Catholic High School Football League

CHSFL College Commitments

• Derek Ferraro C Iona Prep – Rice University
• Jack Doty T Iona Prep – Brown University
• Malkelm Morrison DB/RB Iona Prep – US Military Academy at West Point
• Ki’Shyne Shipmon RB/WR Iona Prep – Pace University
• Johnryan Freeman TE/OLB Iona Prep – Trinity College
• Joseph Colaio-Coppola S Iona Prep – Elon University
• Luke Tobia LB Iona Prep – Ithaca College
• Marlon Ellis OG/DT Iona Prep – SUNY Maritime
• Elijah Jones WR Cardinal Hayes – Boston College
• Antonio Colclough DL Cardinal Hayes – Temple
• Qadir White OL Cardinal Hayes – Syracuse
• Lucan Nunez WR Cardinal Hayes – Sacred Heart
• Randy Brito DB Cardinal Hayes – Sacred Heart
• Robert Javier DB Cardinal Hayes – Towson University
• Chris Simermeyer WR St. Joe’s by the Sea – Pace University
• Matthew Mitchell WR St. Joe’s by the Sea – St. Anselm’s University
• Trill Williams RB/DB Archbishop Stepinac – Syracuse University
• Tyler Winston WR Archbishop Stepinac – University of Albany
• Devante Reid WR/RB Archbishop Stepinac – Trinity College
• Deuce Prince DE Archbishop Stepinac – The Citadel
• David Harris OG Archbishop Stepinac – University of New Haven
• John Kelly LB/TE Monsignor Farrell – US Naval Academy
• Patrick McSweeney WR Monsignor Farrell – Coastal Carolina University
• Ed Longest DL Kennedy Catholic – Ithaca College
• Sean Bryan RB St. Anthony’s – Towson University
• Grayson Cherubino DL St. Anthony’s – Bucknell University
• Julian Chung RB St. Anthony’s – Southern Connecticut State University
• Nicholas Greer DL St. Anthony’s – Stony Brook University
• Michael Leahy OL St. Anthony’s – SUNY Maritime
• Heron Maurisseau WR St. Anthony’s – University of Connecticut
• Philip Plantia DB St. Anthony’s – Bryant University
• Conor Ryan WR St. Anthony’s – Stone Hill College
• Ryan Vahey LB St. Anthony’s – Wagner College
• Rob DeGregorio K St. Anthony’s – Hobart College
• Justin Adames St. Anthony’s – Morrisville State
• Shawn Bendeck LB St. Francis Prep – LIU Post
• Michael Taylor DE/TE Holy Cross – Villanova University
• Christian Mason OL/DL Holy Cross – Alfred University
• Justin Felder RB Holy Cross – Stonehill College
• Maxamillion O’Quinn OL Holy Cross – Stonehill College
• Brendan Orgill TE/DE Holy Cross – Texas Wesleyan
• Michael Palermo RB/LB St. John the Baptist – United States Coast Guard Academy
• Nigel Jarvis RB/DB St. John the Baptist – SUNY Cortland
• Daniel Parker RB/DB St. John the Baptist – Nichols College
• Robert Gray TE/DL St. John the Baptist – Western Connecticut State University
• Thomas Force TE/DB St. John the Baptist – Stevenson University
• Elijah Eddy DL Kellenberg Memorial – Pace University
• Brendan Whitehead OL/DL Kellenberg Memorial – Sacred Heart University

By Matt Diano: For the second weekend in a row, it would be a huge streak of unanswered points that proved to make the difference for Head Coach Mike O’Donnell, and his Archbishop Stepinac squad in propelling them to championship glory…Last Saturday, the Crusaders fought back from an initial 14-0 1^st quarter deficit by putting the next 34 straight points on the board en route to claiming their third NYCHSFL AAA crown in a span of four years, 47-22 over St. Anthony’s….This afternoon, it would be a 26-0 third quarter rally  that not only gave them the lead but also plenty of breathing room as they avenged their 2014 loss (23-10) in the inaugural Catholic State title game by completely overwhelming the defending titlists, Canisius, 49-28.   The triumph on the road (the visiting team remained undefeated, 4-0, in the short history of the contest) closed out the 2017 season for the boys from White Plains with a mark of 10-2.  It also secured them the CHSAA State brass ring for the second time in the past three years (previously won in 2015, beating St. Francis, 42-28), tying them with their nicknamesakes [Canisius] with two apiece.

