Article by Matt Diano
“Behold, how good and pleasant it is, when brothers dwell in unity.”— Psalm 133:1
After a two-year absence in which circumstance denied us the opportunity to gather as a flock, the tradition that is the annual NYCHSFL Communion Awards breakfast was formally and/or customarily welcomed back earlier today on the campus of Kellenberg Memorial High School!
Coalesced like a band of brothers as the All Mighty intended, for one final morning in the Winter of 2022, the best and brightest of the New York Metropolitan Catholic Football League basked in the glory that they worked so tirelessly to earn!
For some, the past four years coming and going in the blink of an eye, there were no rivals in the breaking of bread ritual…The spirit of competition was replaced by inner-peace and the euphoria that accompanies knowing that battles have already been settled and all that remained is for excellence to be recognized and celebrated!!!
As addressed in the homily delivered by Fr. Dan Griffin, S.M., as we approach a new season (Advent), we are called to heed the wisdom and advice of St. Catherine, and “set the world on fire” in all that we do!!…
Our 2022 “laureates” certainly did their part to ignite a blaze…May we feel the strength of the Lord as we do likewise in whatever challenge/mission is next to summon us!
Stepinac senior and future Harvard University student-athlete, John “Jack” Donahoe, took home our most distinguished prize, the Monsignor Matthew Peter’s Trophy (see separate article), while the following 12 standouts were singled out and commended for their invaluable and phenomenal achievements in the areas of overall offensive, defensive, line of scrimmage, and special teams’ splendor!
Joseph Riverso Memorial Award (Offensive Player of the Year)
Three gentlemen that week after week put their respective schools on their backs and led them to victory, our 2022 recipients have much in common…Every member of the trio lined up at the quarterback position, all three were lethal with both their arm and their legs, and most importantly, thanks to the contributions made by each, all three of the programs they represent successfully punched their tickets to Championship weekend…Congratulations to the 2022 Joseph Riverso Memorial Award winners—Dante Torres (AAA; St. Anthony’s), John Michalski (AA-1; Moore Catholic), and Marc Pearson Jr. (Mount St. Michael Academy; AA-2)….
Torres, who this past Wednesday commanded the Friars to the program’s first NYS Catholic crown (since the inception of the game in 2014), was already a living legend in the South Huntington based hallways prior to the insane comeback effort on November 30th (27 unanswered points in the 2nd half; 27-20 final), as it was his dual-threat mastery that enabled St. Anthony’s to win the Metro triple-A hardware for the 15th overall time (1st since 2012)…The third member of the Black & Gold football fraternity to be named as the Riverso winner, he joins Matt Hahn (back-to-back in 2002 & 2003) and James Brady (2007) in being selected for this prestigious honor…Boosting a 68% completion percentage (166-for-244) and throwing for over 3,000 yards (3,204), the future Fordham Ram amassed 35 touchdown passes in 2022 (including 12 in the postseason). As a gun-slinger alone, his numbers would have made him a top-candidate for this accolade; but when you factored in his ability to also scramble (474 yards + 11 scores on 65 attempts), he became a no brainer….To put into perspective how remarkable Torres was in his swan song, consider that in 7 of 10 appearances, he threw for 250+ yards, and in 8 of 10, he registered no fewer than 3 TD passes…Don’t be surprised if not the second straight year, the NYCHSFL OPOY is later recognized as the NYS winner to boot (Ajani Sheppard of Iona Prep did the deed in 2021)!
Michalski, a 2nd team All-State selection in 2021 who is a sure bet to be named to the list yet again in his final year captaining the Maverick attack, was a primary reason for Moore Catholic ascended to the top of the Staten Island rankings and reached the AA-1 title contest for a second consecutive season…Committed to Sacred Heart University to continue his education and gridiron greatness, he came one short of a mind-blowing 3,500 yard of total production…Holding the distinction being both the top-passer and the leading rusher in the AA-1 division this fall, he connected on 103-of-174 aerial attempts (2,045 yards) for 14 touchdowns, while also amassing an additional 1,454 + 12 with his legs…On eight occasions, he surpassed the century mark on the ground, including in his final scholastic outing, where he gained 154 yards and scored two touchdowns in a hard fought title game loss to Holy Trinity…Michalski is now the second Mav student-athlete to go home with this award, joining the company of Justin Lacks (2019)!
