Article by Matt Diano
Week #3 (September 23rd-24th, 2022)
Devin Page (Sr.); QB – Kellenberg Memorial Firebirds
Years before the 6’4, 195-pound, senior field general out of Valley Stream [Page] was even born, fictional professional football coach, Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman) said that the separation between winners and losers was the ability “get back on the horse after you’d been kicked in the teeth.”
Thankfully for the Firebirds, the now 4-0 program has their own version of a “Shane Falco” whose character and dedication to team is second to none…Because for the majority of their road showdown with Cardinal Hayes, they found themselves plagued with adversity!
A “Replacement” during the 2021 season, the future University of Pennsylvania student-athlete stepped up to fill the cleats of incumbent starter, Ethan Greenwood, and went on to earn All-Catholic distinction behind a campaign that witnessed him accumulate 1,575 yards (1,221 in the air; 354 on the ground) and 15 touchdowns (13 passing; 2 with his legs)…
Four appearances into his swan song in Blue & Gold, it is quite apparent that All-League is a formality and All-State is the reality!!!
And never was the proof more in the pudding than the heroics he orchestrated last Saturday afternoon in leading the Uniondale based squad back from the 28-7 deficit to emerge with a 36-35 triumph over the host Cardinals
Having already scored on a 74-yard touchdown trek in the 1st quarter (tied the contest at 7 apiece) for what up to that moment had been the only points of the game for the Marianist institution, Page’s immense athleticism and knack for innovation proved to be a Godsend in the waning moments (under 1:00 remaining) of the 2nd quarter, as he was able to create magic out of thin air, preserving a broken play by scrambling before eventually finding his fellow 12th grader, Peter Sluka (3 catches for 67 yards; 1TD) on a 57-yard Hail Mary that trimmed the hole to a more manageable 28-13 at the break…
The scoreboard unchanged (still 28-13) after a scoreless 3rd stanza, there wasn’t a tool in the box that Page did not display during the final 12:00 of action, as he utilized his sniper accuracy to make deep connections as precursors to calling his own number on THREE rushing touchdowns (his 2nd, 3rd, and 4th ground scores of the game)…
Launching the ball over the back-shoulder of Cluade-Albert Makelele (2 catches for 68 yards) on a 50-yard completion to move the ball into the red zone, Page culminated the drive a few snaps later on a 4-yard keeper to draw the Firebirds to within a single score (28-20) with approximately 10 minutes to go in regulation…
A Sean Cannon onside kick recovery on the ensuing play put the pigskin immediately back in the hands of Page, who then rewarded his “three-way” teammate, by hooking up with Cannon (5 reception for 95 yards; game-clinching INT) on a 42-yard hitch-and-go to advance the ball inside the opposing 5….Page did the rest, scoring on both a short TD run and then using his legs to march in the 2pt conversation to even the game at 28-28 with about 9:00 unspoken for!
After Hayes regained the lead on a TD pass (35-28), Page was there again to come to the rescue of his school, as he fed off of the momentum that came courtesy of a huge run from Ethan Cumming (67 yards on 13 carries) by taking a snap around the corner and then bolting 20-yards down his own sideline into the end zone….
Coach Meisse being the gambler that he is, rather than settle for the tie; he trusted his signal caller was rewarded for his faith as Page played pitch-and-catch with Cummings on the 2pt conversion to finish off the comeback!
Having a direct hand in every single tally for Kellenberg, Page concluded his day with 442 yards of total offensive production…He connected on 16 of his 24 aerial attempts for 279 yards (1 TD toss), while recording a new career-highs in rushing yardage and touchdowns with 163 and the aforementioned 4 on 12 carries….
Having scored at least three touchdowns in every outing thus far in 2022 (15 TDs), Page heads into week #4 with a stat line that reads as follows: 61-for-83 passing (73.5%) for 899 yards and 8 TD throws; 363 yards/7 TDs on 34 carries (10.7/per)!
Page is now a two-time POTW honoree in his career, after first earning the accolade in week 8 last fall!
Emir Yuksel (Jr.); ILB – Xavier Knights
Let’s hear it and toast to those plays that never show up in the box score, but yet are intrinsically invaluable in creating the contrast between victory and defeat…Too often, it is easy to reflect and celebrate the highlight plays; but what defines a true football fan is the ability to recognize and rejoice in the well-timed and/or clutch effort where a person did not display “flair”, but rather simply did their jobs effectively to the betterment of the entire organization….
It was in this humble capacity that the 6’1, 190-pound junior MIKE LB hailing from the Big Apple [Yuksel] earned his first career POTW spoils during the Knights’ 26-6 victory over their hosts from Kennedy Catholic on September 23rd!
