Article by Matt Diano
Week #1 (September 9th-10th, 2022)
Kameron Wheeler (Sr.); WR – Mt. St. Michael Acad. Mountaineers
Named as a Metro Catholic Player of the Week for the first-time in his career as a Mountaineer, the 6’4, 180-pound senior wide receiver may have fallen slightly short of equaling the career-highs (6 receptions, 65-yards) he set last season versus Holy Cross, but there is no debating that Friday, September 9th, 2022 marked his finest showing as a student-athlete at the Mount!!
Demonstrating that ability to embrace the big moment and rise when his team needed a catalyst, it was the Manhattan resident answering the call is MSMA’s 27-21 victory over the Gaels of Kennedy Catholic… Hauling in a pair of grabs that totaled nearly half (30 of 62) of the yardage accumulated by the Mountaineers during their game-winning drive, it was Wheeler on the back end of a perfectly thrown 20-yard TD toss from junior QB, Marc Pearson Jr. (16-for-34; 189 yards throwing; 1 TD…Also ran for 2 TDs) in the final 23 ticks of the 4th quarter that proved to be the difference maker as Coach Mario Valentini’s squad evened their 2022 record to 1-1!
One of three different targets to record 5 catches under the Friday night lights for the gentlemen from Murdock Avenue, he concluded his night with 51 receiving yards…Fellow 12th graders—Jabril Carter (5 for 68) and Kyle Samuels (5 for 70) were also essential in the aerial attack…But nothing topped the late heroics of that #12 jersey!!
Gavin Gallagher (Sr.); 4-Back/KR – Xavier Knights
Getting off to a 1-0 start for the first-time since the 2018 season (eventually went on to be Double-A League runners-up), the mighty Knights of Xavier were emphatic in their 34-6 dominance last Saturday afternoon against their hosts from Xaverian! And the catalyst behind this explosive effort (most points scored by the school since October 9th of the 2019 campaign) was undeniably the 6’0, 155-pound senior out of Queens [Gallagher] A year removed from amassing 202 yards on 41 carries as part of a 1-8 season, early indicators suggest that as #41 goes, so too will the rest of the brigade on West 16th Street!!
The wingback in Coach Chris Stevens’s old school, ground-and-pound single wing scheme, as was stated by his mentor, & Although the stat sheet may not have shown any touchdowns credited to him, Gallagher was the heart behind everything we were able to achieve on the ground.” Averaging a mind-blowing 17.9 yards per carry on eight attempts, it was his runs of 45 and 64 yards respectively that acted as directly precursors to a pair of Xavier’s FIVE total rushing TDs…
His 143 yards on land representing a definitive career-high (previously ran for 66 yards on 7 carries in 2021 vs. St. Joe’s by the Sea), Gallagher would also make his presence known on special teams, as he further impacted starting field position and/or “put his school in business” by collecting 46 additional yards of production as a kick returner! All in all, the Manhattan based Knights amassed 328 yards running (highlighted by the 5 scores already cited) on 42 carries…Complementing the huge day put forth by Gallagher were fellow senior, Shane Zaletofsky (93 yards, 4 TDs on 20 carries from QB), as well as juniors—Mehdi Merah (72 yards + 1 score on 11 touches) and Sean Kull (3 carries for 20 yards)! The monopoly on ball-control showcased by Xavier in their season-opening triumph this past weekend is precisely the game-plan and execution they will need as they ready themselves to square off with the quick-hitting, dynamic firepower of 2021 AA-1 bridesmaids, Moore Catholic!
Ethan Cumming (Sr.); RB – Kellenberg Memorial Firebirds
Described in the 2022 AAA preview as an under the radar talent whose name you’d already know had it not been for the fact that he was the understudy to an All-Catholic selection [Brendan Leahy] in 2021, the 6’2, 195-pounder hailing from Massapequa Park has shown that the football is not the only thing that has been passed successfully thus far for the now 2-0 Firebirds!!!
The TORCH from the likes All-Stater, Jordan DeLucia, Tommy Sluka, Frankie Roder, etc., now firmly belongs to him and he is well on his way to carrying (literally and figuratively) the tradition onward towards what is shaping up to be both individual and team glory in Uniondale…. Carrying the ball on just 15 occasions as a junior for a net gain of 50 yards (2 TDs), the multi-sport (lacrosse) honor student is a mere two games into his swan song donning Blue & Gold and already has rewritten his personal record book… A week removed from a darn fine 10-carry, 92-yard, 1 TD outing versus 2021 NYSPHSAA State quarterfinalists, Arlington, in his senior debut, Cumming has grown only stronger with each subsequent appearance, as proven this past Friday in KMHS’s 21-18 victory at home over defending Monsignor Martin 2021 Catholic State runners-up, St. Francis (Hamburg)!!!
With the importance of ball-control and/or clock management being stressed to the fullest extent by Coach Eric Meisse as a means of counteracting a Red Raider offense that returned their starting field general, an 1,100-yard running back, and the program’s top receiver off of a cohort that put up 23 point per game last season, the Firebirds found a workhorse in the person of the young stud wearing #5 on his back!