Trailing 14-9 at the break with their only points in the first 24 minutes coming on a safety on the final play of the first quarter (gang tackle in the end zone by Joey Cappiello, Douglas Simmons, and De’Andre Smith) and then a 75-yard TD dart over the middle on 3^rd-and-5^th from Michael Nicosia to Shawn Harris Jr. less than one minute later (11:09 remaining in the 2^nd quarter), things looked out of sync offensively at the onset of the game for Stepinac.   On multiple series throughout the first two quarters, they demonstrated an ability to move the ball deep into opponent territory, but seemed unable to cap off those drives.   They started off the game by having three of their first four 1^st half possessions end as such: turnover on downs (incomplete pass on 4^th-and-20; holding penalty pushed them out of the red zone), interception by Canisius’ senior CB, Keenan Ollison in the end zone on a throw from inside the 10-yard line), and turnover on downs (incomplete pass intended on 4^th-and-14^th at around opposing 16-yard line).  The only offensive points were recorded on the aforementioned home run hurl to Harris on AS’s third drive.

The second half would be an entirely different story though as points would come in bunches for the Red, White, and Blue army, commencing less than 90 seconds into the third quarter when Nicosia scrambled to buy time and then found a wide open Trill Williams at the Canisius 30-yard line.  With nothing but open space in front of him, the future Syracuse Orangeman did the rest, running untouched to the end zone to complete the 61-yard play and give Stepinac a 16-14 lead that they would never relinquish.

The Stepinac defense having found their groove and forced a punt on Canisius’s first turn with the ball in the 3^rd quarter, the offense made it two productive drives in a row when Malik Grant, who established a new career best on the ground with 130 yards rushing (11 carries) on the afternoon, shot through the middle and cruised 25 yards to the promised land to up the edge to 22-14 (missed XP) with 7:10 left to play in the 3^rd….The scoring trek was set up by the play that preceded it as Nicosia, who was so masterful in his final appearance under center, danced his way to a 15-yard gain on 3^rd-and-long to keep control of the pigskin for his school.

The predicament they faced went from bad to worse for the Rich Robbins guided version of the Crusaders when on 3^rd-and-5, junior tailback, Joe Jamison, paid the price for trying to fight for additional yards as Stepinac 11^th grader defensive back, Tyler DeCrescenzo, ripped “the precious” free and bolted 42 yards for the always valuable defensive touchdown to create further cushion, 29-14, at just under the midway point of the third stanza….The fumble for a touchdown would be one of two takeaways credited to the 5’11, 175-pound Port Chester resident.  In the last four minutes of the 4^th quarter, he showed why you always practice the tip drill, adding an interception (on the STEP 27) to his resume on a ball that was initially knocked into air by Cappiello.

Following a shanked punt that put the ball on the opponent’s 30 yard line, it was the “Jack-of-all trades”, the “Thriller” himself [Williams] scoring his second touchdown of the game when he took a handoff wide, side-stepped a pair of would-be tacklers and tight roped his way 18 yards down the far sideline for the TD with 3:19 remaining in the 3^rd quarter to account for the last six points (another missed PAT) of the game-turning rally.  On the previous play, it was Nicosia on a QB draw up the gut for the other 12 yards of the series.

Canisius, who had been forced to endure the misfortune of being held scoreless for a period of around 20 minutes between the end of the 2^nd quarter and the start of the 4^th, finally got on the board in the second half when the star of the 2016 title contest [313 yards, 5 TD passes in the 50-44 win over Cardinal Hayes], senior field general, Jayce Johnson tossed the first of a pair of touchdown passes to fellow 12^th grader, RJ Brandon, from seven yards away just five seconds into the final quarter of their scholastic careers to briefly keep hope alive by cutting the deficit to 35-21.

That faith would be short-lasting however as Stepinac immediately issued a response when on back-to-back snaps, Grant ran 54 yards to the Canisius 13 and Harris polished off the drive by busting through for the remainder to again make it a three-score margin, 42-21 with only 10:40 unspoken for.

