When: Friday September 29th, 2023 @7pm
Where: Robert K. Kraft Field (Inside Lawrence Inside of Wien Stadium) on the Campus of Columbia University (533 W 218th St, New York, NY 10034)
Watch: LocalLive (Stepinac Channel)
Players to Watch (Cardinal Hayes)
*Rich Belin (Jr.; QB)—The brother of current Duke Quarterback/former All-State selection, Henry Belin, since assuming the reins from his older sibling under center, all the 6’0, 180-pounder resident of Harlem has done is turn himself into one of the most feared dual-threat field generals in the entire Empire State….Holding an offer from Syracuse among others, Belin possess the ability to single-handedly keep the Cardinals in any game!!….While his stats for week #3 are not yet available, through three outings this fall, he has racked up 1,210 yards (851 in the air; 359 on land) and accounted for 12 touchdowns (7 passing, 5 rushing)!
*Kenneth Antoine (Sr.; RB)—In his third season as a regular in the backfield for Hayes, Antoine possesses all the tools, as his 200-pound frame allows him to pound for the tough yards, while his blazing speed gives him a finesse aspect to his game to boot….After running for 774 yards and 7 TDs during all of 2022, he is way ahead of that pace, as he already he had already accumulated 343 yards and 6 scores through week #2 and recently added at least a 70-yard sprint during week #3!
*Cleveland Charlton (Sr.; WR)—Blessed with tremendous height (6’5) and the speed to go with it, the senior hailing from the Bronx is a match-up nightmare for any opposing cornerback, as he is hard to keep up with one-on-one in open field, and becomes even more dangerous in the red zone do to his ability to consistency win the 50/50 and/or jump ball scenarios…Through three weeks of action in his swan song, Charleton was either tied or held the outright team-lead in all major receiving categories, hauling in 12 balls for 269 yards, with 2 TD snatches…
*Eli Garcia (Sr.; WR)—A play-maker in the mold of former Cardinal great, Lucas Nunez, Garcia does not intimidate you with his size (5’11, 145) the way his teammate [Charlton] might, but he is every bit as much of a game-changer, as he proved when he caught the winning TD pass in the week #2 victory over Pope John (NJ)….All in all, during his three outings heading into week #3, he was tied with Charlton for the program-high of 12 receptions and trailed only slightly in yardage (262)…You cannot lose track of him because he can and will make you pay for the disrespect!
*Reid Jones (Jr.; WR)—A third weapon among the WR corps, the 6’2, 185-pounder had Prep Redzone singing his praises during Summer drills and he has kept that momentum going, as he was tied with Charlton for the lead in TD grabs (2) after week #2….Another “over-the top”, “stretch the D” threat, he actually averages the most yards per catch, as his 6 hauls for 146 yards put him at 24.3/per!
*Darryl Jenkins/Norris Anderson/Jayden Mann/Michal Dunn (O-Line)—Returning four of their five starters in the trenches, there is not a single man among this quartet that weight less than 275 as together, they tip the scales at over half a ton of beef and aggression….With them controlling the war zones, Hayes has been able to put up an average of 44.8 points per game in 2023…
*Blake Belin (Jr.; DL)—The third of the heralded brothers that have suited up on behalf of Cardinal Nation during the past seasons, a scary thought is that in terms of attention on the recruiting front, the big man may be the most hyped of the blood line, as he currently has attracted interest from the likes of Duke, Maryland, Minnesota, Wake Forest, West Virginia, etc…An absolute force on the defense line, #96 always comes to play, as he has showed via 3 TFLs (13 total stops) after three appearances…
*Kahmari Valentine (Jr.; DL)—An absolute breakout star as a sophomore in 2022 when he led all Cardinals with four QB sacks, the 315-pound man in the middle has not lost one ounce of his intensity, as he was averaging 6 tackles per game through week #2!
*Abdoul Bah (Sr.; LB)—A tackle-machine as a junior, posting a team-high 60 stops in 2022; he is once again home again atop the leaderboard after three outings, as he has banked 30 tackles and 1 sack heading into week #3…
*Ayden Smartt (Jr.; LB)—Second to only Bah in terms of hits in 2023, the 5’11, 190-pounder collected 47 stops as a sophomore a year ago and has been even better thus far in 2023….
*Aldrich Boakye (Sr; LB)—Adding depth and athletic to the LBs, Boakye excels at invading the opposing backfield, as he showed when he recorded a pair of sacks last year and has continued to demonstrate in his swan song with 2 TFLs (16 total stops)!
