Article by Matt Diano
Week #2 (September 16th-18th, 2022)
John Michalski (Sr.); QB – Moore Catholic Mavericks
Always questions of “when” and/or “how often” the 6’2, 205-pounder hailing from the Garden State will grace us with his presence on the POTW list, the future Sacred Heart University Pioneer has now made it three straight seasons that he garnered this esteemed honor…And for the second straight occasion [previously in the 2021 A-1 Quarterfinals], his highlight reel came at the expense of a very determined squad from Xavier…
Less than a year removed from tormenting the Knights to the tune of a 300-yard passing, 80-yard rushing, 5-touchdown effort in the previously cited Metro Catholic playoffs last fall, the returning All-Catholic/2nd Team All-Stater was back to terrorize his foes from Manhattan this past Saturday afternoon, as he was the ringleader in a Mavs’ 28-17 victory on home soil that kept the ‘21 League runners-up unblemished (3-0)!
Displaying the full array of his dual-threat skill set in a nearly perfectly balanced fashion, Michalski was personally responsible/had a hand in generating 303 yards and all four of Moore’s TDs.
Aerially, he connected on 8-of-17 hurls for 138 yards, including touchdown tosses of 28 and 12 yards respectively to Week #0 POTW, Mattias Lighten (4 grabs, 93 yards, 2 touchdowns), as well as a 16-yard dime to Jay’len Johnson (3 receptions for 35 yards, 1TD)…In doing so, he registered his third straight multi-TD passing game of the year and the 11th overall of his career (5 of which were no fewer than 3)!
Featuring a 17-yard touchdown trek, Michalski complemented his fine day in the air by establishing a new career-best on the ground, as he amassed 165 yards on just 13 carries to surpass the century mark for the second time in 2022 and the third time overall in his storied scholastic career!!!
Thru three appearances in his swan song campaign, he has racked up 689 yards of offensive production (351 throwing, 327 running), while scoring 11 touchdowns (passing-7; rushing-4) to maintain that “Player of the Year” path we forecasted for him in the annual season preview!
Israel Centeno-Johnson (Jr.); RB/CB – Kennedy Catholic Gaels
Making his NYCHSFL POTW debut this week, the 5’10, 150-pound 11th grader from Stamford, Connecticut gave credence as to why he is believed to be among the most versatile performers in AA-2 this season, as he was essential in helping the Somers based program break into the win column behind a 42-7 road victory over Cardinal Spellman on September 17th….
Making a “baby’s bottom” smooth transition from WR (where he ranked 1st or 2nd in all statistical categories with 19 grabs for 137 yards, and 2 TD hauls in 2021) to the backfield (was not credited with a single carry as a sophomore), Centeno-Johnson looked every bit the part of a seasoned veteran in his new role!
Needing just five touches/carries to make his presence felt last Saturday, he truly brought to life the cliche, “#1 in your program; #1 in our hearts”, as he exploded for the first TD runs of his high school career from distances of 59 and 58 yards to surge the Gaels to a 35-7 halftime advantage!
Averaging a mind-blowing 26.2/per carry, his 131 yards on land narrowly etched out teammate, Nick Duryea (126 yards, 2 TDs, on 3 attempts), for top honors!
Turning his attention to the other side of the ball, Centeno-Johnson elicited the praise of KC Head Coach, Dominick Tassone, who lauded the members of the last line of defense for their outstanding efforts in “keeping the Spellman vertical attack at bay.”!
Centeno-Johnson heads into a week #3 showdown against Xavier tied (with Duryea) atop the Gael totem pole with 3 touchdowns this season…His 253 yards (214 rushing, 39 receiving) of output is second only to Duryea’s 287 (all on the ground)!!
With potential postseason seeding implications at stake under the Friday Night Lights, another incendiary demonstration for the junior could put Kennedy back in the hunt to contend for “top line of the bracket” status!
