Category: Playoffs

Two emphatic statements were made in the nightcap of our championship triple-header….. #1 THE WAIT IS OVER…For first since 2013, the Friars of St. Anthony’s are once again the cream of the crop of the NYCHSFL Triple-A division!!! #2 DANTE TORRES MIGHT BE SUPERHUMAN!!!   Amassing SEVEN total touchdowns in the 48-42 regular season victory on October 1st, the Fordham University bound senior field general almost unthinkably equaled those video game statistics, “settling” for six instead, as he passed for four and ran for an additional two scores as part of the juggernaut from South Huntington dethroning of defending Metro League and Catholic Champion, Iona Prep, by a mind-blowing margin of 50-18!!!   Forced to punt on their initial drive of the evening, we hope that the parents of Dean Lambros managed to snap a few pictures during the, because their son was not on the field very often the rest

BACK-TO-BACK!!!   For the second year in a row, it was a sea of Green & White jerseys celebrating on the field of the Mitchel Athletic Complex, as one removed from earning the AA-2 crown, the Titans of Holy Trinity High School completed the bump in status by hoisting AA-1 hardware following a 20-14 victory over the Moore Catholic in a battle of our top-2 seeds…. Entering the game as the owners of both the top-ranked offense and the #1 rated defense in the division, Head Coach, Kahmal Roy received signature efforts from his superstars on both sides of the line, as they fought back from an early 7-0 deficit (15-play, nearly 8:00 opening drive punctuated by 1-yard QB keeper from Mav’s senior All-State signal caller, John Michalski) by issuing a response in the form of a 17-0 point streak between the 2nd and 3rd quarters… Commencing their rally with approximately

THE FINAL CHAPTER OF THE REDEMPTION STORY HAS BEEN WRITTEN!!!…FROM WORST TO FIRST!!! Congratulations to Head Coach Chris Stevens and his top-seeded Xavier Knights on winning the program’s first NYCHSFL crown since 2015 behind a dramatic 29-22 victory over #2 Mount St. Michael Academy, in the AA-2 title contest!! The owners of a 1-8 record a season ago, the gentlemen in the Maroon & Blue booked their reservation to the penthouse when in the last :25 seconds of the 4th quarter, it was senior QB/2B, Shane Zaletosky, breaking a 22-22 deadlock when he called his own number on a 2-yard plunge across the goal line for his third rushing touchdown of the day (division-leading 15th of the year)…   The game-winning short distance trek by the Manhattan resident was set up by one of, if not the biggest special teams plays of the year, as Gavin Gallagher had a 58-yard kick-off

Article by Matt Diano #1 St. Anthony’s (9-1) vs. #2 Iona Prep (9-2) When: Saturday November 19th, 2022 @5pm Where: Mitchel Athletic Complex (1 Charles Lindbergh Blvd, Uniondale, NY 11553) Previous Meeting: 48-42 St. Anthony’s on October 1st (Week #4)   How St. Anthony’s Got Here: Propelled by what might be their greatest assortment of offensive talent in the storied history of the Friar program, the 14x NYCHSFL AAA titlists out of South Huntington have been treating the home audience to an absolute spectacle rivaled by nothing, including the Rockettes….A balanced attack that is nearly impossible to slow down, in two postseason outings thus far, the Black & Gold machine has amassed 98 points and collected 1,098 yards of total yardage….A tale of two different ways to “skin a cat”, in STA’s quarterfinal victory (57-42 over Christ the King), it was the passing game (369 yards/5TDs in the air vs.

