#2 Iona Prep (8-3) vs. #5 Cardinal Hayes (9-2)
When: Saturday November 18th, 2023 @6pm
Where: Jack Coffey Field on the Campus of Fordham University (441 E Fordham Rd, Bronx, NY 10458)
Watch: Youtube (Varsity Media)
Previous Meeting: Iona Prep, 46-35, on October 14th (Week #6)
How They Got Here (Iona Prep):
-Quarterfinals: 49-19 over #7 Kellenberg Memorial
-Semifinals: 35-13 over #3 Monsignor Farrell
How They Got Here (Cardinal Hayes):
-Quarterfinals: 42-14 over #4 St. Anthony’s
-Semifinals: 29-26 over #1 Archbishop Stepinac
Postseason Heroes (Iona Prep):
-Joey Gaston (QB): 21-of-27 passing, 267 yards (3 touchdowns); 94 yards (3 touchdowns) on 18 carries
-Kyseem Springer (RB): 77 yards and 2 touchdowns (12 hand-offs)
-Steven Dowdy Jr. (WR): 9 receptions, 183 yards, 3 touchdown grabs; also has a KOR TD
-Dylan Iorgoveanu (WR): 6 catches for 41 yards
-Jaden Codrington (CB): 1 INT in the quarterfinals
-Terron Johnson (CB): 1 INT in the semifinals
-Matt Davitt (DB): 1 INT in the semifinals
– Sam Bisesi (PK/Punter): 12-for-12 on PAT attempts; 6 touchbacks on 14 KOs; 41.3 yards per on 3 punts (1 include the opposing 20)
Postseason Heroes (Cardinal Hayes):
-Rich Belin (QB/PK): 19-of-26 in the air for 345 yards (2 touchdowns); 315 yards (6 touchdowns) rushing on 41 keeps; 9-for-9 on Point After Tries
-Kenneth Antoine (RB): 248 yards & 2 scores on 30 carries
-Eli Garcia (WR): 8 receptions for 111 yards
-Cleveland Charlton (WR): 5 grabs for 163 yards (1 TD)
-Ken-G Burnham (WR): 5 catches for 54 yards (1 touchdown)
– Abdoul Bah (LB): 20 tackles
-Ayden Smartt (LB): 18 stops, 1 TFL
-Giovanni Downer (LB): 15 stops, 1 TFL
-Aldrich Boakye (LB): 15 tackles, 2 stops for negative yardage
-Tyrone Smith (CB): 12 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT
-Blake Belin (DL): 9 stops, 1 TFL, 1 Sack
-Corey Rock (CB): 7 tackles, 1 INT
Overview: A tale of two teams; one we expected to be here [Iona Prep]; the other we did not [Hayes], both programs find themselves in the midst of ongoing winning streaks as the second-seeded Gaels utilized a 5-game run to advance to the AAA finale for a third consecutive year (won it all in 2021; lost in 2022), while Hayes is enjoying a four-game span of prosperity with their last loss having come to IP in week #6….
A high-scoring affair where those in attendance were treated to their fair share of action and more, when the decorated programs clashed in Mid-October, it was the rushing attack that was the major difference-maker for the victorious contingent from New Rochelle [Iona Prep], as six unique student-athletes combined to accumulate 364 yards and 4 touchdowns…Prominent among this unstoppable ground patrol was Junior QB, Joey Gaston, who led all IP personnel with 125 yards and a pair of scores on 11 carries (also tossed for an additional 137 yards and 2 more touchdowns on 10-of-13 in the air)…Sophomore RB, Crew Davis, posted a career-high of 97 yards on 11 attempts (1 TD)….Fellow sophomore, Kadin Hulling did his part, contributing 57 yards and 1 TD on 9 hand-offs…and the veteran of the group, Kyseem Springer, was solid in his own right, ending the afternoon with 62 yards on 11 tries!
If history repeats itself and Iona Prep is able to once again move the ball at will on land, it could be a long day for the Cardinals who up to this point have seemingly turned a page and are playing perhaps their best defense of 2023!!
