Archbishop Stepinac Repeats as AAA League Champions

By Matt Diano: In our championship week preview, we stated that despite being the owners of the NYCHSFL’s most prolific offense at over 40 points per game, that in the mind of Archbishop Stepinac Head Coach, Mike O’Donnell, the backbone of his program was defense…The Crusaders “D” would make their fearless leader look like a genius on Saturday evening, forcing multiple turnovers and serving as the table setters for the majority of their team’s 20 points as the Westchester based program would become the first Catholic School since 2011 (St. Anthony’s) to repeat as AAA titlists, defeating a motivated Cardinal Hayes squad 20-12 on the campus of Fordham University.

Stepinac, who currently finds itself sharing the co-#1 ranking in New York State with section V Aquinas, would improve their winning streak against downstate competition to 20 consecutive games, but the victory would not come without some degree of suspense as their nemesis from the Bronx would overcome a 17-0 halftime deficit to make a game of it behind a strong second half effort.

The top-seeded Crusaders, who scored 19 unanswered points to close out a 43-21 victory over the Cardinals in week #5 of the regular season, would seem well on their way to yet another comfortable win in the AAA finals, as they secured a pair of first quarter touchdowns to lead 14-0 at the end of 12 minutes…Drawing first blood for the defending titlists would be senior quarterback, Tyquell Fields, who in conjunction with junior running back, Antonio Giannico, would march down the field on their opening series of the game, maximizing both aerial and ground attacks to set up the four-yard QB keeper that completed the 10-play 68-yard touchdown yielding drive to give A.S. the early 7-0 lead.

On the Hayes possession that immediately followed, it would be the Stepinac defensive unit (which also ranked atop the AAA division in least points surrendered) making their first impact of the game when senior cornerback, Terrell “TJ” Morrison, halted a promising Cardinals drive by picking off junior field general, Christian Anderson’s, pass on his own 25 and returning it inside the Cardinals’ 40 yard-line….This optimal starting position would prove tobe invaluable for the Crusaders as their diverse attack, coupled with several ill-timed and costly penalties against C.H. would put them on the door step of another score…Seizing the opportunity, it would be Giannico punching the ball in from four-yards out to double the lead, 14-0 with 3:24 remaining in the first quarter.

Following the aforementioned second TD of the contest by Stepinac, both squads would settle in defensively for the next 10-12 minutes before Hayes would mount their best scoring chance of the 1^st half, advancing the ball all the way to the opposing 11-yard line with just under 1:00 to go before halftime…But alas, again it would the cream rising to the top as Morrison would intercept his second pass of the game and bring it back 65 yards this time to the Cardinal 30-yard line with 36 ticks still on the clock…In the last half minute, Stepinac would threaten to tack on another “6”, but would ultimately be forced to settle for a 25-yard field goal from Liam Butler to go into the break with the commanding 17-0 edge.

With the Crusader defense, which was receiving great individual efforts from the likes of senior defensive end, Malcolm Koonce, and senior outsider linebacker, Nick Dadario, bending a little, but still refusing to break, the CJ O’Neil coached Hayes squad would borrow a page from the opposing playbook, using solid defense as the perfect offense…As the clock dipped below the 5:00 mark in the third quarter, the Cardinals would finally have some life breathed into them when senior defensive back, Zahir Williams stepped jumped the route on a Fields’ pass attempt and returned the interception 43 yards deep into Crusader territory…A few plays later, it would be Anderson guaranteeing that there would not be a shutout when he kept the ball on a read option and trekked 7-yards into the end zone. A missed two-point conversation would leave Hayes down 11 points.

After recording their first score of the contest, the second-seeded team from Grand Concourse, would hold on defense and then go hunting for more points. However, sensing a slight shift in momentum, Stepinac would again channel their inner ’85 Bears, forcing a turnover on downs on 4^th-and-3 in the last minute of the third quarter when an Anderson pass slipped through the fingers of senior Brion Vigo…For the second time in as many chances, O’Donnell’s club would not squander the privilege of having a shortened field, as they would add an insurance 3-pointer when Butler (who finished 2-for-2 on field goals, and 2-for-2 on PATs) knocked it stiff through the uprights from 26-yards to cushion the lead to 20-6.

Displaying the tenacity and determination that would have made fallen teammate, Delano Cowan, proud, Cardinal Hayes, who was seeking to win their second title in three years (won the AA in 2013) would continue to battle, drawing to within 20-12 when senior running back, Justin Covington (who after just missing a 300-yard rushing game in the semifinals, would piggyback off of a 64-yard pass to the 1-yard line from Anderson to junior Shameen Jones, by taking the ball directly up the middle for his 21^st and final rushing TD of the 2015 season with 8:47 remaining in the game…Hayes would again fail to convert on the two-point try.

The underdogs from the Bronx would get one final crack at evening the score in the final 6:15, but excessive penalties, including a hold that erased a 34-yard pass to Covington, would be their undoing as they would be left with no other choice than to punt the ball back to Stepinac in the last 2:30 of the regulation…The Cardinals would never get the ball back as a Kobe Miranda first-down run in the final 90 seconds would be the proverbial nail in the coffin as the last of this weekend’s title games would end with Stepinac exhausting the clock by assuming the victory formation.

Defensive MVP of the Game Honors go to Senior CB Terrell Morris: Terrells 2 interceptions lead the Crusader defense in keeping Hayes off the board in the First Half.

Offensive MVP of the Game Honors go to Senior QB Tyquell Fields: Tyquell opened up the scoring for the Crusaders with an opening drive TD run and didn’t look back leading Stepinac with his arm and his legs to the championship.
By virtue of their victory on Saturday, Stepinac will be afforded the opportunity to claim the one prize that escaped them a year ago, the Catholic State title…In the inaugural clash of upstate vs. downstate Catholic powers, it would be Canisius posting a 23-10 win…After a three-year reign, Buffalo’s version of the Crusaders would be dethroned (42-7) in the 2015 Monsignor Martin title game by the St. Francis Red Raiders…Stepinac will go toe-to-toe with the Athol Springs based program on Saturday the 28^th at 1pm in Grand Island, NY.

Game Stats

NYCHSFL FOOTBALL November 21, 2015   AAA Championship – Archbishop Stepinac vs. Cardinal Hayes

 Archbishop Stepinac

Rushing              

Passing    

 Receiving

Cardinal Hayes

Rushing

Passing    

       Receiving