By Matt Diano:
#1 Holy Trinity (9-1) vs. #3 Iona Prep (7-3)
When: Saturday November 19th, 2016
Where: Mitchel Athletic Complex
Time: 1:30 pm
The last time they met:
-FIRST MEETING OF 2016!!!!
Synopsis:
A match-up pitting two traditional AAA league members against one another, if you have been paying close attention to the 2016 season, you can see why many people were surprised when the Titans and Gaels were reclassified to double-A this year….Almost across the board (combined 11-1 in league contests), both squads have gone out week after week and demonstrated that they just might be in a class all their own.
Because, as luck would have it, they did not meet during the 2016 regular season, we really were unable to develop much of a scouting report….However, using the remainder of their games as a barometer, common sense seems to tell us that as the two highest scoring teams in all of Catholic Football (regardless of division), points will be plentiful….Entering their final contest of the season, the top-seeded HT are putting up over 40 points per game; the third seeded Gaels are right on their heels, as they have lit up the scoreboard to the tune of a 39 point/game average.
Both well-rounded squads that can score from either land or sky, our feeling is that the lower ranked boys from New Rochelle might be a tad more diverse in their attack…By no means does this mean that Holy Trinity is one-dimensional; more so, it is a testament to the overall ability at all of the skill positions for the Joe Spagnolo-led Gaels….The only team in AA to boast both a top-3 passer and a top-3 rusher, Iona Prep can hit you from so many angles that it is just about impossible to formulate a game plan capable of shutting them down completely…If you decide to stack the box to limit the run, you are inviting definitive All-State QB, Michael Apostolopoulos to pick you apart….Ranked 4th in NYS in yardage gained (2,504) and 2nd in TD passes hurled (28), the senior from Scarsdale is like a surgeon with his pocket precision, successfully converting on 62% of his attempts….Entering last week’s semifinals against defending champions, Xavier, riding a streak of 15 TDs without an interception, the 6’1, 185-pounder finally looked human for the first time in a longtime, completing 14-of-25 for 190 yards with a pair of TDs, but also deuces in the INT category as well…For a fierce competitor like Apostolopoulos, it goes without saying that it is the picks that are going to stay with him and fire him up for this weekend.
If you are wondering what is it about the IP offense that has enabled the 12th grade captain to increase his numbers so immensely (threw for 
1,027 yards and 15 touchdowns a year ago), you need to look no farther than the coming of age of a trio of juniors—Michael Degasparis, Ki’shyne Shipmon, and Johnryan Freeman…From this receiving corps, only the latter [Freeman] played on the varsity last year…However, since coming together, they have wasted no time at all in asserting themselves as potentially the best 1-2-3 punch in all of the Evil Empire….Degasparis, who is 2nd in NYS with 74 catches (8 catches last week in the win over Xavier) and 4th in receiving yards (1,074), making him the spokesman for the group…But alas, with 43 catches (591 yards, 9 TDs) and 42 grabs (778 yards, 9 TDs) respectively, Shipmon and Freeman are second fiddle to no one…As we wrote in last week’s semifinal preview, if these three individuals all played for different schools, it is possible that all three would be high up when All-State honors are being bestowed on the blessed few.
On the flip side, if you commit to trying to keep Apostolopoulos and his band of stud receivers from being the ones to bury you, then it will be just a matter of time before Rodney Samson Jr. (3rd in AA in rushing yards with 1,011; tied for 2nd with 15 overall TDs) makes you pay a very steep price…A 100+ yard rusher in five of his last seven appearances, the 210-pound senior was held to just 63 yards a week ago, so he too will have a chip on his shoulder….
Shipmon too must be regarded as a major threat on the ground after a semifinal performance that saw him run for a career high 135 yards and two scores…The further into the season we get, the easier it is becoming to see that he is the most versatile player in the CHSFL….He also is a stout defender, so in words, the Yonkers resident is the WHOLE PACKAGE !!
For Holy Trinity, the “make or break” of the afternoon will reside on the shoulders of their trio of running backs, led by Player of the Year favorite, Umari Taylor….New York State’s second leading rusher with 1,911 yards (191.1/game), the Titan senior’s 24 touchdowns places him in the top-5 among his NYS peers…The type of consistent performer that if we chose, he could be a POTW recipient every week of the 2016 season, only once in 2016 has he not reached the 100-yard mark (and that was against non-CHSFL school, Poly Prep)…Averaging 2.5 touchdowns and 159 yards in two playoff games , the 175-pound Freeport resident thrives in his role as the great equalizer….No matter what the situation, Taylor has found a way to put the Hicksviille based school on his back and carry them to win after win…When you consider that IP is likely to put a big number on the board this weekend, there will be a lot of pressure on the HT captain to make his final scholastic game one to remember.
Two additional departing seniors who have no intention of going out with a loss are the tandem of Will Corchado and reigning POTW, Jared Williams….Whereas the latter [Williams] is more of a strict running presence (523 yards, eight TDs), the former is Trinity’s answer to Shipmon….Between his 558 yards running and another 294 yards as a pass catcher, Corchado has tallied 12 offensive touchdowns.. Only twice this season has he been kept out of the end zone completely, so law of averages tells us that we should expect him to contribute at least six points towards the title cause. 
When you run for close to 3,100 yards and 43 touchdowns, you often do not need to concern yourself with the person taking the snaps under center is…However, as we have noted several times in the past, one should never confuse lack of statistical domination with lack of skill….For HT senior QB, Matt Ragno, his numbers are modest on paper only because Tony Mascia has not had a need to set him free….Yet to toss a single INT in 2016, Ragno is not an old school gunslinger who is going to beat you by throwing for 350 yards…Instead, he is a cerebral assassin who takes what you give him…When he is commanding his team, his lone concern is “what is the best way to move the sticks”…When you keep this objective in mind, you truly discover how his 92 yards a game passing can be just as meaningful as his counterpart’s [Apostolopoulos] 250/per game average….While different in how he goes about torching you, he is no less important.
As a final note, let us mention that Iona Prep has yet to allow a single point in the playoffs….Dating back to the regular season finale, they have now gone 12 quarters without breaking….That has to be a confidence booster when faced with an offense as formidable as the Titans….Will there be another goose-egg on Saturday? Our guess is no…However, since we are confident that Iona Prep will get their fair share of points, a “0” is not what will be required…If Iona Prep can keep the potent Titans under 28, we think they walk away as champions.
Both schools coincidentally last won Catholic gold in the same year, with Iona Prep taking the 2008 AAA crown, while Trinity were the last team standing in AA.
Good luck to both teams!