Should our Cinderellas from the Bronx [Hayes] make the necessary adjustments (they were missing some players due to injury in week #6] and shutdown/contain the run, it will force Gaston to more on his arm, and that too can be a winning appendage as he is connecting at nearly a 70% completion rate this fall and is blessed to have the likes of Steven Dowdy Jr., (3 receptions for 63 yards, 2 TD hauls on 10/14), Jared Evans (2 grabs for 31 yards), Dylan Iorgoveanu (2 catches for 14 yards), as well as several other targets at his disposal…Dowdy Jr.’s 59 total hauls this season tops all Metro Catholic receivers regardless of specific division and his 10 TD grabs was 1st among all AAA members!
Don’t expect there to be a shortage of explosive, homerun-hitting plays on the other sideline either, as Hayes’ 11th grade phenom field general, Rich Belin, seems very much intend on adding to the family legacy as he hopes to join older brother, Henry (did the deed in 2019 as the #4 seed) [now playing collegiately at Duke University] in being the one to vault the Cardinals to the league hardware!
Responsible for 3,613 yards (2,458 in the air) and 41 touchdowns (23 passing) as a whole this season, Belin ranks 2nd in Triple-A in both throwing yardage and TD passes, while also sporting the most TD runs (3rd in yardage) in the division!!….While his accuracy was a little off during the first meeting (8-of-25), he still managed to torch the Gaels for 236 yards and 2 TDs with his arm, while concurrently finding the energy to add an additional 154 yards (1 TD) on 15 carries!
And Belin is far from a one-man show as senior RB, Kenneth Antoine, is on pace to close out his swan song as the NYCHSFL rushing king, as he will enter what could be the final game of a three-year scholastic career as the owner of a 1,275 yards/14 touchdown (163 carries) campaign…He too surpassed the century mark in week #6, gaining 110 yards and finding paydirt once on 16 attempts!!
Never lost or overshadowed in endless assortment of firepower are the contributions of talented WRs—Cleveland Charlton (10 TDs tied for 2nd among all Metro Catholic pass-catchers), Eli Garcia (team-best 34 grabs in 2023), and Reid Jones…All three showed up in the prior loss, combining for 7 catches (Jones with 3), 213 yards (Jones 85), and 2 touchdowns (1 each by Charlton and Garcia)….Ken-G Burnham, who has been hot in the postseason, tacked on a 23-yard reception last month!
Defensively, while it need not be said that both squads can move the ball aerially, because the strength seems to be on the ground, our feeling is that the jewels will end up going to whichever school can get the better game out of their respective front-7s….
Iona Prep does not list defensive statistics, but from watching them repeatedly this year, we know that Zakar Morris and Jaylin Hicks are among the best in the Evil Empire when it comes to stuffing the run….Factor in the embarrassment of riches among the LB corps—Brennen Pressley, Alex Truelsen, Declan McCauley (was injured during the semis; but is hopefully able to compete), Victor Huttinot, etc., and you have an entire regime that can/will play downhill and swallow you up!!!
Hayes counters with their own “Gold Curtain” featuring Blake Belin (3 tackles on 10/14) & Kahmari Valentine (8 stops, 1 TFL)…Ayden Smartt (13 tackles in the first meeting), Abdoul Bah (10 stops), Giovanni Downer (8 tackles, 1 stop for minus yardage), and Souleymane Diallo (3 stops) were all active at LB in Mid-October!….The return of Aldrich Boakye (37 stops, 5 TFLs despite only appearing in 5 games this season) is invaluable!….35 TFLs (9 by Belin) and 8 sacks (6 by Belin) were created by the gentlemen cited above!
Each school can ride or die with their gifted secondaries, as Adande Nartey had an INT for IP in week #6, while Tyrone Smith (9 stops) went even further, as he registered a pick-6 on behalf of the Cardinals!….
Jaden Codrington & Terron Johnson, who have been mainstays in the defensive backfield for the last three years bring with them an abundance of big-game experience….Matthew Davitt logged a huge INT in the semifinal win over Monsignor Farrell!
Corey Rock (10 stops/2 TFLs on Oct. 14th) & Raymond Cruz (2 tackles in week #6) bolster the “no fly zone” in the Bronx!
As a final shoutout, if the specialists come into play, the presence of All-Stater (5th team), Sam Bisesi, can absolutely make a difference as he has gone 51 of 53 on kicks (44-of-45 on PATs; 7-for-8 on FGs with a long of 40), while controlling opposing starting field position with 39 touchbacks on 60 kick-offs!!!
Let it also be acknowledged that [Rich] Belin has yet to miss on any of his nine PAT tries in the postseason!