Taking the hand-off 27 different times (the most by a Firebird tailback since 2020), with four of those attempts being sprung for gains of 10+, Cumming would rack up 152 yards of land damage (5.6/per) to notch first ever century mark performance! Enjoying a fate similar to that of the person preceding him on the POTW list (Gallagher of Xavier), Cumming too did not enjoy the perk of punching it over the line for “6”…But regardless of that small tidbit, there was no doubt that his presence alone was invaluable…. Per the observations of Meisse, on both Kellenberg’s first (21-year TD run by senior signal caller, Devin Page; gave the berg a 7-0 lead in the 2nd quarter) and last (31-yard pass from Page to reigning POTW, Sean Cannon; game-winner in the 4th) scores of the evening, St. Francis’ defensive focus was “keyed on Cumming, enabling his teammates to exploit holes.”
In addressing the comprehensive influence that his senior RB had on the outcome, Meisse also identified a significant sequence that otherwise would have gone unnoticed/under-appreciated in a box score… KMHS clinging to a 14-12 advantage at the start of the 2nd half, a mishandled squib kick-off by the Firebirds in their own territory could have spelled disaster and been a major turning point…Instead, thanks to the quick reaction and hustle from Cumming, possession was preserved! Through two games, Cumming currently tops all NYCHSFL triple-A RBs with 244 yards
rushing (122/per game)!!
Colin O’Garro (Sr.); RB – Iona Prep Gaels
With the graduation or transfer of four of the top-5 receiving targets off of an offensive juggernaut that threw for 2,374 yards and 22 touchdowns, it made sense to predict that the defending AAA League & Catholic State titlists from New Rochelle would have to undergo a bit of a remodel/reinvention… And while the vertical component of the game is hardly a thing of the past, the great news if you are Gaels’ Head Coach, Joe Spagnolo, is that while you are in the midst of retooling in the air during the early stages of 2022, you have the comfort and confidence that accompanies knowing that one of the top running backs in the Empire State will be present to ease the process…. Limited to just seven games as a junior in 2021, O’;Garro still managed to run for 454 yards and three touchdowns on 83 attempts, including emerging with two of his finest efforts in his final-2 appearances in the AAA league (79 yards, 1 TD) and State championship (71 yards, 1 TD) contests… That momentum has only multiplied since the beginning of his senior season as the 6’1,210-pounder hometown kid has been solid, if not extraordinary in each of Iona Prep’s two outings thus far this year… Averaging 5 yards per carry and amassing 65 yards in a non-league loss to Ohio State powerhouse, Archbishop Hoban, on September 3rd, the Lohud Preseason Elite 11 finalist was quite sincerely the best version of himself this past Saturday in IP’s 27-0 road victory over Cardinal Hayes!!!
Falling one hand-off (18) short of equally or surpassing all of his previous career-highs, the scholar-athlete (GPA of 93) detonated like a keg of dynamite to the tune of a 158- yard, 3 touchdown display! Registering the first multiple-score showing of his scholastic career and topping the century mark for just the second time in his three-year varsity tenure, O’Garro smashed his previous benchmark of 125 yards/1 TD (19 attempts) that he established almost exactly a year ago (9/11) in a win over Bishop Hendricken (RI)… The match-up still scoreless approximately five minutes into the 1st quarter, it was the bruising body of the man-child in the Maroon & Gold drawing initial blood when he punched it in from 4-yards out to give Iona Prep the 7-0 lead…
The score now doubled to 14-0 early in the 3rd, O’Garro struck again from inside the red zone, plunging 9-yards across the line to add additional cushion (21-0; 8:00 remaining in the quarter)… He closed the show with an exclamation, as he almost single-handedly was responsible for IP’s last TD of the game when he broke for two long runs, including a 40-yard TD dash early in the 4th quarter to round out the scoring the #1 team in NYS!
Praised for his “team-first” attitude, the praise bestowed upon O’Garro extended beyond just his individual accolades…In addition to his strong game carrying the pigskin, the coaching staff pinpointed his selfless handiwork in pass protection as one of the main reasons why reigning NYCHSFL & NYS Offensive Player of the Year, Ajani Sheppard, was able to hit on 10-of-20 hurls for 107 yards (featuring a 35-yard TD hook-up to Mike Senatore).
Charlie English (Sr.); RB/SS – Fordham Prep Ram
A season ago, the 5’11, 175-pound, Port Chester resident [English] was renowned mostly for his prowess on the defensive side of the ball…In 2022, he is officially among the ranks of the multi-dimensional!!! Rising to the challenge of being the successor in the backfield to 2021 All-Catholic honoree, Jack Wolf (676 yards + 7 TD runs last year), the arrival of English as an all- purpose weapon on offense is a primary reason why the Rams are off to a 2-0 start for a second consecutive campaign!!
