By Matt Diano:
From the moment that first whistle of the 2016 season blew, Iona Prep Head Coach, Joseph Spagnolo was adamant in stating that the goal for the season was to win the title and to get reinstated to AAA competition as soon as possible….On Saturday afternoon, the Gaels checked off the former and took a big step towards achieving the latter as they travelled into “hostile territory” and emerged with a 35-14 win over the top-seeds from Holy Trinity High School….The Catholic title was the first for the New Rochelle based school since 2008 when they were the last team standing in the AAA division.
Scoreless after one quarter for the second time today (A title game was also 0-0 after 12 minutes), the word of the hour during the opening half was “flag” as the two teams combined to be hit eight times, derailing many a promising-looking drives to keep the score a modest 13-7 (in favor of Iona Prep) in a clash of the top-2 offenses in the AA division.
The third-seeded Gaels got on the board first when “Renaissance Man”, Ki’shyne Shipmon took a handoff out wide and used his blazing speed to rush 57 yards untouched to give IP a 7-0 lead. 
Spagnolo and company would not be permitted to enjoy the lead for long though as the Titans had a little razzle-dazzle of their own on the ensuing kickoff, as definitive All-State tailback, Umari Taylor, fielded the ball on a bounce, found a seam, and cruised 85 yards undeterred to quickly answer back with an equalizer. ..This was the only time that the Titan senior was able to find space, as he spent much of the opening 24 minutes bottled up. Needing only 90 yards to reach the 2,000 milestone, he was limited to under 20.
In what looked like it might become a pattern of endless scoring exchanges, the Gaels wasted no time in pulling back as Shipmon demonstrated his versatility, using his hands this time to secure a 31-TD reception with 9:10 to go in the half…The go-ahead drive was initially set up by a long kickoff return by Malkelm Morrison to the Trinity 40 and was kept alive when senior field general, Michael Apostolopoulos hit Johnryan Freeman on a 23-yard pass on 3&10 to move the chains.
The Gaels looked in good shape to add to their lead when they stuffed Taylor on 4th&1 to take over possession on the opposing 40 with 5:19 remaining….However, the HT defense refused to bend, as Jonathan Brown sacked Apostolopoulos for a 13-yard loss on 3&8 to eliminate the threat.
A little over one minute later, it appeared as if Holy Trinity may take their first lead of the game when senior QB, Matt Ragno, found a wide open Will Corchado on a 67-yard bomb…However, an untimely holding call cancelled out the play and HT was not able to recover.
Shipmon ended the half having run for 76 yards on only four carries, with that previously cited running TD.
The Gaels would pull away a bit in the second half as senior, Rodney Samson, literally saved his best for last, making a wealth of memories in his final 24 minutes in the Maroon & Gold, as he scored two third quarter touchdowns and then for good measure tacked on an additional “6” in the last 2:00 of the game to account for all three of the IP TDs after the break.
Forcing a quick punt at the onset of the 2nd half, IP would increase their lead to 21-7 when the 6’0, 205-pound resident of Ossining caught an 86-yard swing pass and took it the entire way with less than three minutes into the third quarter…He also converted the two-point conversion.
After catching a big third down pass to keep the momentum going, Samson put the finishing touches on a 9-play, 70-yard drive when he dashed through a hole and could not be caught from 27-yards away…The extra point make it a 21-point deficit with 5:04 to play in the 3rd.
A three-yard TD throw from Ragno to fellow senior, Steven Partland, cut the lead to 28-14 with 2:37 to go in regulation, but Samson was not done yet, as 55 seconds later (after CHSFL leading receiver, Michael Degarpasis easily handled an onside kick attempt), he broke away on yet another 20+ yard rush, attacking the hole with ferocity and not stopping until he had gone the 28-yard distance to leave no doubt.
Samson, who in all truthfulness could have been named the MVP on both sides of the ball, took the individual prize on offense, racking up 134 yards on 18 touches …Luke Tobia, who was a tackling machine from his linebacker positon, was the recipient on the defensive side of the ball.
Congratulations to both teams on a great game and outstanding seasons!
