#1 Holy Trinity (9-0) vs. #2 St. John the Baptist (9-1)
When: Saturday November 20th, 2021 @11am
Where: Mitchel Field Athletic Complex 1 Charles Lindbergh Blvd, Uniondale NY 11553
Livestream: Click for Broadcast by Varsity Media
Previous Meeting: 45-21 Holy Trinity on October 3rd (Week 4)
By Matt Diano:
Synopsis: “Beat them? Can anyone even score a point against Holy Trinity?” These seem to be the sentiments shared by many pundits as we are just days away from the All-Long Island collision to seize the first of our three titles being handed out on Saturday at Mitchel Field…For both programs, this weekend represents an opportunity to return to the throne after a bit of a prolonged drought (Holy Trinity last won in 2008; SJB won the “A” hardware in 2013…A storyline that any good Catholic can appreciate, the tale of the tape is shaping up to be a classic David vs. Goliath match-up where in one corner, you have a Green & White [Holy Trinity] behemoth that not only led the entire NYCHSFL (all divisions) in overall points per game (38.7 versus AA-2 opponents), but also featured a defense that would make the ‘76 Steelers, ‘85 Bears, ‘00 Ravens”, etc. envious after surrendering just 39 points all season and pitching SIX (three in a row) shutouts…Lining up against them is a range of Cougars that aside from the one head-to-head in early-October (45-21 HT), have been quite extraordinary in their own regard. Striking to the tune of nearly 37 points per contest (36.7 overall; 36.1 against league competition) and allowing just 12.1 (13.4 in AA-2 appearances), if this was any other season, pitted against most other foes, it would be VERY difficult to doubt this St. John the Baptist team. But alas, the more we watch the Titans, the more convinced we become that we are watching something historic that will not be emulated anytime soon!
When you play the Titans, you don’t need a Defensive Coordinator, you need Paul Revere, if you have any hopes of containing them…Equally lethal in both sky and on land, the element that puts Holy Trinity in a class of its own is the depth that it possesses at the skill positions. Boasting 3-4 capable student-athletes anywhere you look on the field, it is a luxury to know that even if star #1 is having an off afternoon, any number of his teammates can and will deliver without there being a hitch in the collective giddyup…Junior, Zion Woodhull-Trippett (34-for-50, 714 yards, 10 TD hurls; 3 rushing TDs), and 10th grader, Rocco Rainone (32 of 49, 522, 6 TD throws) are 24/7 starting QBs at most other schools on Long Island. However, because both are so potent, they each have been afforded the opportunity to shine, and light up the sky they did in the first meeting with SJB, as they combined to complete 10 of 15 throws for 182 yards and three touchdowns. The former [Woodhull-Trippett] was responsible for 5/8 for 106 and 2 TDs, while the latter was a strong 5/7, 76 yards, 1 TD…Aiding them in their united air raid was the brightest comet in the AA-2 galaxy, Dylan Braithwaite (25 catches for 594 yards, 8 touchdowns), who found himself on the back end of seven of those connections for 154 yards and three scores (all season-highs)… Josiah Brown (16 grabs for 265 yards, 4 TDs), Jayden Simpson (12 snatches for 171 yards, 2 scores), and Cassius Johnson-Stevens (12 catches for 166 yards, 2 TDs) each had one reception for 15, 8, and 5 yards respectively…Andre Kirton (11 receptions for 207 yards, 3 touchdowns) was kept off the stat sheet during the initial clash, but is another prime weapon vertically…Kameron Robbins (75 carries, 786 yards, 10 touchdowns) will be the gentleman that likely gets the bulk of the carries out of the backfield on November 20th, but after their
successes from week #4, do not be surprised if Jameer Reeder (282 yards, 4 touchdowns on 23 carries) and Christopher Bacon (8 yards on four carries w/2 TDs) see some action. Reeder gained 30 yards on five handoffs on October 3rd, while the seldom utilized Bacon was especially effective in goal line scenarios, banging in his only two touchdowns of the fall in the game (finished with 10 yards on 3 attempts)…Reeder (9 tackles), Bacon (3 stops, 2 TFL, 1 sack), Brown (2 tackles, 1 INT) as well as Chad Case (3 stops), and Melan Williams (3 tackles, 1 pick) were all catalysts on “D” in week #4. In fact, Brown turned “D” into “O” when he recorded a 70-yard pick-6!!!…Irv Briggs IV, who registered two stops versus SJB last month, enters with some momentum after earning POTW distinction following a semifinal effort (28-0 over Holy Cross) that saw him credited with three tackles, 2 TFLs, 2 QB hurries, and even a pass break-up! The Titans limited the Knights to just 43 yards of total production last week!
