ARTICLE BY MATT DIANO
#1 St. Anthony’s (10-1; Metro) vs. #1 St. Francis (6-3; Monsignor Martin)
When: Wednesday November 30th, 2022 @5pm
Where: Polian Family Field on St. Francis High School Campus(4129 Lake Shore Rd, Hamburg, NY 14075)
Players to Watch (St. Anthony’s)
*Dante Torres (Sr; QB)—-Completed 68% of pass attempts this season (166-for-244) for 3,204 yards and 35 touchdowns; rushed for an additional 474 yards and 11 scores on 65 carries
*Frank Ruta (Sr; RB)—Leading rusher for the Friars this season, having accumulated 876 yards and scored 11 TDs on 105 hand-offs….
*Darius Morant (Sr; RB)—2nd on the team with 651 yards (6 touchdowns) on 117 attempts; is also dangerous out of the backfield as a pass-catcher, having hauled in 12 receptions for 130 yards!
*KJ Duff Jr. (Jr; WR)—Holding scholarship offers from the likes of Rutgers, Syracuse, UConn, etc., the 247Sports 3-star prospect recorded 40 catches for 955 yards and 12 touchdowns in his 11th grade campaign
*Ian Strong (Sr.; WR/Rover)—The rare two-way player for STA, Strong makes a significant impact on both sides of the ball, as he ranked 2nd in all major receiving categories with 28 catches for 773 yards and 10 TD grabs….On defense, he tied for the team-high of 3 interception, while also ranking 3rd in total stops (74)…He is committed to Rutgers!
*Tim Longo (Sr.; WR)—Registered 23 receptions for 398 yards and 4 touchdowns as part of a loaded receiver corps!
*Alex Menghi (Jr.; TE)—Collected 19 catches for 267 yards and 1 touchdown
*Nick Matos (Sr.; WR)—A threat to stretch the field, he averaged 22.4 yards per catch, racking up 404 yards and 5 touchdowns on 18 grabs!
*Carson Ciancuielli (Sr.; OL)—-The senior anchor of the offensive line; the 6’2, 285-pounder starts at LT and has done a banner job of protecting his QB’s blind side for each of the past two seasons!
*Joseph DeChiaro (Sr. LB)—The most active player on the Friar defense; posted a team-best 90 stops in 2022, while also contributing 5 TFLs, 2 sacks, and forcing a pair of fumbles!
*Vincent Spina (Jr.;DB)—Fresh off of being named as the DMVP of the Metro Catholic title game; currently ranks 2nd on STA in both total tackles (86) and QB bags (3)!
*Jayden Platt (Sr.; DB)—totaled 55 tackles and 1 interception in his swan song at CB!
*Preston Carey (Fr.; DT)—The Fab frosh who already has power-5 offers from Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Syracuse, etc….Took an amazing job plugging and/or bringing pressure up the middle….Credited with 53 tackles, 2 TFLs, and a sack in his rookie year!….First freshman to start on the varsity defense in school history!
*Thomas Mackell (Sr.; DL)—Made 52 tackles in 2022, including a team-best of 7 for negative yardage; also led all Friars with 4 sacks!
*Tyler Dunne (Sr.; DL)—Racked up 32 stops and 2 sacks!
*Griffin Goldstein (Sr.; LB/PK)—Stepped into the starting line-up after an injury to a junior teammate [Dante Vardaro]…Has filled those cleats admirably, making 22 total stops and tacking on one sack!!…He also handles placekicking duties and has been extremely consistent throughout his varsity career!
*Jaeden Jenkins (Sr.; DB)—One of two converted WRs that has shined since moving to the othe side of the line of scrimmage….Is fresh off of a downstate title appearance in which he notched a pair of INTs to earn him a tie for the team-lead…He possesses a real talent for creating turnovers as in addition to his interceptions, he also ranks 1st in fumbles induced (2) and recovered fumbles (3)…A pure athlete that will be playing lacrosse for Penn State at the next level!
*Kenyon Miles (Sr.; DB)—The other conversion product, Miles is still regarded as a WR recruit at the college level for Villanova….The Wildcats may rethink that after watching his tape as a CB…He flies to the ball and delivers brutal impact upon contact…In the 2022 NYCHSFL title contest, he had both an INT and a forced fumble…For the year, he was credited with 18 tackles and 2 picks!