NYCHSFL FOOTBALL November 19, 2016 AA Championship – Holy Trinity vs. Iona Prep
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total | |
| Iona Prep | 0 | 13 | 15 | 7 | 35 |
| Holy Trinity | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| 1st | No Scoring | |||
| 2nd | 11:25 | Iona Prep | Ki’Shyne Shipmon 57yd run (Rory Naughton Kick ) | 7-0 |
| 2nd | 11:10 | Holy Trinity | Umari Taylor 85 yd kick-off return (Peter Zarba Kick) | 7-7 |
| 2nd | 09:50 | Iona Prep | Ki’Shyne Shipmon 31 yd pass from Michael Apostolopoulos (Kick blocked) | 13-7 |
| 3rd | 09:22 | Iona Prep | Rodney Samson 86 yd pass from Michael Apostolopoulos ( Samson Rush) | 21-7 |
| 3rd | 05:04 | Iona Prep | Rodney Samson 27 yd run (Rory Naughton Kick ) | 28-7 |
| 4th | 02:37 | Holy Trinity | Steven Partland 3yd pass from Matthew Ragno (Peter Zarba Kick) | 28-14 |
| 4th | 01:42 | Iona Prep | Rodney Samson 28 yd run (Rory Naughton Kick ) | 35-14 |
| Team Totals | Iona Prep | Holy Trinity |
| FIRST DOWNS | 9 | 9 |
| Rushing | 3 | 4 |
| Passing | 4 | 3 |
| Penalty | 2 | 0 |
| NET YARDS RUSHING | ||
| Rushing Attempts | 30 | 27 |
| Average Per Rush | 5.9 | 2.1 |
| Rushing Touchdowns | 3 | 0 |
| Yards Gained Rushing | 213 | 97 |
| Yards Lost Rushing | -35 | -39 |
| NET YARDS PASSING | ||
| Completions-Attempts-Int | 9-18-0 | 13-22-0 |
| Average Per Attempt | 12.6 | 5.3 |
| Average Per Completion | 25.2 | 8.9 |
| Passing Touchdowns | 2 | 1 |
| TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS | ||
| Total Offense plays | 48 | 49 |
| Average Gain Per Play | 8.4 | 3.6 |
Iona PrepRushing
| Name | # | Gain | Loss | Net | TD | Long | Average |
| #4 Rodney Samson | 17 | 117 | -6 | 111 | 2 | 28 | 6.5 |
| #12 Michael Apostolopoulos | 7 | 17 | -29 | -12 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| #7 Ki’Shyne Shipmon | 5 | 77 | 0 | 77 | 1 | 57 | 15.4 |
| #11 LaMont McGriff | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2.0 |
| TOTALS | 30 | 213 | -35 | 178 | 3 | – | 5.9 |
Passing
| Name | Att Cmp Int | Yds | TD | Long |
| #12 Michael Apostolopoulos | 18 9 0 | 227 | 2 | 86 |
| TOTALS | 18 9 0 | 227 | 2 | 86 |
Receiving
| Name | # | Yds | TD | Long |
| #7 Ki’Shyne Shipmon | 3 | 71 | 1 | 57 |
| #10 Michael Degasperis | 3 | 49 | 0 | 20 |
| #4 Rodney Samson | 1 | 86 | 1 | 86 |
| #19 Johnryan Freeman | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| #6 Sean Fleming | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| TOTALS | 9 | 227 | 2 | 86 |
Holy Trinity
Rushing
| Name | # | Gain | Loss | Net | TD | Long | Average |
| #6 Umari Taylor | 17 | 51 | -24 | 27 | 0 | 12 | 1.6 |
| #12 Matthew Ragno | 5 | 35 | -15 | 20 | 0 | 20 | 4.0 |
| #28 Jared Williams | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1.3 |
| #2 William Corchado | 2 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 3.5 |
| TOTALS | 27 | 97 | -39 | 58 | 0 | 20 | 2.1 |
Passing
| Name | Att Cmp Int | Yds | TD | Long |
| #12 Matthew Ragno | 22 13 0 | 116 | 1 | 23 |
| TOTALS | 22 13 0 | 116 | 1 | 23 |
Receiving
| Name | # | Yds | TD | Long |
| #2 William Corchado | 5 | 31 | 0 | 16 |
| #28 Jared Williams | 2 | 17 | 0 | 14 |
| #6 Umari Taylor | 2 | 14 | 0 | 11 |
| #7 Steven Partland | 2 | 15 | 1 | 12 |
| #88 Matthew McCarthy | 1 | 23 | 0 | 23 |
| #25 Alexander Parciak | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| TOTALS | 12 | 116 | 1 | 23 |