The lone recipient who will return in 2023, not to mention the first Mountaineer to win a Riverso, Pearson Sr., solidified his worthiness when he was the catalyst and/or consummate playmaker for a Mount team that made their first championship appearance since 2013…And while MSMA may have fallen, 29-22, in the finals to Xavier, it was through no fault of the stud in the #5 jersey, as he tossed a pair of touchdowns to give him 14 on the year…The top-arm in AA-2 this fall, the 6’1, 165-pound 11th grader accounted for more than 1,500 yards vertically, while simultaneously picking his moments to showcase his ability to move the ball on the ground (average 5.5/carry)…Scoring the last of his 11 rushing touchdowns on Thanksgiving during the Turkey Bowl, his 25 total scores were impossible to ignore…Like a wine that improves with each passing (no punted intended) year of maturity, on five different occasions, Pearson threw for multiple touchdowns; he’d scramble for 2 or more TDs on three separate outings…And with his entire senior year still awaiting him, there is no telling what he has in store for the Catholic football faithful next season!
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Vincent O’Connor Memorial Award (Defensive Player of the Year)
A triad of 12th graders that applied so many bone-chilling hits and thrills in their respective swan songs, that opposing offenses lived in fear of the pain they could and/or would inflict during the course of a 48-minute weekly body of work…True trend-setters who poured their entire being into stopping anything and anyone that crossed their path, our three 2022 choices were all towards the top of their specific team or league totem poles in terms of total tackles…Complete defenders that displayed a willingness and aptitude for handling any assignment (whether it be run or pass), it is no coincidence that two of our winners anchored the D-Unit on title-winning cohorts, while the third brought his team the semifinals, losing only to the eventual champs…Our most sincere commendations and respect are extended to your 2022 Vincent O’Connor Memorial awardees—Ian Strong (AAA; St. Anthony’s), Christopher Bacon (AA-1; Holy Trinity), & Dan Duryea (AA-2; Kennedy Catholic)!
An-everything performer whose wealth of talent will be taking him to New Brunswick next fall to play in the defensive backfield for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Strong’s impact on the Friars’ title season was so immense that an argument could be made that he was every bit as deserving of OPOY consideration as he was Defensive Player of the Year acclaim…Putting aside his game-changing skill set on “O” and focusing on what made him a 2022 individual honoree, consider that he was front-and-center for one of the biggest plays of the season, as his field goal block (returned by teammate, Jaeden Jenkins, for the TD) against Stepinac in the regular season finale enabled St. Anthony’s to clinch the top-seed in the Triple-A playoffs. For some, this kind of clutch demonstration becomes a career-highlight; but to the 6’4, 195-pounder, out of Coram, it is par for the course since he has turned the extraordinary into habitual during the course of his varsity career…A prototypical “Rover” LB if we ever saw one, Strong recorded six or more stops in 9 of 11 appearances as a senior to rack up 74 tackles (3 TFL) to showcase the running stopping aspect of his abilities…In coverage, he tied for the 3rd most interception in the AAA classification with three picks….Offensively, he embraced the Iron Man mentality, hauling in 28 receptions for 778 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first year doing double duty…His 13-catch, 236-yard, 3TD affair during the regular season vs. Iona Prep makes us think that Coach Schiano might want to entertain the notion of affording Strong the Deion Sanders/Charles Woodson treatment!…Strong is now the third STA player to receive the O’Connor, following in the footsteps of Scott Vallone (2007) and Makhai Murphy (2018)!
The successor to current teammate/2021 selection, Jameer Reeder, if there one characteristic that sticks about Bacon, it is that he plays with such intensity and flies to the ball with such ease, that when you are viewing game tape, you are left with the impression that there must be 2-3 guys all sharing that #11 shirt because he is routinely around the ball and his name is being called consistently from opening whistle to final buzzer…A foundation piece of the #1 overall defense (regardless of classification) in the NYCHSFL the past two seasons (allowed 12.2 ppg in 2022 after surrendering only 4.3/game in 2021), Bacon lived in the opponent’s backfield, as he stockpiled a plethora of TFLs to go along with endless QB bags and/or hurries…With the Titans trailing 7-0 in their repeat bid on November 19th, it was his strip (recovered by Melan Williams) that swung momentum and enabled HT to emerge with a 20-14 victory over Moore Catholic…Guaranteed to play at the collegiate level, per Prep Red Zone, he has offers from the likes of LIU and Lafayette already in pocket, and Duke University are among the suitors that have expressed interest!