As it pertains to St. John the Baptist, if there is a silver lining that they can cling to and use as motivation, it is that they scored more points (21) against HT this season by themselves then eight other schools did combined!!! The Cougars CAN put points up on the board; they are blessed with the most prolific running back in the entire Catholic League, Mark Anthony Scott (1,484 yards, 18 touchdowns, on 124 carries), not to mention the top passer in AA-2, Kyle Chase (70-for-117, 1,211 yards, 12 touchdowns; also rushed for 5 additional scores) and a pair of elite wide-outs in the persons of Bryce Robinson (25 grabs for 476 yards, 1 touchdown) and Jayson Zeva (20 catches for 355 yards, 5 TDs)…Scott, who is fresh off of one of the finest performances in the history of NY Catholic football (354 yards + 5 touchdowns in the semifinal win over Kennedy Catholic) was quite good during week #4, amassing 145 yards on 22 carries (plus a 90-yard kickoff return to the promised land). As noted in last week’s preview, he has rushed for no fewer than 115 yards in any contest this season in which he took a single hand-off; we don’t expect that trend to change!…Chase, who followed up his best day of the fall (10-for-14, 191 yards, 3 TD throws) in the quarterfinals by connecting on 7 of 13 for 62 yards versus the Gaels, will need to play a cleaner game in the pocket in the rematch with Holy Trinity. During round 1 in October, he hit on just 5 of 13 throws (72 yards) and was intercepted twice. Not known as an individual who looks to take off and run, he did have season-bests of 38 yards and two scores (8 keepers), so perhaps we’ll see more of those legs…Robinson, who presently leads all Double-A-2 receivers in catches and is 2nd in yardage, was held to just one grab by the Titan secondary during the first go-around. But that one reception was for 36 yards, so you can see the potential if they can get the ball to him more frequently. Thus far in the playoffs, he has totaled 5 grabs for 98 yards (2 for 42 in the semis)…There is also much proverbial room to grow for Zeva, whose 5 TD catches puts him in a three-way tie for 2nd among all AA-2 targets (5th in total catches and yardage). He too was limited to just one snatch for 12 yards on October 3rd, but has been on fire of late, hauling in 9 catches for 151 yards in his last three outings (5 for 84, 1 TD in the playoffs)…Sean Dennehy (117 tackles, 6 TFL, 2 fumble recoveries) and Patrick Moloney (117 stops, 10 TFL, 2 caused fumbles), who are tied for the AA-2 lead in tackles (tied for 2nd among all NYCHSFL) will be joined by the usual cast of determined fellows—Elijah Alvarez (85 tackles, 6 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 INTs, 2 forced fumbles), Jason Campo (73 pops), Stephen Charvat (68 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 picks), Patrick Shaw (68 stops, 7 tackles for negative outcomes), Jomarcus Frank (65 tackles, 8 TFL), Robinson (64 stops, 3 interceptions), and River Lewis-McMillan (37 tackles, 2 sacks)—in the mission to slow down their explosive oppositions…Back in week #4, Alvarez led all defenders with 15 tackles/2 TFL, while Dennehy (14) and Shaw (11) were also in double digits. Dennehy is fresh off of a season-high 22 tackle effort in the semis…Robinson, who made 8 stops and had an 
interception versus HT, is one week removed from a banner display, as he racked up 18 tackles and an INT in the semifinal win against KC; Charvat equaled Robinson’s semifinal tallies with his own 18-stop/1-pick demonstration last Saturday; Moloney (8 stops in week 4) was another outstanding contributor in the semis, amassing 15 tackles; Frank (6 tackles, 3 TFLs in two postseason appearances) made three stops in the week 4 loss…Other defensive personnel earning a mention are: Jaylen Daniel (32 tackles), Calogero Rosado (30 stops), Branden Raines (9 tackles), DaJon Clinton (27 pops), Jah’Rece Matthews (30 tackles)…Daniel, who has not done much since injury was among the top tacklers with 11 last month against Trinity; Rosado had six stops versus the Titans in week 4 and has added seven more to his tally in his two playoff outings thus far; Raines’s respect comes after an 8-tackle effort in the semis; Clinton (2 stops in week #4) has turned it on in the postseason, compiling 12 tackles (8 in the semis) between the wins over Spellman and Kennedy; Matthews (3 tackles in game #1 vs. HT) won us over behind a strong (6-tackle) quarterfinal resume!
Best of luck to both teams!