Players to Watch (St. Francis)
*Steve Otremba (Sr; QB)—-Between his arm and legs, the multi-year starting field general combined to generate 17 touchdowns, completing 83-of-157 pass attempts for 1,135 yards (11 TD passes), while rushing for another 218 yards and 6 scores on 64 keepers….Had a monster performance in the 2021 State title game, throwing for a season-best 237 yards (19-of-32) in the loss to Iona Prep!
*Ricardo Kidd (Sr.; RB)—The #1 option out of the backfield, as a senior, Kidd ran for 1,228 yards and 10 touchdowns…In last year’s state title game, he gained 45 yards and scored 1 TD on 14 hand-offs!
*Terrence Pendergrass (Jr.; RB/LB)—An impact player on both sides of the ball, he complemented the run game this season by accumulating 604 yards and a team-high 11 touchdowns on 105 attempts…Defensively, he has shown a propensity to make plays in the opposing backfield, as 8 of his 27 stops were TFLs; he also recorded a pair of sacks, 2 hurries, and a forced fumble!
*Logan Reaska (Sr.; TE/DB)—The primary target in the vertical attack, of the 86 total receptions and 11 touchdowns secured by the receivers, the 6’5, 215-pounder was responsible for 30 and 6 (498 yards)….Committed to Harvard, per the defensive stat sheet, Reaska only registered 9 tackles in 2022. In the 2021 State title game, he was among the team-leaders in stops with 7, while also making a pair of receptions for 25 yards on offense!
*Kynan Ulanga (Jr.; WR/DB)—Listed on the Red Raider roster as “athlete”, the 11th grader is the only other member besides Reaska to collect double digit receptions (11 for 99 yards)…More than likely, his value will be more pronounced on “D”, as he enters having racked up 43 tackles, 5 pass break-ups, and an interception…
*Marcus Harrison (Jr.; OL)—A mountain of a gentleman, standing 6’8 and tipping the scales at 295 pounds, the prized OT has garnered interest/offers from Buffalo, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Boston College, and most recently Pitt!
*Teddy Roberts (Jr.; LB)—The top man on the Red Raider totem poll in terms of stops in 2022 (53), Roberts has recorded 4 TFLs, 4 QB hurries, and 6 pass break-ups!
*Balaam Miller (Sr.; DL)—”The furnace” for St. Francis, the 6’4, 260-pounder brings serious heat off the snap…2nd on the team with 50 tackles, he posted leading quantities in the categories of TFLs (10), sacks (3), and QB hurries (6). To boot, he caused a pair of fumbles this fall!…Miller was credited with 7 stops in the ‘21 state finals!
*Brady Greenough (Jr.; LB)—A top-4 tackler in his junior campaign for St. Francis, Greenough amassed 33 stops (3 TFLs), 3 QB hurries, an INT, and a forced fumble this season!
*Shane Giesser (Jr.; DL)—Very versatile lineman that is great at getting his mits on the ball and knocking down passes before they can get to their intended target….Made 29 tackles this fall, and added 2 QB hurries, 1 sack, 6 pass break-ups, and a fumble recovery!
*Dylan Walker (Sr.; CB)—-The statistically best cover corner on the Red Raiders; look for him to match-up with Duff…Recorded a mind-blowing 19 pass break-ups, while also adding an INT, and 26 total tackles!
*Connor Miller (Jr.; LB)—Another member of the vaunted LB corps; Accrued 24 stops (2 TFLs), 1 sack, a forced fumble, and a recovery!…Made 3 tackles in last year’s state finals!
*Ethan Metro (Jr.; LB/DL)—Collected 26 tackles (3 for a loss of yards) and 3 pass break-ups…His length (6’4) is a very potent weapon!
*Jeremiah Neely (Jr.; CB)—Saw action as a sophomore in last year’s state championship, making 2 stops….As a junior, he accumulated 26 tackles and broke up a pair of pass attempts!