Jayson Zeva (Sr.); WR/Returner – St. John the Baptist Cougars
Making his first appearance on the Player of the Week list in his senior season is a scholar-athlete (4.0 GPA) that has been absolutely unstoppable during the initial stages of his final season donning the Red, White, & Blue [Zeva]…
Eight days removed from recording both his first 100-yard (103) and first multi-TD reception (3) outing of his career as a Cougar, the 5’10, 175-pounder out of East Northport could have easily been chosen for his exploits in SJB’s 51-0 victory over Cardinal Spellman in week #1…
Instead, Head Coach, Philip Alba, elected to save the distinction for a bigger moment and that opportunity presented itself this past Saturday as Zeva was a yardage-collecting beast as a both a wide-out and a kick returner en route to catapulting last year’s AA-1 runners-up to a HUGE 21-18 victory over triple-A division member, Christ the King!!!
Registering the first double-digit catch display by a Cougar wide-receiver since the 2018 season (Nick Delcore; 10), the 2021 All-Catholic pick hauled in 10 pass-grabs for 84 yards and 1 touchdown…
Matching-up most of the afternoon out wide against the most experienced of the Royals’ defensive backs [Karyll Rony-Dorceus], it was one of the rare occasions that Zeva shifted into the slot that he found his greatest contribution.
SJB trailing 6-0 after allowing CTK to score on their possession of the contest (52-yard fake punt + run), it was the captain in the #4 jersey [Zeva] issuing a response on the ensuing series, as he punctuated a 4:00+ minute drive by catching a 16-yard strike over the middle from Michael Wheat (16-for-23, 123 yards, 1 TD toss) to put the hosts from West Islip on top, 7-6….The TD catch was one of three made receptions for Zeva on the drive, who also got momentum started when he returned the kick-off 20 yards to establish solid starting field position (own 26)…
On the Cougars’ next turn with the pigskin, it was his 7-yard reception on 3rd & short that advanced the ball to the opposing 12 and set up Wheat’s 5-yard TD keeper two snaps later to pad the lead to 14-6 with 9:50 remaining in the opening half!
St. John the Baptist now up 14-12 with just over 3:30 remaining in the 3rd quarter, Zeva demonstrated superb awareness and instinct when he scooped up a low, wobbly punt on the CTK 45 and darted up field to move the ball inside the 29….Two plays later, Elijah Alvarez (15 carries for 136 yards, 1 rushing TD) did the rest, going to the house on a 24-yard dash to complete the scoring for SJB…
As cited above, Zeva was just as valuable on September 17th as a special teamer, as he amassed 82 yards (4 attempts) as a KOR, and added the 16 referenced previously as a PR to round out a matinee that saw him boast a 182-yard, all-encompassing resume!
Credited with 4 or more catches and no fewer than 82 yards receiving in any of his first three games as a senior thus far, Zeva’s stat line of 19-269-4 puts him on pace to shatter the 24-392-5 that landed him All-League prestige a season ago!
JT Krivinskas (Sr.); LB – Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders
The uncontested and undeniable backbone of the “hit squad” in White Plains, there is simply no stopping, or for that matter, slowing down the 6’1, 220-pound senior linebacker that calls Port Chester home [Krivinskas]…
An All-Catholic selection as an 11th grader after posting a team-high of 121 stops, while adding 4 sacks, and a couple of fumble recoveries to his curriculum vitae, #22 for the Crusaders has picked up exactly where he left off last November…
Tallying 34 stops in three appearances this fall to boost his career total to 158, Krivinskas was bar none the most active gentleman on a Stepinac defense that collectively played lights out in their 24-3 triumph over DePaul Catholic (NJ) last Saturday evening in the 2022 rendition of the Battle for the Bridge on the campus of Rutgers University!
Holding the 2021 NJSIAA Non-Public B State runner-up Spartans to their lowest output in over a decade (43-3 loss on September 2nd, 2011), the Stepinac “D” surrendered a field goal less than 4:00 into the 1st quarter, but were otherwise immaculate, shutting out their very talented foes for the final 44 minutes of regulation, while simultaneously limiting the Garden State perennial powerhouse to just 262 yards of total offense (including a modest 85 on the ground)…
Doing more than his fair share to set the tone, Krivinskas would log a personal-high of 17 total tackles (8 solo, 9 assisted; 3 TFL) and added a strip sack in the final 6:30 of the 4th quarter to force a turnover on the Crusader 10-yard line to crush any hope DePaul might have of pulling off a comeback!
Earlier in the cross-state clash, he prevented another impending TD when he sprinted 60 yards down the field to drag deny a Spartan receiver on the 5-yard line!