Never an offense in the habit of taking their foot off the gas, Stepinac tacked on one more “6” with 4:49 on the clock, as Williams allowed those in attendance and watching at home to bank just a few more candid memories of his God-given talents when after moving the chains on a 1^st down run on 3^rd-and-12, he made one of the best plays of the season, catching a 21-yard pass while flat on his back (The play was so good that ESPN SportsCenter deemed it #1 in their Top 10 for the day) in the end zone for his second receiving TD, third overall on the day, and seventh score in the past two weekends to make the score 49-21….He also racked up his third interception in the past two games when he won a jump ball early in the 2^nd quarter.

As the clock dipped under 1:00 to go in the 2017 season, Canisius would make the final score a little more respectable as Johnson hooked up with Brandon on a long 50-yard pass….While his career is not ending the way he prayed it would, Johnson should still hold his head mighty high, as even in defeat he put forth a solid showing in his finale, having a hand in all of the Canisius touchdowns…In addition to the two passes to Brandon, he also had deuce touchdown runs from 1-yard out (plunged in on a second effort) for the first score of the game in the 1^st quarter and a 53-yard QB option in the 2^nd that make the score 14-9.

Ending the game with 338 yards on the ground, unsung hero honors have to be bestowed upon the middle of the Stepinac offensive line, who time and time again blew open tunnels for their assortment of backs….While you never want to single out one name or face, let it be known that sophomore guard, Ajani Cornelius, and junior pivot, Shadi Rabadi, whose names were uttered more than sporadically, are going to be massive (in size and significance) towards any repeat ambitions in 2018.   They, along with junior OTs, James Prince and Jonathan Mucciolo are going to be the anchors in the trenches for perhaps the best returning offensive line in the Empire State.

Wrapping up this chapter of their football careers in style were Nicosia, who chucked for 182 yards and three scores (to give him 30 on the year) on 9-for-18 passing, and Williams, who accumulated 141 yards of total offense, running for 66 yards and one TD on eight carries and catch three balls (2 touchdowns) for an additional 75 yards of production…..Harris Jr., who will be back in 2018, also put on a show, scoring one touchdown apiece with his hands and legs and surpassing his living legend teammate [Williams] atop the total production chart with 164 yards (86 rushing on 10 handoffs; 78 receiving on a trio of grabs).

Note:  Special Thanks to News 12 Varsity whose stats we used in this summary

Picture from High School Football America

While no one will disagree that the true meaning of Thanksgiving is a celebration of family, friends, and good fortune, in the NYCHSFL it possesses an equally great purpose; many a time it is the day that we bid a fond fair well to some of our most accomplished and cherished student-athletes.  2017 proved no different as between the 94^th and 75^th anniversaries of the Turkey Bowl games played between Fordham Prep/Xavier and Cardinal Hayes/Mount St. Michael Academy, the downstate Catholic football faithful said goodbye and banked away another afternoon of memories  for six returning All-League players, three of whom earned the distinction of being named All-State during the first three years of their respective careers (Note: many will repeat and fresh faces will surely be added when the 2017 list is released at a later date).

Fordham Prep-28; Xavier-0

Less than a week removed from moving into 2^nd place All-time in career passing yards for a NYS scholastic quarterback (was already top-3 for touchdown passes) after throwing for 400+ in the Double-A finals loss to Kellenberg Memorial, Rams Quarterback, Matt Valecce, got his much deserved happy ending in his final appearance in the Maroon, leading his school to their second consecutive Thanksgiving Day victory over rivals, Xavier.

Without question the most accomplished signal caller to ever play in the NYCHSFL, the future Boston College Eagle would close out this chapter of his bright career on the gridiron ideal fashion, hurling the last four touchdowns of his four-year varsity career to three different receivers to have a hand in just about every point FP put on the board on Thursday morning….This final four bullets brought his season total to an astounding 41 and his career tally to a mind-blowing 112.

Already a two-time All-State honoree (5^th in 2015, 2^nd last season), Valecce is a virtual lock to earn a third straight designation and should very much be in the conversation for both 1^st team honors, as well as the overall State Player of the Year Award.

Needing only three plays to get his team on the board in the opening drive of the contest, Valecce would hit fellow 12^th grader/Ram’s leading receiver entering the game (67 catches), Liam McHale with a 15-yard dart to make the score 7-0….McHale, who should garner some major All-State consideration himself after posting a monster swan song campaign, ends his 2017 season with nine TD grabs.

