By Matt Diano: Are you ready for some Playoff football? After eight weeks of battling it out for premier real estate in the standings, our top-8 AA schools will now start anew, with only one program earning the right to call themselves NYCHSFL AA Champions in 2015…Here Is a look at this weekend’s opening round games:
#1 Christ the King vs. #8 St. Francis Prep (Sunday, November 8thth @1pm—Franklin K. Lane HS)
There has definitely been a complete 180 in Middle Village this season as the Royals, who entered the 2014 postseason as a #8 seed (losing in the quarterfinals to eventual champion, Chaminade), now finds itself sitting atop the AA bracket following a perfect 8-0 (7-0 in league) regular season…The league leaders in both total points scored (32.1/game) and fewest points surrendered (10.2), the Jason Brown coached squad has not been tested too often this season…Unfortunately for the opposing St. Francis Prep Terriers (2-6/1-6), we don’t see that changing this weekend…When these two programs met in week #7, it was CTK running away with a 54-14 victory that saw five different Royal players score rushing touchdowns, as they compiled an average of over 22-yards per carry for the game (250 yards on 11 runs). If STFP has any hope of pulling the upset, they are likely going to need to do so by winning a high scoring shootout. One area where the underdogs did have success in the first meeting was in their passing attack as junior, Tyler Simas, completed six of his 10 pass attempts for 104 yards and both of the Terrier scores.
#2 Xavier vs. #7 Kellenberg Memorial (Saturday, November 7thth @7pm—Aviator Sports Complex)
A rematch of last year’s AA quarterfinals (won by Xavier 26-17), both teams find themselves in the exact position they were a year ago, with the Knight’s (7-1/6-1) sitting in the #2 hole, while the Firebirds (3-5/2-5) will try to fight through the bracket from the disadvantageous #7 seed…When these two teams met in Week #5, it was the then visiting program from NYC emerging with a hard fought 36-20 victory led by senior running back, Mike Chiarovano, who posted seasonal highs in yards (291) and touchdowns (5) in single-handedly accounting for just under 90 percent of the team’s scoring…In order for Kellenberg Memorial to win, they must do the seemingly impossible and limit the 5’8, 175-pound tailback from Xavier to only one score, a feat that has not been accomplished since the opening week of the season when Mount St. Michael kept Chiarovano under control…Playing against a stout running stopping defense led by returning All-League representative, Frank Masella, KMHS may very well go the air, where junior signal-caller, Joe Grimm, was able to throw for two second half touchdowns in the losing effort on October 9th…While this contest will almost certainly not be the mismatch that you typically see in 2 vs. 7 match-ups, the validity of the situation is that the Kellenberg junior and senior classes have yet to be able to earn a “w” over Xavier during their scholastic careers. While Saturday would be the perfect time to get revenge, because of track record, the Knights are favored to move onto the semifinal round.
#3 St. John the Baptist Diocesan HS vs. #6 St. Joseph’s by the Sea (Sunday, November 8thth @1pm—SJB High School)
Perhaps the most intriguing game of the weekend in the AA division, these two programs last met in the first week of the season with the Ralph Carusillo led Cougars winning a barn-burner, 20-17 in overtime. Because of how evenly matched the game was on September 12th, a big part of me is tempted to throw out the respective win/loss records (7-1/6-1 for John the Baptist; 3-5/2-5 for the SJS Vikings) and declare this contest a toss-up…SJB, who by far boosts the most lethal ground game in all of the NYCHSFL with an average of just under 390 rushing yards per game will undoubtedly ride with the men who brought them here, the senior tandem of 2014 All-League halfbacks, Jerome Brooks III and Nicholas Cipolla. Both 1,000+ yard rushers in their senior seasons, to keep one of them under 100 yards in a game is impressive, to keep both from reaching the mark is remarkable. However, this is precisely what first-year SJS Head Coach, Mike Corona’s defensive unit was able to do, as they limited Brooks to only 84 yards (his only sub-100 yard game in 2015) and did an even better job of containing Cipolla (35 yards; his lowest total this season). For the Staten Island based school to be in the conversation to even the series up, their run defense will need to be every bit as outstanding in November as it was in September…Offensively, the Vikings will be pinning their hopes on dual-threat quarterback, Francis Perry…The 6’0, 160-pound junior has thrown for 924 yards and ran for another 673, as he has an even split of his 14 (7 passing, 7 rushing) total touchdowns…Should Sunday’s playoff showdown be as hotly contested as the initial match-up, SJB senior kicker, Nick Maldarella, could be a difference maker, just as he was when he drilled a 35-yarder for the game-winner in week #1.
#4 Fordham Prep vs. #5 Holy Trinity (Saturday, November 7thth @7pm—Coffey Field (Fordham University)
A battle of two teams who were not even in the AA division in 2014, the former A Champion Rams from Fordham Prep (6-2/5-2) will head into Saturday night’s game with a major confidence advantage, having bested the Holy Trinity Titans (3-5/3-4) by three scores (39-22) in their regular season meeting on October 10th…During that game, it would be sensational sophomore signal-caller (have to love alliteration), Matthew Valecce, throwing three first-half touchdown passes to send Fordham Prep into the break with a 19-0 edge. The 6’4, 185-pound resident of Mamaroneck would add one final TD toss in the fourth quarter to finish with a stat line that read: 15-for-25, 212 yards, and of course those four scores. If the HT defense, led by returning All-Catholic player, Colin Moran (LB) allows Valecce to again hook up with his assortment of targets (Rory Allen, Will Lofredo, Thomas Natkin, etc.), then for the second time this season, the game could potentially be over after 24 minutes…On the flipside, working in favor of the Tony Mascia mentored program is the knowledge that when the two teams met in week #5, his secret weapon, junior running back, Umari Taylor, had not yet been unleashed…Assuming more of a secondary role for much of 2015, Taylor showed two weeks ago in a 41-16 victory over St. Joseph’s by the Sea just how dangerous he is, rushing for 309 yards and four touchdowns. Had he been “the man” in early-October, perhaps that game would have had an entirely different outcome. Whether he explodes for 300 yards or not, Taylor’s ability to move the chains will go a long way towards keeping Valecce off the field. Hence, any contribution he makes is a step in the right direction for the Titans in their upset bid.
Tomorrow check back for Matt’s AAA Quarterfinal Matchup Preview.