Krivinskas has accumulated 10 or more stops in five of his past six outings to give him nine double-digit tackles games in his three-year varsity tenure…
Marc Pearson Jr. (Jr.); QB – Mt. St. Michael Acad. Mountaineers
According to Christian doctrine, the number “7” has often been associated with completion and/or perfection…On the contrary, “6” holds a Biblical connection of “wicked or evil”…Therefore, perhaps the truest way to describe the performance of the 6’1, 165-pound junior field general [Pearson Jr.] is to state that he was “Devilishly Superb” in commanding the Mountaineers to a 54-48 shootout victory at home over the Terriers of St. Francis Prep on September 17th!
Throwing his personal record book out the window and rewriting that tale from scratch, the Bronx resident relished in such a breakout afternoon last Saturday that if we did not know better, we would have sworn that Head Coach, Mario Valentini, must have flown in Patrick Mahomes and suited him up in the #5 jersey!!!
Setting new individual-highs across the board in EVERY statistical passing category in the dub over the visiting Terriers, Pearson Jr. connected on 18 of 28 aerial attempts for 311 yards and 3 touchdowns!!!!
To “boot” (no pun intended), he was pretty darn lethal with his nimble feet/legs as well, as he called his own number to the tune of career-milestones in yardage (73) and TD treks (4) despite carrying the ball on just nine occasions!
When the dust had settled and the final horn had sounded, Pearson’s 42-point individual heroics launched MSMA to their first 50pt showing since the 2011 season (53-20 over Monsignor Farrell on October 22nd)!!!
Elevating everyone around him by distributing the pigskin among FIVE unique targets, Pearson Jr. commenced with assembling his collection of “6s” when he found senior WR/TE, Kyle Samuels (3 grabs for 49 yards) on a 12-yard hook-up!
An 8-yard TD run for score #2, followed up by a 67-yard TD strike to 2021 All-Catholic wide-out, Jabril Carter (8 catches for 195 yards, 2 touchdowns snatches) further generated a pattern of alternating scores that witnessed Pearson Jr. switch off from limb to limb…
A 1yrd QB sneak accounted for touchdown #4 before the “cinco” came courtesy of another tag-team (30-yarder) between him and Carter!
Pearson Jr. finalized his highlight reel with consecutive ground TD from distances of 29 and 10 yards out respectively….
While they did not have the luxury of being on the back-end of a TD toss, also worthy of commendation were reigning NYCHSFL POTW, Kameron Wheeler (3 receptions for 25 yards) and Nelson Perez (3 catches for 37 yards)…Sophomore, Franklin Dominguez, logged his first catch of the season for 5 yards!
A true coming of age parable, Pearson Jr. has been so incredible at the onset of his junior year, that he has transformed from a player that produced just four total touchdowns combined in his first two seasons on varsity to a TD magnet that has already accounted for 11 scores (4 throwing, 7 running) in a matter of three appearances!!!
If he can continue to routinely hoard 2-3 TD displays week after week, it will not be long before his name is being mentioned as a VERY legitimate AA-2 OPOY contender!!!
Jameer Reeder (Jr.); RB/LB – Holy Trinity Titans
The reigning NYCHSFL Defensive Player of the Year after anchoring a Titan unit that allowed approximately 4 points per game last season, if you had not yet received the memo, you certainly got your copy this past Friday night….REEDER IS JUST AS CAPABLE ON OFFENSE!!
Earning the second POTW distinction of his career (coincidentally it occurred in week #2 of the 2021 season as well), the 5’10, 175-pound honor-student (3.9 GPA) hailing from Baldwin was “great” when the deck was even, but became “legendary” whenever the moment demanded that someone rise and put the Green & White on their proverbial backs!
The defending AA-2 titlists from Hicksville entering September 16th carrying a 13-game winning streak into a Battle for the Bridge duel versus Immaculata (NJ), every time it seemed as if another perfect season may be slipping away, it was #27 in Green & White at the forefront of a rally that ultimately saw HT fight back from deficits of 6-0 (end of the 1st quarter), 20-9 (during the 2nd quarter), 26-24 (3rd quarter), 39-31 (1:00 remaining in the 4th) and finally 42-39 (overtime) to ultimately survive and travel home as 45-42 victors!