Losing their top-3 pass catchers to graduation in June, today’s festivities also gave FP the opportunity to take a look at some new talent out wide.   And it appears they have found quite the keeper in the person of junior, Devin Pettus….Credited with just seven snatches and no scores heading into the 2017 finale, the 6’3, 175-pounder had the finest performance of his young career, finding himself on consecutive TD connections between the 1^st and 2^nd quarters to increase the FP lead to 21-0….His first touchdown catch of the season came immediately following a special team’s turnover by Xavier that put the ball on the Knights’ 15-yard line.  On the ensuing snap, Valecce hit him perfectly for the 15-yard strike to make the score 14-0 at the end of the 1^st….Fast-forward to the second quarter and this time the tandem hooked up from 11-yards away to further pad the advantage.

Coming out of the intermission still very much on fire, the 112^th and last score hurled by Valecce would go to the perfect target, as it was his three-year partner in crime/fellow 2016 All-State (3^rd Team) recognized player, Will Loffredo, on the back end of a 38-yarder for his career-best 14^th TD catch of the year…His four-year journey comes to an end with 32 touchdown grabs.

Also donning the Fordham Prep colors for the last time in his career was dominant lineman, Joseph Petti….An All-League pick last year, the 6’6, 295-pound gentle giant (described as a great human being on and off the field) will answer the call to serve his country as he will continue his academic and athletic pursuits as a member of the class of 2022 at the United State Naval Academy.

In a shocking turn of events, the aforementioned three studs will not be the only faces adorning the Rams’ sideline in 2018.   Breaking the news to News 12 Varsity reporter Greg Thompson, FP Head Coach, Pete Gorynski, announced that after 21-seasons at the controls he will not be coming back next year….In his more than two decades at the helm, Gorynski was the architect of two title winning squads, hoisting the Double-A crown in 2011 and the A trophy in 2014…His teams also finished as AA runners-up on two separate occasions, 2006 and this past season.

Cardinal Hayes-44; Mt. St. Michael Academy-16

While it was the 6’4 Valecce serving as the catalyst in the first of our two traditional Holiday showdowns, in the other, the star-power was delivered by one of the shortest in stature, but largest in terms of play-making ability, Hayes senior wide receiver, Lucas Nunez.

Standing just 5’8, the Sacred Heart University commit has been a larger than life presence every time he has stepped onto the field during his three-year Cardinal career. ..The definition of a football magician, the reigning NYS 2^nd Teamer (1500+ yards, 21 TD catches last season), is a threat any time the ball gets into his hands, whether it be as a receiver, a DB, or a return man.  No matter his physical measurements, he ends his high school career toppling all when it comes to being feared by the opposition.

One year removed from having nine grabs, 184 yards, and 1 TD in the Turkey Day victory over the Mountaineers, the future Pioneer would make it wins in a row for Hayes, putting one final exclamation mark on his decorated resume by turning three of his final snatches on the morning into scoring plays, as he personally accounted for 3/5s of super sophomore, Sofian Massoud’s five touchdown passing performance, and was on the back end of 164 of the 10^th grade field general’s 350 ( on 11-for-17 in attempts) yards in the air.

Massoud would partner up with another of the Cardinals heralded senior two-way players when he opened up the scoring approximately 90 seconds into the game, hitting Valecce’s soon-to-be Boston College teammate, Elijah Jones, on a 51-yard TD bomb to give the 2016 AAA Champions the early 8-0 lead….An individual who entered the season having never made the All-League or All-State teams, Jones was so outstanding in areas of the game this season that we fully expect that to challenge when the accolades begin to get bestowed…The TD reception gives him 14 on the year in this capacity to go along with three rushing scores, an INT return a kick return.

The 2017 double-A semifinalists from Murdock Avenue [MSM] would drew even just about 1:00 later when returning All-League defensive back, Marquis Jimenez, put his offensive prowess on display, running 16-yards on a QB draw to knot the score at 8-8.  This was the 11^th time in 2017 he found the end zone with his legs.   He also added four TD passes from under center.

As they had done during the earliest points of the contest, the two squads traded scores before the end of the 1^st quarter with a pair of senior tailbacks inflicting the pain in each case….Putting Hayes back in the lead 15-7 on just his fourth TD run of the year was Nasier Salgado, who found space and broke free from 13-yards out…The Mount would then take their turn and briefly make their guests sweat when a 3-yard TD rush by Tim Brumell (his 7^th of the year) was complemented by a successful two-point conversation to give them the slimmest of edges, 16-15, at the end of 12 minutes.