Expressed perfectly by legendary Xavier Head Coach, Chris Stevens, “In a game where we rushed for 377 yards, led by two individuals that each surpassed 150 yards, one would think that a member of the offensive personnel would get the nod League Player of the Week honors; but yet, it was the bend, don’t break showing from the defense that proved to be the fortune from which propelled us to a key divisional [AA-2] win!
A contest that as described by Stevens as much closer and/or competitive that the final score might indicate, there were two opposing drives that were snuffed out that the coaching staff pinpointed as instrumental in halting any momentum that KC was attempting to establish….And in each case, it was the 11th grade gentleman donning the #9 jersey that was at the heart of generating/facilitating an eventual turnover on downs!
With the showdown deadlocked at 6-6 midway through the 2nd quarter and the Gaels in the midst of a promising drive inside the Xavier red zone, it was Yuksel getting a paw on the pigskin for a pass break-up/deflection that ended the series on the Knights’ 15-yard line and sent the game into the half all even…Prior to the PD, it was Yuksel’s ability to bring pressure on the pass rush that further derailed the Kennedy march!
Fast-forward to the early stages of the 4th quarter (Xavier now holding a 20-6 advantage) and it was the “deja vu” magic of Yuksel that again prematurely stymied a potential game-changing sequence when he followed up a pair of vital tackles recorded earlier by using his mitt to register yet another crucial pass break-up on 4th down to deny the boys of Somers on the XR 7-yard line!
Undeniably outstanding and complete in everything he did under the Friday Night lights, one week after notching his first scholastic double-digit tackle outing (10 in a loss to Moore Catholic), Yuksel continued his emergence as “one to watch” by amassing 8 solo hits and 4 assists to end the evening with a new career-best of 12 total stops…In addition, he logged his first multiple TFL effort (2.5), was credited with multiple QB hurries (2), and had those two priceless pass defenses!!!
As a sidenote, not lost in the crowd and worthy of being heralded for their offensive exploits were—Gavin Gallagher (188 yards and two rushing TDs on 16 carries), Shane Zaletofsky (160 yards/1 touchdowns on 23 keepers), and Mehdi Merah (29 yards + 1 score on 9 hand-offs) who provided the boom on offense!!
Winners of only one game a year ago, Stevens has the Knights sitting at 3-1 and firmly in the hunt for that proverbial postseason “top line” of the bracket!
Kori Small (Sr.); Safety – Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders
While always exciting, the commonplace of a defensive touchdown is so rare that thus far this season, only nine of the 32 teams in the National Football League has recorded one during the 2022 season…In 2021, the average per game was 0.17, with 26 squads accounting for 2 or less total for the entirety of a 17-game season!
So to say that the 6’1, 184-pound, two-year-starting defensive back out of Mount Vernon [Small] had himself one heck of a thrilling, but unique afternoon in the Crusader’s 34-3 win over Chaminade on September 24th would be spot on….
Entering week #3 of his senior year having recorded neither an interception, nor a fumble recovery (per MaxPreps) during his stay on the White Plains based campus, the gentleman clad in the Red/White/Blue #11 “shirt” would not only notch one of each category, he’d go the extra mile and return both to the promised land to spark Stepinac to a 20-0 halftime lead over the host Flyers….
Scoring the first of his pair of defensive TDs with a little over 6:00 remaining in the opening quarter, Small drew first blood in a 0-0 contest when he pounced on a ball knocked loose by senior LB, Jandiel Jimenez, scooped it up, and raced 34 yards to paydirt to help the Crusaders jump out to a 7-0 advantage…
The lead having nearly doubled to 13-0 (5-yard TD pass from Will Currid to Jahi Gary less than 4:00 into the 2nd quarter), Small’s intuition/instincts and/or nose for the ball wreaked havoc once again, as he thwarted a very encouraging Chaminade drive when he cut in front of a Flyer receiver on the AS 20 and sprinted 60 yards untouched (to the opposing 20), before doing a darn fine matador impression to evade a tackle (from the CHS QB) en route to finishing off the 80-yard pick-6!
Every bit as much “substance” as “style” from his spot in the secondary, not lost or forgotten in the elegance of his two scores was the fact that he played stellar fundamental football, collecting a new personal-best of 13 stops (8 solo, 5 assists), while tying his previous high of 2 successful pass break-ups as part of an ensemble that limited the Chaminade passing attack to just 94 yards (12-of-34) and surrendered only 226 yards of total offense overall in holding their host to their lowest output since the 2017 season!