One of the bar none/marquee breakout stars of 2022 in his final year as a Gael, the 5’10, 190-pound dual-sport standout (also kills it on the baseball diamond) elevated his game to such a degree that he went from being credited with 54 total stops in his sophomore and junior campaigns combined to running away with the AA-2 tackles lead with 102 (30 more than his closest competition)…Coming one interception short of tying for the divisional league and polishing off a defensive triple-crown (tackles, sacks, INTs), in addition to his massive stop quantity, the Wappinger Falls resident also collected 4 sacks, a pair of picks, and even successfully blocked a punt to round out his 2022 vitae!!!….Spotlighted by a 20 stop, 4 TFL, 1 sack outing during the regular season against eventual champs, Xavier, Duryea notched seven double-digit tackle games this season, including capping off his career with five straight 10+ efforts…KC establishing something of a monopoly when it comes to going home with the O’Connor, Duryea is the second “Boy of Somers” since 2017 to claim the privilege. Cole Esposito was a two-time winner in the “A” division in 2017 & 2018!
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Joe Thomas Memorial Award (Lineman Of the Year)
“No one is going to stick their head out of the trenches for someone they don’t respect or trust. You can get shot doing that.”—Gordon Bethune
For the past 2-3 seasons, these fine young lads have done nothing but battle tirelessly IN THE TRENCHES so that they would hold the admiration, confidence, and loyalty of those that were going to war with them on every snap!
Hailed as the “true engineers of success”, what takes place on the “front lines of combat” requires individuals of a special breed…Selfless, tough, mean, and determined are just a handful of the terms that could be used to categorize and/or depict the often underreported and sometimes overlooked bedrocks of our sport…
All having worn that proverbial badge of courage for the last time (graduating seniors) in the name of bringing glory to their soon-to-be alma maters, our selections are comprised of an All-State defender, the linchpin of one of the most prolific run attacks witnessed in ages, as well as a two-way beast that answered the bell on every occasion and under every circumstance….All three priceless and cherished brethren in ensembles that ranked top-3 in terms of points scored or points allowed in their particular classification, it gives us great pride and satisfaction to put these mountains of men—Wayne Coleman (AAA; Archbishop Stepinac), Henry Tabansi (AA-1, Moore Catholic), & Matthew Lane (AA-2) onto their own personal Rushmore as 2022 Joe Thomas Memorial Award winners!
Named to both the All-Catholic and the All-State (5th) team a junior in 2021, following a campaign in which he amassed 77 tackles and 4 sacks, the 6’2, 305-pound resident of Waterbury [Coleman] wreaked even more havoc and was a more brutalizing force from the DT position this past season…Praised for the agility, explosiveness, and endurance he exhibited in going all-out on every snap, Coleman was a nightmare for opposing signal callers, as he posted a AAA-best 10 sacks, as well as 16 hurries to complement his overall resume of 81 stops (9 TFLs)!!!…A student-athlete that had a knack for turning up the volume on the biggest of stages, if you take a gander at his season-highs—Tackles (10 vs. St. Anthony’s), TFLs (4 vs. DePaul Catholic), hurries (7 vs. Iona Prep during the regular season), sacks (2 vs. Iona Prep in the semifinals), etc.—you see the pattern!!!….With him filling and blowing up the gaps in the middle of the field, the Crusader “D” finished tops in the division in points surrendered, allowing just 17.2/per (including two shutouts and two additional games where they held their foe to 3)!!!…Coleman becomes the 4th representative from Stepinac to add this honor to his trophy case. The White Plains based program went back-to-back in 2013 (Brian Harris) and 2014 (Dwayne Scott), before claiming the Thomas again in 2019 (Ajani Cornelius)!
Ensuring his future at the NCAA DI level prior to the first drill of the 2022 campaign, in July, the 6’6, 290-pounder will sign his National Letter of Intent next month to the University of Buffalo (after verbally committing in July)…An imposing force, whether he is lined up across from you on offense at LT, or terrorizing his counterparts at DE, there will not be a single moment of any game where as a fan, you are not drawn to the #75 jersey….A dominant protector and/or blocker, Tabansi paved the way for the Mavericks attack to generate over 5,000 yards and 37 touchdowns of production this season to rank 3rd in points per game in the AA-1 division. Keeping his fellow honoree, Michalski, upright all season, it was very much feasible that if not for the blood and sweat poured out by one, the other may not have been relished in such esteem!!!….Flipping pages to the other side of the line, Moore Catholic finished 2nd (16.5) in Double-A-1 in points permitted, as Tabansi recorded 48 tackles, 2.5 sacks, jarred two balls loose in bringing senior leadership among a gifted front-7!!!…The Thomas Club now sits at two entries on Merrill Avenue; Tedi Kushi previously was a recipient in 2019!