Unfortunately for the host Mountaineers, any hopes they may have had of snapping the four-year skid in the historic series became quickly dismissed by Nunez, who, as he has done several times prior in the past two seasons, would single-handedly take over the contest in the second quarter, catching touchdown passes of 67, 5, and 84 yards in a span of nine minutes to turn the previously cited 16-15 deficit into a commanding 38-16 lead at the midway point….Most impressive about his two 60+ yard scores were that in both situations, the catch itself was for a modest amount and it was Nunez’s ability to gain major YAC yardage that turned them from singles into home runs…He concludes his senior campaign with 15 receiving TDs, two scores on the ground, as well as a KOR for a touchdown, to barely surpass Jones for the team-lead with 18 total.

Commencing the second half in precisely the same manner in which he started the game, it would take Massoud little to no time at all to continue to add to his school’s lead, throwing his fifth and final TD of the morning to junior WR, Angel Tamarez, early in the 3^rd quarter to round out the scoring the game…The TD snatch by Tamarez, his first touchdown of the season, was the only TD scored by a non-senior between the two schools.

Massoud, who in our preview, we stated might struggle to fill the cleats of Christian Anderson, wraps up his first-year as the starter under center having tossed for more than 3,000 yards and 32 touchdowns….We proudly eat our humble pie after underestimating him and look forward to seeing what he can/will accomplish during the course of the next two seasons in the Cardinal and Gold #10 jersey.

Not getting on the board, but still worthy of recognition is Hayes’ running back, Carlos Fernandez, who if not the injury bug, would have had an incredible senior season…A 2016 All-League selection as a junior, rushing for 753 yards and amassing another 363 as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, while compiling touchdown totals of 10 and 3 in each role, the three-year varsity team member never seemed to be at full strength in his last months as a Cardinal student athlete.  However, even if his body would not allow it to happen for him in 2017, his legacy is never forgotten by those of us blessed to watch him compete.

Port Richmond-14; Moore Catholic-6

In the only remaining game involving a Catholic League team, it would be the Port Richmond Raiders of the PSAL winning a battle for Staten Island bragging rights over last year’s NYCHSFL “A” titlists, the Mavericks of Moore Catholic.

The first appearance by either school on Thanksgiving in over 20 years (per the SI Advance), unlike the two aforementioned games above, this contest was as much about player development and getting an early look at rising varsity talent as it was about ending the 2017 season victorious.

After playing a scoreless opening 12 minutes, it would be Coach, Nick Giannatasio’s Mavs drawing first blood when junior classmen, Vincenzo Scarola and Nicholas Melo, played pitch-and-catch on a 29-yard hurl during the second quarter to put their school up 6-0….This was Scarola’s seventh overall touchdown pass on the year and the first caught by Melo, who per Max Preps, entered having caught just two balls all season for minimum gains.

The MC lead would be short-lived though as the Lou Vesce mentored Raiders offered an immediate response in the form of their own 20+ yard scoring play, as quarterback Elijah Prysock, tossed the first of his two TD passes on the day to fellow 12^th grader, Josiah Bideau, hitting 5’9, 145-pounder from 24-yards out to even the showdown at 6-6.

The two programs stayed deadlocked at 6-6 for the remainder of the opening half and for much of the 3^rd quarter before Prysock struck again with his arm, connecting with another student-athlete taking the final bows of his high school career, Stephen Montgomery, on a 21-yard throw, to give Port Richmond the lead for good, 12-6…Having caught the pass for the TD, Montgomery tacked on the 2pt conversion with his legs to create the final eight point margin.

While today was admittedly about learning and growing for both schools (who combined to win just five games this season), it probably goes without saying that Giannatasio and his staff left the field knowing that a win to close out 2017 was very much attainable….The Mavericks were within inches of seizing momentum at the end of the 1^st half when a 59-yard hurl from Scarola to senior, Tommy Meyers, put the cohort in prime position to go back in front….Unfortunately, Moore’s star running back, sophomore Justin Lacks (back-to-back 1,000+ yard rushing seasons in his two years) would be unable to punch in his 12^th TD of the season, as he got stone-walled on three straight attempts, stranding the pigskin on the opposing 1-yard line and turning the ball over on downs….This was a missed opportunity that ultimately proved to be the downfall for the Mavericks as a five-game drought will now hang over their heads at the onset of 2018.

