CARDINAL HAYES CLAIMS 1ST NYSCHSAA FOOTBALL TITLE
By Matt Diano UP HAYES!!!! After unsuccessful bids in 2016 and 2019, the Cardinals of Cardinal Hayes High School can finally and proudly call themselves STATE CHAMPIONS!!! The rags to riches Cinderella story (2-8 last season; seeded 5th in the 2023 NYCHSFL AAA playoffs) saw its final chapter punctuated with an exclamation point earlier today on the campus of Columbia University as the CJ O’Neil mentored band of brothers emerged with a 40-22 triumph over Monsignor Martin titlist, St. Francis (Hamburg)!!!. The offense humming with the same sweet melody that it had at every previous stage of the fall campaign (came in averaging 39.2/per outing), the Cardinal & Gold were able to blow open a then 7-6 advantage in the 1st quarter by peeling off 26 unanswered points during the midst of the next 21 minutes to relish as large as a 33-6 cushion (in the 3rd quarter) before the