Article by Matt Diano
Week #8 (October 28th-29th, 2022)
Dylan Page (Sr.); Two-Way Lineman – Kellenberg Memorial Firebirds
Horace & Harvey Grant (NBA), Daniel & Henrik Sedin (NHL), Mike & Bob Bryan (WTA), Ronde & Tiki Barber (NFL), Morgan & Paul Hamm (U.S. Olympic Gymnastics), Tom & Terry Brands (U.S. Olympic Wrestling), and so forth….
All throughout the history of sports have come miraculous stories of how one “egg” managed to produce two superstars!!…And that notion could not be any more valid than in the case of the 6’7, 290-pound, Cornell bound two-way lineman [Dylan Page] and his twin brother, returning All-Catholic field general, Devin!!!
Both two-year starters and each on his way to the Ivy League next fall (Devin is committed to the University of Pennsylvania), today marks another shared experience as Dylan has officially joined his “splitting image” as a NYCHSFL POTW recipient (Devin has been named twice…Week 8 of the 2021 season; Week #3 of 2022)!!
Like a Bette Midler song (“Wind Beneath my Wings”) about being the one in the shadows that has fostered greatness without the need to command attention and/or praise, the future Big Red student-athlete may be unassuming, but his value in the Firebirds’ 28-6 victory in the regular season finale over 2021 Triple-A runners-up, Monsignor Farrell, was worth more than his weight in (Blue &) Gold!!
On the offensive side of the line of scrimmage, his impeccable passing protection and run blocking from the Right Tackle position paved the way for Kellenberg to rack up 431 yards of production and THREE touchdowns (all on the ground)…
In many situations, the “Twin Magic” was front and center, as Devin not only connected on 15 of his 20 throw attempts for 202 yards, but he also topped all KMHS runners with 136 yards on 19 carries….Fellow seniors—Ethan Cumming and Christopher Moore—registered displays of 75 yards/2 TDs on 11 attempts and 17 yards/1 score on 6 hand-offs to account for the output!!
Defensively, Coach Eric Meisse described Page as the “unsung hero”; in a collective demonstration that saw the Uniondale based program hold their guests from Staten Island to their lowest point total of the fall!!!
Bringing to the table that consummate stout presence that is so imposing that it demands double teams, thus freeing up his teammates—Sean Cannon (10), Jack Ligarzewski (6), and Matthew Watterson (5) to swoop in and pad their stat sheet—Page cumulative impact far exceeds the four stops in which he was credited!
All in all, with Page headlining the OL, the ‘Birds have racked up 3,287 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2022!!!
He has added 28 stops and 3 sacks (tied for the team-lead) on “D”!
As the fifth-seeded Firebirds attempt to advance to the AAA semifinals for the first time since 2000, it goes without saying that the battle in the trenches is going to be a deciding factor when they travel to face Chaminade in the quarterfinals on November 5th!! It need not be said that the KMHS staff is going to lean heavily on their beastly ironman to control both sides of the line!!
Mario Ferraro (Sr.); WR/DB – Moore Catholic Mavericks
As if they were not already pretty darn scary, if there were only element that the Mavericks were not in need of reinforcements, it would be the wide-receiver position….
Already boasting a formidable trio in the persons of Mattias Lighten, Michael Zeh, and Jay’len Johnson to go along with their All-State QB [John Michalski], it seems that the wealth of riches on Merrill Avenue continued to skyrocket last Saturday afternoon in Moore Catholic’s 25-22 triumph over Cardinal Hayes….
On a day where he was one of 15 seniors honored and celebrated by the home crowd, the 6’3, 185-pound two-way player [Ferraro] emerged with the play of the game, as he ignited the MC offense when on their first possession of the 2nd half (trailing 14-8), he beat his man and was on the back end of a 71-yard special delivery from Michalski that gave the Mavs an edge to which they would not relinquish!
The TD haul, which was the first of the year for Ferraro, was the signature play in an altogether outstanding showing that witnessed him establish a new career-best in total receptions (5), while posting the second-best yardage game of his career with 90!!
Peaking at the perfect time of the year, 8 of Ferraro’s 12 total catches this season (233 yards) have come during the past two weeks in victories over St. Francis Prep and the Cardinals!!….The Mavs play the (SFP)Terriers in the quarterfinals on Sunday November 6th; so don’t be surprised if Ferraro repeats or surpasses the 3-catch, 20-yard effort in the 32-10 week #7 win!
Not one to short-change anybody on effort, Ferraro also collected 7 total tackles (1 short of his career-high) and was responsible for inducing a fumble as part of his all-encompassing performance….For the year, he has registered a stat line of the following: 35 stops, 1 sack, 3 pass break-ups)!
Dionis Best (Sr.); RB/LB – St. Francis Prep Terriers
“Best” by name and by performance would be how we’d depict the extraordinary outing put forth by 6’0, 174-pound senior hailing from Brooklyn in St. Francis Prep’s 25-14 regular season finale triumph over the Knights of Holy Cross on October 29th in The Battle of the Boulevard!!!
Falling a single-yard short of matching his career-best of 102 yards (on 9/17 vs. Mount St. Michael Academy), Best “saved his best for last” as he recorded the first multi-TD run game of his scholastic career last Saturday afternoon…
Generating touchdowns on two of his six overall carries (for 101 yards), Best’s signature moment came with 6:48 remaining in the third quarter when he took a misdirection hand-off 57 yards down his own sideline to give SFP their first lead of the afternoon (14-6 after the PAT)…
Less than 2:00 earlier, Best struck for the first of his pair of touchdowns treks when he capitalized off of a Knight turnover (fumble) deep in their own zone by plunging across the goal line from 2-yards away to knot the game at 6-6 with 8:17 to go in 3Q!
The 101 yards, the second century-mark performance of his swan song, raised Best’s yearly accumulation to 559 yards on 50 tries (11.2/per)…The two touchdowns gave him six rushing this year (+1 as a receiver)!!!
Getting into the mix on defense to boot, Best registered three stops to increase his quantity in 2022 to 23!!!
As the Terriers get ready to square off with the heavily-favored Moore Catholic Mavs in the AA-1 quarterfinals, it is imperative that the gentleman in the #14 jersey stay fully locked-in…..When the two programs met in week #7, he was contained to a season-low average of 4.5/carry on 10 attempts (45)….It is of the utmost importance that he shine more fully in the rematch!!