Note: Special thanks to News 12 Varsity journalists extraordinaire, Greg Thompson and Elio Velez, both of whom were extremely forthcoming and accommodating in providing game insight into the FP/XR and CH/MSM match-ups.  

Mike Tyson was famously quoted as saying that “Everyone has a plan until they get hit”….For the third-seeded Crusaders from Archbishop Stepinac, they would get hit really hard during the opening quarter of the AAA title contest, surrendering a 75-yard punt return [by Friar junior DB, Makai Murphy] and an eight-yard touchdown run by Sean Bryan to trail top-seeded St. Anthony’s 14-0.

However, rather than allow the early damage to dampen their spirits, the Mike O’Donnell mentored program from Westchester would do what true champions always seem to be able to do, they simply brushed themselves off and got back to the work….The result was streak of 34 unanswered points from the second through the 4^th quarters to run away with their third Catholic crown in the past four years, 47-22.

Initiating the two touchdown comeback effort would be senior Quarterback, Michael Nicosia, who completed a 93-yard drive by sneaking in for the last yard to make the score 14-7….Prior to short TD run, it was a pair of screen passes (including a 48-yarder to the 1-yard-line) to fellow 12^th grader, Alex Thomas, that spearheaded the majority of the surge.

Stepinac drew within one (14-13) on their next position when just moments after forcing a Friar punt, Syracuse bound, Trill Williams, turned what looked like a play for minimal gain into a home-run blast, reversing field and out-racing the entire STA secondary for a 56-yard touchdown trek with 5:36 remaining in the opening half.   The extra point attempt would be blocked to keep the boys from South Huntington in the lead.

The Crusaders earned the right to carry the edge into the locker room when they made it three consecutive series with a score when Nicosia hit Junior WR, Sergio Pinto on an eight-yard play-action pass for the touchdown with 41 ticks left in the half…While Pinto was the one credited with the TD, Nicosia did much of the layman’s work in getting Stepinac to that point, as it was his three straight QB draws that advanced the ball inside the 10.

In the second half, the cushion would only continue to grow for Stepinac, when Williams would prove why many consider him the greatest triple-threat in the NYCHSFL, fielding a punt and cruising 73 yards for his second TD of the night to make the score 25-14 (another blocked PAT) with 7:01 still to play in the third stanza.

Having scored first on special teams and then on offense, the only thing left for Williams to do would before the night was over would be to get that ever impressive defensive score….That trifecta play would come less than 1:00 into the 4^th, when he darted in front of a Greg Campisi pass attempt for a 39-yard Pick-6…A successful 2pt conversion throw made the score 33-14.

The bleeding finally stopped with 7:45 remaining in the game when Bryan followed up a long Julien Chung run by finishing off the drive with a 4-yard TD run….Campisi called his own number on a keeper for the 2pt conversion to make it a two-score margin, 33-22.

With 5:56 still to play, the Friars would have the chance to get back in the game, but would see that opportunity squandered when they fumbled a punt return deep in their own zone…A few snaps later, the nail would be hammered into the STA coffin when the man we nicknamed “Thrill” in the press booth, Williams, tacked on his second offensive and 4^th overall touchdown of the night on a 7-yard grab with 3:51 on the clock to make the score 39-22…Nicosia hooked up with Jalen Barger on the 2pt conversion to further put the champagne on ice.

With little left to play for but pride, Williams would deprive the Friars of even that when he closed out his incredible night with a second INT deep in Crusader territory with only 3:20 standing in the way between him and celebrating with his teammates.

While perhaps unnecessary, Stepinac would keep their foot on the throttle until the very final whistle, as Nicosia would team up with Shawn Harris on a 67-yard missile to account for the final tally with just under 3:00 remaining in another electrifying championship weekend.

On a night where he did everything but sell hot dogs at the concession stand, Williams’s 183 yards of total production earned him the Offensive Most Valuable Player….Junior middle linebacker, Kevin Gray (who was a POTW selection during the first meeting between the two schools) put forth a heck of an encore, winning individual honors on the defensive side of the ball.