Lane, the 5-guard in the Knights’ vaunted single-wing scheme, was so tremendous in anchoring this group of OL bulldozers, that together, the brigade facilitated one of the most spectacular and lucrative ground arsenals in the history of the NYCHSFL….Boasting three of the top-4 rushers in AA-2 this year—Shane Zaletofsky (#1; 1,215 yards +16 touchdowns), Gavin Gallagher (#3; 935 yards + 10 touchdowns), and Mehdi Merah (#4; 833 yards and 14 scores), the Manhattan-based program rushed for 3,194 yards and 42 touchdowns in 2022 to post the #1 overall offense in the division (30.9/per game) en route to hoisting championship hardware (first since 2014)….The 319.4 yards running per game marked an average improvement of +123.0, while the 42 land scores far surpassed the 17 registered in 2021…For a school that knows a little something about ground & pound, the fact that their numbers in 2022 are the highest on record dating back to when MaxPreps offering full statistics is very telling of the impact made in the middle by #57!…Lane is the first Xavier player since 2011 (Ricky Comis) to claim the Thomas!
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Special Teams Player Of the Year
Paying homage to the legends of yesterday, the most special of our 2022 specialists are comprised of two combo Tom Dempsey/Ray Guys and one Brian Mitchell!!!
One’s ability to dictate starting field position is a powerful and quite essential weapon to have if you are going to win on the gridiron….So perhaps it is fitting that our honorees come from a school that reached the AAA semifinals for the first since 2013 (Chaminade), as well as two programs that advanced all the way to ‘ship weekend, Holy Trinity and Mount St. Michael Academy!
Whether he was one of the two “booting the pigskin a mile” or the return man that was dangerous every time he fielded the ball in open space, the chosen were masters of their craft and had an indelible effect well beyond the status they were bestowed…
Felicitations & salutes go out to our Special Teams Players of the Year—Timothy Tomlinson (AAA; Chaminade), Evan Glusic (AA-1; Holy Trinity), & Jabril Carter (AA-2; MSMA)….
Presently heralded as the #7 kicker in the country from the class of 2024 (per Kohls), Tomlinson followed up a sophomore debut in 2021 that saw him convert 5-of-8 FG attempts (long of 54) and connect on 35-of-38 PATs, while stockpiling 25 touchbacks on kick-offs by hitting on 7 of 12 (long of 42) field goal tries, 15-of-20 PATS, and adding 21 more TBs to his collection as a junior….Possessing a sledge hammer for a foot, even if his stats dipped a little during 2022, it is important to recognize that he still managed to lead all AAA kickers in FG made, KO yardage, and total touchbacks. If that is regarded as a “slump”, then sign us up for his down year…If his heroics as a place-kicker are not sufficient to win you over, consider that after handling just PK duties as a 10th grader, this fall he willingly undertook the responsibility of also doing the punting for the Flyers, averaging 39 yards on his 46 attempts, with 11 being deeply embedded inside of the opposing 20…When the strength of your team is a stout defense, then the ability to make the opponent go the length of the field is a talent and godsend that aided Chaminade in their return to the Triple-A map!….Himself a surefire future power-5 recruit, Tomlinson joins current University of Maryland punter, Anthony Pecorella (2018) as the two Crimson & Gold gems to be named as top specialists!
As cool a cat as they come, Glusic was almost automatic this season on his field goal and PAT tries…A soccer player by trade, his transition and/or dabbling into the world of “American football” has paid dividends for the Titans, as it was the six points on his 2-for-2 afternoon (from distances of 40 and 35) that provided the margin in HT’s 20-14 victory over Moore Catholic….Hitting from as long as 53 this season, the boom of his leg has been a major asset on both kickoffs (over 53 yards/per) and punts (36.6), where he has rendered the opposition helpless by burying them deep in their own territory and then forcing them to try to march against the top-rated defense in all of the Metro Catholic League…As brilliant off the field as he is on, the 4.0 student can write his own ticket to college based on his academic prowess; but when you have a Howitzer for a limb, a DI school would be wise reach out!…Glusic is the first Holy Trinity rep to claim this distinction!
Dynamic in every sense of the word when the ball is in his hands, the best compliment we can pay to the 5’11, 155-pounder out of Harlem is that whenever we tuned it to watch the Mountaineers, we could not take our eyes off the #7 shirt…The AA-2 triple-crown winner as a pass-catcher with close to 40 grabs for nearly 800 yards, and 9 TD hauls, Carter added that extra dimension of firepower and/or game-changing playmaking by acting as the Mount’s primary kick and punt returner….Approaching 400 yards of total contributions in this area, he’d strike for “6” when he took a punt return 57 yards back to paydirt in a week #2 win over Kennedy Catholic!!!…Like Glusic, Carter is now a one-man band as the lone winner in school history!