s, there remains that unspoken notion that despite having the superior winning percentage and the home field advantage, that the Lions are somehow a notch below the upper echelon programs in the AAA division. Hence, this weekend will not just be about securing a berth in the league finals; it will have the added bonus of presenting the gents from Staten Island with an opportunity to silence the doubters and confirm that they are every bit deserving of that #2 that accompanies their name…At the forefront of this mission to have “respect put on their school” will be the “flash”, junior RB, Messiah Burch. A standout whose presence in the MF backfield is worth the price of gold, the 11th grader has been on fire of late, as he followed up a 4TD/POTW showing in the regular season finale by striking for three more scores (2 rushing, 1 receiving) in the 37-7 quarterfinal victory against Christ the King. Between week 8 and the first round of the postseason, #4 has run for 372 yards and SIX touchdowns. If he stays hot, then it could mean trouble for the Crusaders…Sophomore QB, Christian Pinto, is off to an impressive start in the playoffs to boot, as he established new career-bests in yardage (222) and TD tosses (3) last week In the triumph over the Royals…The senior WR duo of Frank Esposito (2 grabs for 95 yards) and Mateo Bravata (2 catches for 65 yards) were on the back end of two long TD connections from Pinto and figure to be his top-2 weapons in the aerial raid in the semis…Tasked with containing, if not shutting down, the famed STEP juggernaut will be a defense anchored by the familiar faces of Paul Ventura (5 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 hurry), Joseph Badyna (6 stops, 1 sack, 1 hurry), Jameson Sessa (3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 hurry), Aaron Espinet (6 stops), Chris Booras (team-high seven tackles), and Justin Guzman (4 stops, 1 INT, 1 pass break-up) who all turned in incredible bodies of work in the quarters.
While advancing to the semifinals is never a minor feat to be taken for granted, as it pertains to
Stepinac, it has become so matter of fact and routine, that it likely has the appeal of brushing your teeth or taking out the trash…A program that has experienced nothing but title appearances/league supremacy for 7-8 consecutive years, the actual identities change, but the prototype/model sustains year after year…For ever living legend that comes and then goes, it seems that two or more arrive within short order for Head Coach, Mike O’Donnell; and this 2021 roster is no different…Starting with the man of the hour/current POTW selection, Bryce Davis, and featuring other showstoppers such as James McCauley, Dae’Shawn Allen, Gjok Dedvukaj, Serge Lagardere, and so forth, it is not by accident or fluke that AS has surpassed 40 points on six different occasions this season (including a most recent 42-7 win in the 1/8s against Kellenberg Memorial…Overlooked/undervalued by us in last week’s postseason previews, Davis responded with career-bests of 165 yards and four touchdowns against the Firebirds…McCauley, who as the QB, is accustomed to top billing in write-ups such as these, was equally remarkable, posting a 16-for-23, 200-yard demonstration of precision…Allen (6 grabs for 78 yards, 1 TD reception), Dedvukaj (2 snatches for 47), and Lagardere (3 receptions for 24 yards) did not disappoint either as the trio are consistent in being the best friends a field general ever had. Allen especially (17 catches, 342 yards, 5 TDs as a receiver; 58 yards + 2 more scores on the ground since week #7) has been one of the breakout gems of the 2021 year!!!…Serving as the backbone/foundation of a defense that seems to be peaking for the postseason was Jaylen Johnson (9 stops, 3 TFLs, 2 sacks, Ryan Amos (11 tackles, 3 hits for a loss, 1 sack, 1 hurry), JT Krivinskas (10 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble), Chris DeMartino (8 stops, 1 sack, Isaiah Darby (8 tackles, 1 sack), Jaime Padilla (8 stops, 2 hurries), Wayne Coleman (7 tackles, 1 sack), Jandiel Jimenez (4 stops, 1 sack), John Prince (4 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, one fumble recovery), and Suraj Fong (2 stops, 1 pick). As a united brigade, the Stepinac “D” held KMHS to their second lowest output of the year and enabled them to gain just 235 yards of offense (132 in the sky, 103 on the ground). By time the last horn blared, the Crusaders had collected 11 sacks, 9 TFLs, and induced multiple turnovers!
Editor’s Note: Cumulative season stats for team’s seeded 2nd-7th, can be viewed if you refer to the quarterfinal previews….Because all #1 seeds had byes last week, their statistical totals are referenced in this article