Already named as the recipient of the LoHud Player of the Week, Small’s tremendous outing last Saturday now yields him another proverbial feather in his cap!
Tyler Cadienhead (Sr.); DE – Mt. St. Michael Acad. Mountaineers
The anchor of a collective bounce back defensive display that witnessed the Mountaineers go from allowing 48 points (in a 54-48 victory over St. Francis Prep in week #2) to barely being threatened at all, the 5’10, 195-pound, senior defensive end was paramount in steering Mount St. Michael Academy to their first shutout since the 2020 campaign and only the fourth for the program in the past decade, as they bested Cardinal Spellman, 27-0, on September 24th…
An All-Catholic selection as a junior on behalf of the Bronx based school, the hometown standout has consistently played at a steady, if not outstanding level throughout his journey as a Mountaineer….However, last Saturday literally and figuratively “hit differently”!!!
Establishing a new personal-high of 7 solo tackles (8 total stops) while adding a TFL and a sack, Cadienhead is on track to shatter his 2021 totals (37 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks) as he has already racked up 28 stops following three consecutive appearances of 8 or more! His QB bad in week #3 gave him 1.5 this fall!
After winning just two games last year (2-8), Coach Mario Valentini, has his brigade “cooking with gasoline” as their victory over the Pilots improved them to 3-1 overall (3-0 in divisional contests), putting them atop the AA-2 standings!!!
While Cadienhead, along with Malique Outlaw-Butler (10 stops), Jaire Edwards (7 stops, 2 TFLs), and Nico Bustamante (1 INT) all held down the fort on “D”, it was Marc Pearson Jr. (reigning NYCHSFL POTW selection) igniting the offense with a 3TD (1 pass, 2 run) exhibition…The junior signal caller upped his TD quantity to 14 (9 on the ground, 5 via sky)!
Junior RB/DB, Jonathan Otoo, was also worthy of praise after contributing on both sides of the ball…On offense (2 carries for 7 yards), he earned a rushing TD for the second straight appearance…Defensively, he posted 3 stops, including one hit that resulted in negative yardage!
Dowan Coachman (Sr.); RB/LB – Moore Catholic Mavericks
Standing 5’11 and tipping the scales at a chiseled 215 pounds, the two-way standout for the Mavericks [Coachman] is a human headache/nightmare for opposing coaches no matter the capacity in which he is being utilized…
Sometimes he inflicts damage out of the offensive backfield (312 yards and 3 TDs last season); on other occasions, the pain he causes is the direct byproduct of menacing hits as a member of the linebacking corps (65 stops in 2021)….
And then there are those really traumatizing days where he simply does it all and never permits the foes to enjoy a moment of peace!!
Last Friday night (September 23rd), in Moore Catholic’s 28-13 road victory over the Rams of Fordham Prep, the Staten Island resident toggled “beast mode” and took over the game in all aspects in helping the Mavs remain among the ranks of the unbeaten (4-0) this fall!
A NYCHSFL POTW selection for the second time in his career (previously week #2 of last year), just as he did last September, it was Coachman setting a new career-high for rushing yards, while simultaneously recording double-digit tackles that secured his berth among the week #3 elite!!!
Needing only 10 carries to surpass his prior high-mark (81), Coachman averaged just under nine yards per attempt to conclude the night with 88 yards, including a bulldozing 1-yard TD carry in the final 1:25 of the 4th quarter that iced the “w” and rounded out the scoring!
Much earlier in the night (1st quarter), it was his 26-yard dart that moved the ball inside the red zone (the Ram 15) and paved the way for the eventual first TD of the contest (3-yard QB keeper by John Michalski)
Turning his attention to the other side of the gridiron, Coachman continued to be a tackling machine for MC (no fewer than 8 stops in any of his four appearances in 2022), as he topped all Maverick personnel with 10, including a pair of hits that resulted in a loss of yardage…As an added bonus, he was part of one of the three turnovers induced by the “D”, as he regained possession for his school when he alertly hopped on a fumble caused by Michael Zeh (8 tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF)!!
Fresh off of a 4-touchdown display that garnered POTW status in week #2, Michalski was again the primary weapon offense, as he ran for two scores and tossed for one additional touchdown increase his 2022 total to 14!…Just missing a 300/200 game when he fell 19 yards short on the ground, he amassed 490 yards of production (309 in the air; 181 on land)!
Moore Catholic is going to need for all of their stars to stay locked-in and on fire as they prepare next for perhaps their biggest challenge of the season when they welcome in AAA juggernaut, Stepinac, in a collision of the unblemished on Friday Sept. 30th!