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How St. Anthony’s Got Here: Averaging just under 50 points per game (49.3) in their three-game journey to the school’s 15th overall CHSFL crown (1st since 2013), there has been no weak spot for the Friars on offense….Torres was great during the regular season, but has been even more remarkable during the playoffs, as his six TD affair in the win over Iona Prep (14-for-19 passing, 336 yards, 4 TD throwing; 145 yards, 2 rushing TDs) gives him postseason sums of 953 yards/12 touchdowns in the air, as well as 243 yards/5 touchdowns on the ground)…..On the receiving end of all of these missiles has been one of, if not the deepest and most talented wide-out corps in the entire Empire State. Anchored by the towering presence of Junior, Duff Jr, (13 receptions, 336 yards, 4 TD grabs in playoffs). And Rutgers bound senior, Strong (6 catches, 191 yards, 2 TD snatches during the past three weeks), the depth chart goes no fewer than five deep as you can expect Longo (9 receptions, 105 yards, 2 touchdown hauls), Menghi (6 receptions, 79 yards), and Matos (6 catches for 150 yards + 2 touchdowns) to all make noise…Duff is fresh off of a 7-catch, 205-yard, 4-TD grab effort in the Metro title game, while Longo posted a career-highs of 8 grabs/2TD snatches in the quarterfinal victory over Christ the King!….On the ground, the senior duo of Ruta & Morant have each picked their moments to shine during the postseason. Ruta (262 yards, 2 touchdowns on 37 carries in three games) ran for 108 yards versus CTK, and scored one TD apiece in the semis and championship wins over Chaminade and Iona Prep; Morant (199 yards, 1 TD on 38 hand-offs in the playoffs) exploded for a 143-yard/1 TD night in the semis versus the rival Flyers….DeChiaro (28 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack), Spina (21 stops, 1 INT), Strong (27 tackles, 1 INT), Goldstein (17 stops, 1 sack), Platt (17 tackles), Mackell (12 stops, 2 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 INT), Jenkins (11 stops, 2 INTs), Miles (12 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 punt block), and Carey (11 tackles, 1 sack) are part of the resurgence defense that have won the respect of the peanut gallery during the back-half of the 2022 season!!!…
How St. Francis Got Here: For the Red Raiders, it was all about the ground attack in their 56-20 conquering of Canisius in the 2022 Monsignor Martin title contest….Scoring five of their six offensive touchdowns on the ground, Kidd (168 yards on 18 carries) and Pendergrass (74 yards on 13 carries) both recorded a pair, while Otremba (28 yards on 5 keepers) tacked on one with his legs….Playing his own personal game of pitch-and-catch, Otremba also teamed up with Reaska for all sky activity, with all five of his completions (5-for-11, 140 yards, 1 TD) going to his favorite target, highlighted by a 70-yard TD hook-up!!…. Giesser turned defense into offense when he scooped up a loose ball and returned it 47-yards to the house…Pendergrass (7 tackles, 1 sacks, 1 caused fumble), Metro (5 stops, 2 PDs), B. Miller (5 tackles, 1 sack), Kion Ulanga (1 tackle, 5 pass break-ups), Robert Kendall Jr. (4 stops, 1 induced fumble), C. Miller (4 tackles), Andrew Krug (4 stops), etc., were all part of a shutdown ensemble that limited the Crusaders to just 257 yards of total offense, while earning 7 QB hurries, an astounding 14 pass break-ups, and manufacturing two fumbles….
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Synopsis: While you never want to rule out any team, especially when that program is the returning state runners-up, on paper, all signs point at this being an uphill battle for the host Red Raiders…Facing off against Long Island just once during the 2022 campaign, St. Francis dropped a 21-18 contest to NYCHSFL quarterfinalists, Kellenberg Memorial…That loss alone, when coupled with the fact that the Friars rolled through the postseason without ever being in danger adversity tells us that the smart money has to be on the road warriors from South Huntington….Should STF hope to have a chance to win their first state title in their fourth attempt (bridesmaids in ‘15, 18, and ‘21), it will be imperative that they exercise strict ball control/clock management and try to make this a low-scoring finale…Given that the strength of the team is their vaunted ground attack, if they can pound it out and keep the Friar offense on the sidelines, then like they taught us in the “Little Giants”, ‘one time” becomes a definitive possibility….Flipping the dial, if you are coach Minucci and his STA charges, you want to do what you have done all season….LIGHT UP THE SCOREBOARD!! Undefeated against NY opponents in 2022 (their lone loss being to NJ powerhouse, St. Joe’s Regional), there is not a foe that the Black & Gold do not believe they can out-gun if necessary. They are a team that seems to thrive on bringing the fans to their feet…So anticipate contrasting styles where the winner will be the one that is able to force their will onto the opposition!
In seven renditions of this unified title game (started in 2014), Metro enters with a 4-3 advantage, including wins in three of the past four meetings!!! Iona Prep beat St. Francis, 38-22, last November!!!