Credited with just 56 yards and zero touchdowns on an allotment of nine carries as a junior, the proverbial page has been turned and English has been impossible to keep out of the end zone thus far! A worthy POTW candidate in week #0 when he rushed for 92 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 18 carries (added 5 tackles on defense to boot) in a FP’s 31-21 season- opening triumph against Mt. St. Michael Academy, there was no denying the Ram senior of his inclusion on today’s edition of the list… Habitually penning and then re-authoring his personal record book, English posted the first 100+-yard game of his scholastic career this past Saturday afternoon, accumulating 119 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries (9.2/per) as part of Fordham Prep’s 47-14 win at home over Holy Cross… As a demonstration of his versatility, he tacked on a pair of receptions for 17 yards and another score to round out an amazing 18-point individual showing!
Notching all three of his touchdowns during the initial 24 minutes of action to propel the Rams to a 33-8 halftime edge, English commenced the parade just 2:58 into the 1st quarter when he took a halfback draw directly up the gut from a distance of 20 yards out to break the ice…. Fordham Prep now leading 14-8 at the early stages of the 2nd quarter; change to go), he recorded his second TD of the afternoon when he followed up a 28-yard completion between Junior QB Matthew Moorehead (15-for-21, 212 yards, 2 TD tosses) and Senior WR, Jericho Ancheta (2 grabs for 38 yards) by cruising 10-yards up the middle on the ensuing snap to increase the lead to 20-8! As the clock dipped below 2:00 remaining in the 1st half, English polished off the trifecta when Moorehead hit him perfectly over the middle on a 13-yard strike to further pad the lead (27-8)…Earlier in the series, the 12th grader RB registered a 26-yard run across midfield that advanced the ball to the opposing 44!!!
Never one to shun his obligation on “D”, the coaching staff acknowledged that he made several key tackles that halted promising drives from Holy Cross! English’s 5 total TDs currently puts him at the top of the NYCHSFL totem poll regardless of division!!
Korey Duff Jr. (Jr.); WR – St. Anthony’s Friars
As the old adage says, “at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again”….And that is precisely the mentality that the 6’5, 200-pound returning 3rd Team All-Stater [Duff] adopted last Friday evening in St. Anthony’s 35-10 victory at home over arch nemesis, Chaminade!!!
Regarded as the consensus (if not unanimous) choice as the top receiver on Long Island, the Riverhead resident swept all major pass-catching categories as a sophomore for the Friars last year, hauling in 35 balls for 683 yards and five touchdowns!!
The 247 Sports 3-star prospect (class of 2024) appeared to notch his first TD reception of the new year with approximately 2:14 remaining in the 1st quarter, when senior QB, Dante Torres (unofficially 20-for-26, 371 yards, 4 TD passes; 1 TD run) scrambled on 3rd & 28 and found Duff on a 55-yard connection that would have given STA a 7-3 lead….However, an officials review deemed that Torres had crossed the line of scrimmage prior to releasing the ball, this negating the touchdown via an illegal forward pass penalty… Rather than allow the unfortunate mishap to cause him to lose focus, the standout in the #1 shirt simply shook it off and then proceeded to treat those in attendance at Cy Donnelly Field to a spectacle… Making the first of what proved to be a plethora of massive contributions, it was Duff’s 45-yard catch on a crossing pattern that moved the pigskin inside the 5-yard line and set up an eventual QB keeper by Torres that put the Black & Gold in front, 7-3, less than two minutes into the 2nd quarter…Deprived of his opportunity to celebrate in the promised land earlier in the night, the highly touted FBS caliber stud (offers from the likes of Maryland, Pitt, UConn, Rutgers, West Virginia, etc.) checked that TD box with 3:20 to go in the 1st half, as he caught a short pass over the middle on 3rd; 7, broke several tackles, applied a stiff arm, and then cut to the outside (visiting sideline) where he darted the rest of the way for a 47- yarder that increased the St. Anthony’s lead to 14-3 at the intermission! Picking up right where he left off at the onset of the 3rd quarter, Duff punctuated his second successful series in a row when on the first drive of the 2nd half for STA, he transformed a 1st; 20 on his own 36 into a 64-yard pilgrimage to glory, as he again racked up significant YAC, grabbing a little dump off over the middle, turning up field, cutting down the host sideline before shifting back to the middle en route to out-racing the entire Flyer secondary for his second “6” of the evening to help his school further assert their will (21-3; 7:14 to go in the 3Q)!!!
All in all, Duff Jr. concluded the night with career-highs in receptions (7) and receiving yardage (209)…His two touchdowns grabs fell one short of matching the hat trick he earned last year versus Cardinal Hayes! Factoring in the 2021 campaign, Duff has now tallied 6 or more catches on four separate occasions, exceeded 100 yards four times, and compiled 2 or more scores twice during his last 11 appearances on the gridiron!!!
With many of the national recruiting pundits putting in crystal balls for the Scarlet Knights, Duff will have the chance to make a very strong impression on his potential future home crowd when St. Anthony’s travels to the Garden State to battle St. Joe’sRegional (Montvale) on the Rutgers’ campus at 8pm on Saturday Sep. 16th !