Article by Matt Diano #1 Holy Trinity (8-1) vs. #2 Moore Catholic (9-2) When: Saturday November 19th, 2022 @2pm Where: Mitchel Athletic Complex (1 Charles Lindbergh Blvd, Uniondale, NY 11553) Previous Meeting: 21-14 Holy Trinity on October 16th (Week #6)   How Holy Trinity Got Here: Receiving the bye into the semifinal round after earning the top line on the AA-1 bracket, the Titans looked the part of a defending NYCHSFL champion in both sides of the ball in their 28-7 victory over the Rams of Fordham Prep…The owners of both the #1 offense and the top-rated defense in the division, the Hicksville based program was able to score on both ends of the line, thanks in large part to the contributions of junior QB, Rocco Rainone, sophomore RB/LB, Devon Gonzalez, and junior WR/DB, Jayden Simpson….Responsible for all four of their team’s touchdowns in one capacity or another, Rainone registered

Article by Matt Diano #1 Xavier (6-2) vs. #2 Mount St. Michael Academy (6-4) When: Saturday November 19th, 2022 @11am Where: Mitchel Athletic Complex (1 Charles Lindbergh Blvd, Uniondale, NY 11553) Previous Meeting: “First Meeting of 2022”   How Xavier Got Here: In their lone appearance of the 2022 AA-2 playoffs, the Chris Stevens-mentored Knights did what they do best; they pounded the ball on the ground to the tune of a cumulative sum of 422 yards and SIX touchdowns in their 48-7 semifinal victory over fourth-seeded Kennedy Catholic…As has been true every step (or should we say, yard, of the way), the bedrock of the land attack was waged by the three-headed beast known by the names—Shane Zaletofsky, Gavin Gallagher, and Mehdi Merah, who rushed for respective totals of 156 (16 carries), 151 (5 attempts), and 78 (8 hand-offs) yards….Zaletoskly led all scorers with three touchdowns, while Gallagher struck

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Article by Matt Diano #1 Xavier (5-2) vs. #4 Kennedy Catholic (3-6) When: Saturday November 12th, 2022 @7:30pm Where: Aviator Sports Complex (3159 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11234) Previous Meeting: 26-6 Xavier on September 23rd (Week #3)   Synopsis: The storybook basement to penthouse tale this season for the Knights of Xavier, in one year’s time, the program has transformed from a 1-8 record to finding themselves on the top line of the AA-2 playoff landscape… As they look to take that another step towards their first NYCHSFL finals appearance since 2018, they do so with the confidence and knowledge that thus far they have been successful in steamrolling all double-A-2 nemeses thus far, including a 26-6 victory during week #3 over this very same Gael cohort that will be determined to deny them of a fourth trip to ‘ship weekend since 2012 (runners-up in ‘12 & ‘18; Champs in

Article by Matt Diano #1 Holy Trinity (7-1) vs. #5 Fordham Prep (4-5) When: Saturday November 12th, 2022 @1pm Where: Holy Trinity HS Campus (98 Cherry Ln, Hicksville, NY 11801) Previous Meeting: 39-0 Holy Trinity on October 1st (Week #4)   Synopsis: Their 19-game winning streak ended the last time they stepped foot on the gridiron, the 2021 NYCHSFL AA-2 champs out of Hicksville [Holy Trinity] return to the field for the first time in two weeks following a double bye in week 8 and the quarterfinal round… The owners of both the most prolific offense and the stoutest defense in AA-1 this fall, to many, the Titans advancement to title weekend has been viewed as something of a formality, as the program has gone the better part of the past two years untested by their peers…In fact, to put into perspective how dominant the “Green Wave” has been in

Article by Matt Diano #1 St. Anthony’s (8-1) vs. #4 Chaminade (5-4) When: Saturday November 12th, 2022 @7pm—–NOTE: Date Change Where: Cy Donnelly Field on the St. Anthony’s Campus (275 Wolf Hill Rd, Melville, NY 11747) Previous Meeting: 35-10 St. Anthony’s on September 9th (Week #1)   Synopsis: After yet another absolutely explosive showing in their quarterfinal victory (57-42 over Christ the King), if you are Friars’ Head Coach, Joe Minucci, and staff, you have to be asking herself, “Can anybody stop our offense in 2022?”….Establishing a new season-best in the points’ column in the playoff triumph over the Royals, the top-seeds out of Suffolk were able to accumulate 531 yards of total production, with five different student-athletes combining to register seven touchdowns to deliver the opening-round dub…Senior, QB, Dante Torres, was darn-near perfect in the game, completing 19 of 20 attempts in the air for 369 yards and 5