Darn-near eclipsing his entire 2021 offensive stat sheet (compiled as an understudy to All-Catholic RB, Kam Robbins) in a single night, Reeder went from rushing for 277 yards and four touchdowns on 28 attempts as a 10th grader to accumulating 216 yards and scoring THREE TDs on 22 hand-offs in his school’s inter-state, barn-burner victory on the Rutgers University campus!
A cool-handed and reliable presence during a 48-minute+ affair when untimely turnovers repeatedly tormented the Titans, Reeder exploded for the first of his three rushing touchdowns (HT trailing 6-3) in the 2nd quarter when he took the ball up the gut, shook off multiple tacklers and then dashed 39 yards down field before diving at the pylon to give Trinity the 9-6 edge!
Immaculata now leading 20-9 in the 2nd and again it was the 11th grade sensation restoring momentum when he made multiple cuts in both directions, found a seam down the middle and dragged two defenders into the end zone for a 26-yarder that trimmed the hole to 20-15. For good measure, he then added a reception for the 2pt conversion to send his school into the locker room with a much more manageable 3pt margin to overcome!
The scoreboard yo-yoing (four lead changes, 1 tie during the 3rd and 4th quarters) in the 2nd half, an exchange of TD passes in the 3rd quarter resulted in Immaculata clinging to a 26-24 lead at end of 3….But that upper-hand was short-lived as Reeder completed his hat trick when he danced around the corner and out-raced a Spartan defender to go untouched to the promised land from 22-yards away to notch his 20th (out of a then 31 for the team) point of the contest!
Never one to neglect his “lockdown defensive calling card”, Reeder was his usual disruptive self in the opposing backfield, as three of his 8 total stops were accompanied by a loss of yardage!!
Note: Junior QB, Rocco Rainone (18-for-29, 306 yards, 1 TD pass) had TD runs of 10 and 2 yards at the end of regulation and in the overtime period to cap off Holy Trinity’s output!
Zyian Moultrie-Goddard (Sr.); RB/LB – Iona Prep Gaels
We don’t know what it is about week #2 that brings out the hulk in the Syracuse bound, 6’0, 230-pound superstar from the Bronx, but whatever the magic sauce is, it never fails to deliver desired results…
Honored as a Metro Catholic Player of the Week for the third time in his varsity career (all coming in week #2), the returning All-Catholic/1st Team All-State/Reigning AAA DPOY never fails to get his pound of flesh when he steps on the gridiron!!!e
Demonstrating the unblockable form that enabled him to register 131 stops (23 TFLs) and 4.5 sacks as a junior, Moultie-Goddard was a defensive beam of light on a night that otherwise featured an abundance of offensive firepower from both sidelines…
Racking up 15 tackles (6 solo, 9 assisted), a pair of TFLs, a QB bag, and a fumble recovery, there weren’t many boxes left unchecked by the time the Gaels were done polishing off their 42-35 comeback win on the road over NJ Prep powerhouse/2021 NJSIAA Non-Public “A” State runners-up, Don Bosco Prep!
Calling it a statement game that proved “New York can play with the big dogs”, it was the grit and determination showed by the Moultie-Goddard anchored “D” that enabled the gents from New Rochelle to climb out of a 28-14 2nd quarter hole by limiting the potent Ironmen attack (entered averaging 34ppg) to just 7 2nd half points!!!
In fact, the future Orangeman linebacker actually succeeded in single-handedly outscoring DBP during the last 24 minutes of action, as it was his power-plunge across the goal line with 10:28 remaining in the 4th that cut the deficit to 28-27….He later leveled the scoreboard at 35 apiece when he complemented a 35-yard Ajani Sheppard TD cruise by pounding in a 2pt conversion with 6:24 to go!
Senior DB, Terrence Walden, was also worthy of praise, as it was his interception + return (to midfield) in the last 90 ticks of the deadlocked showdown that served as a precursor to Sheppard’s eventual 36-yard, game-winning touchdown scamper in the final 1:08 of regulation…
Sheppard (11-for-25, 139 yards in the air; 11 carries for 146 yards and 2 TDs on land) and week #1 POTW, Colin O’Garro (16 hand-offs, 177 yards, 2 TDs) combined to run for 323 yards and four scores to ignite the offense!!
The win over Don Bosco Prep last weekend avenges the sole blemish on the Gaels’ 2021 campaign, as they fell 21-7 to their Garden State rivals when the two schools met the previous September!