*Ray Boyd (Sr.; DB)—Bringing senior leadership to the last line of defense, Boyd is an incumbent starter in the secondary and has been one of the most active hitters on the squad, amassing 25 tackles after week #2…
*Corey Rock (Sr;. CB)—Yet another returning presence in the defensive backfield, Rock has already equaled the 11 stops he made in all of 2022 and even added an INT for good measure at the onset of the 2023 fall!
*Tyrone Smith (Jr.; CB)—A name we were not familiar with at the stage of the new season, Smith’s play has commanded our attention, as he joins Rock as the only Cardinal with an interception this season and has shown that is a complete DB by virtue of his willingness to engage and collect 19 tackles
Players to Watch (Stepinac)
*Will Currid (Sr.; QB)–Since featuring him in our week #1 GOTW preview, all the three-year starter/four-year varsity member has done is throw for an additional 610 yards and six touchdowns to raise his 2023 fall totals to 1,127 (83-of-129) yards and 10 TD hurls!
*Lorenzo Robinson (Sr.; RB)– With “partner in crime”, Jordan Osbourne out of the line-up the last few weeks, Robinson has embraced the role of the bell cow and is thriving as the Crusader’s primary rushing option, as his POTW-garnering performance during week #3 (206 yards yard on 13 carries; 4 touchdowns; 2 receptions for 43 yards, 1 score) has him on track to shatter every previous career seasonal record he had earned….He has produced 648 yards of total offense this season, using his hands for gains of 493 yards and four scores (67 carries), while relying on his hands to make 14 grabs for 155 yards (2 TDs)!
*Jahi Gary (Sr.; WR)–Absent from the stat sheet (and perhaps the game itself) during week #3, if Gary is healthy, he is always one to watch, as he has 56 receptions for 938 yards and 11 touchdowns during his three-year varsity tenure!
*Zaire Spellman (Jr.; WR)–Quiet in the week #3 victory over Holy Trinity, Spellman put himself on our radar by hoarding 14 catches for 136 yards (1 TD) during Stepinac’s first three games. Hence, we are giving him a pass and would not be surprised to see him get back to those 5-7 grab per day/night efforts!
*Darison Hooper (Sr; WR.)—The 6’0, 160-pounder out of White Plains arrived during week #2, hauling in 13 catches for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns vs. DePaul Catholic; he followed it up with a 3-grab, 65-yard, 1TD display versus the Titans last week to bring his now team-best totals to 21 receptions for 318 yards, with 5 TD snatches!
*Troy Worrell (Sr.; WR)—Yet another senior wide-out that we negated to mention in our GOTW preview, we won’t make that mistake again, as Worrell has been on fire since week #1, racking outings of 6 (117 yards, 1 TD), 3 (8 yards), and 3 (51 yards) catches in week #1-3 to presently rank in the top-3 on A.S. with 14 grabs (3rd) for 204 yards (2nd)!
*Ryan Diaz/D.J. Williams (O-Linemen)–All things are humming for the Crusaders on “O”, as between the aerial attack (1,127 yards, 10 TDs) and the ground warfare (517 + 5), Stepinac has managed to put up an average of 29 points-per-game this fall….And when you see that kind of universal efficiency, it usually means that the OL is doing their jobs well!!
*Eddie Palumbo (Sr.; LB)–Making 26 combines tackles in weeks 1 and week 2, as well as adding a QB back, he is a difference-maker on “D”, as evident when he finished 2nd on the team with 93 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 QB hurries, and a pair of INTs as a junior!
*Tommy Cottrell (Sr.; LB)—Announcing his presence at the party during week #1, the Putnam Valley resident stockpiled 17 tackles in the win over the Lions…After week #2, he ranked in the top-4 of the following categories: Tackles (4th with 31 stops), hurries (1st with 4), and sacks (tied for 1st with 1)
*Deonte Douglas (Sr.; S/DB)–The consummate “check every box” contributor out of the secondary for Coach O’Donnell, after recording 82 tackles and 3 interceptions in 2022, the New Hampshire commit is not resting on laurels, as he presently owned the team lead with 38 tackles, while making three successful pass break-ups thru his first three games!
*Samuel Madu (Sr.; CB)–The future Minnesota Gopher was almost halfway towards tying his 2022 total of 11 pass break-ups, as he had five PDs through week #2 to go along with 16 tackles!
*Garrison Heslop (Jr.; DB)–Throwing his name into the fray during the Week #1 GOTW preview because of his genets and the scouting report, the 11th grader has continued to reward us for showing faith in him, as he collected 11 tackles, 2 PDs, and an INT in weeks 1 and 2!
*Kadear Dembele (Jr.; DT)– There remains no answer for the first-year Crusader, as he made 9 stops (2 TFLs) and added a sack in weeks 1 and 2 to show that he is going to be a force from start till end of 2023!!
*Damon Smith (Sr.; DB)—Steady in each and every outing, we almost mentioned Smith in the GOTW preview two weeks ago and now wish we had, since he has answered the bell in every possible way, registering double-digit stops in week #0-2, while adding two pass break-defenses in the win over Farrell!…He is trails Douglas for 2nd on the team with 34 tackles and is tied with Douglas and Heslep for 2nd on the team with 3 pass break-ups!
Synopsis
A must win for both programs, if the Cardinals pull out the dub it likely puts them in a promising position to earn a top-3 seed in the triple-A playoffs….On the flip side, the Crusaders need the victory in order to keep pace for defending champs, St. Anthony’s, for the top overall spot in the bracket!!
Seemingly able to score at will on offense (44.8/per appearance), a big question for Hayes is whether or not their defense will be able to do enough to prevent them from losing another firefight the way they did when they played the Friars during week #1?
Injury-plagued at the onset of the fall, if you look at the personnel on the C.H. roster, you recognize quite the abundance of talent, especially on the DL where Kahmari Valentine & Blake Berlin might be the best DT 1-2 punch anywhere in New York State!!!
Linebackers—Abdoul Bah, Ayden Smartt and Aldrich Boakye, all have gaudy tackle totals, so clearly they are capable of stepping up and delivering a big performance!
And the secondary is absolutely ripe with returning talent in the persons of Ray Boyd and Corey Rock, not to mention the emergence of Tyrone Smith!!
So why have the Cardinals surrendered 30+ in three of their four outings? The answer is likely that it just goes with the territory when you choose to challenge yourself with such an ambitious schedule…
That having been said, trying to win a shootout with Stepinac might be a very dangerous proposition/strategy given that the Red, White, and Blue juggernaut have allowed only 21 or few points during their current three-game winning streak (after giving up 51 in a week #0 loss to Tennessee powerhouse, Baylor School)…
Led by a loaded secondary comprised of Big-10 bound, Samuel Madu, and Deonte Douglas (committed to New Hampshire), the no-fly zone has been reinforced by the growth/coming-of-age of individuals such as Garrison Heslop and Damon Smith!
Eddie Palumbo is the all-star name on at the LB position, but fellow senior, Tommy Cottrell, has come on strong and made his presence known the last few weekends!
And the arrival of Kadear Dembele to plug the middle has more than paid dividends!!!
Simply put, there are electrifying playmakers on both sidelines; but yet, we still expect a healthy dose of points to go up on the board!!
The comparison we make when looking at the potential of these offenses, the best way to express is that if you threw a blind dart at the photos of all skill position student-athletes, there is about a 90% chance you’d land on either an established superstar or a person on the verge of stardom!!
There is no weakness anywhere you look, as Rich Belin (Hayes) is probably the most well-rounded signal caller in the NYCHSFL (regardless of division), whereas Will Currid (Stepinac) is the traditional/Dan Marino-like gunslinger who is going to whip the ball to all corners of the field and threaten a 300-400 yard performance each and every time he steps on the gridiron!!…We consider it “smart money” that both will garner All-State honors in 2023!!
At the running back position, if Jordan Osbourne is healthy, that gives Stepinac a two-headed monster of speed and power; but even if he is out for another week, Lorenzo Robinson left no doubt that he can be a primary, every down RB, as he is fresh off of a 200+-yard, 4TD rushing/1TD receiving showcase that earned POTW honors…..Cardinals’ Three-year starter, Kenneth Antoine, would have been a 1,000-yard rusher if he played the full allotment of games as a junior, and he certainly seems on his way to reaching the milestone in his swan song; so there really is not any advantage in this aspect of the ballgame!!
Each school graduating their top-3 pass-catching targets from the 2022 season, what leaves us amazed is that there is this inherent ability to always be reloading the cupboard at the WR in both the Bronx and Westchester!!!….Cleveland Carlton & Reid Jones went from 8 and 3 receptions apiece a year ago to 12 and 6 in just their first three games of 2023…And don’t forget about Eli Garcia who has come out of nowhere to shine in his final season as a Hayes’ student-athlete!!!….Same tune, different borough, as it pertains to the Crusaders as Zaire Spellman, Darison Hooper, and Troy Worrell made a modest 12 combined catches during 2022, but all have more than that as individuals already during the early stages of 2023…And Jahi Gary, the established commodity, is the most potent of all when operating at 100%!!!
Be sure to have your popcorn ready because if the Hayes defense stands tall and their offense does what it does, this could be game of the year material!