Jonathan Bailey (Sr.); QB – Fordham Prep Rams
Officially holding the rank of QB1 in 2024 after seeing plenty of field time (733 yards and 4 TD tosses on 52-of-114 passing; 238 yards and 2 touchdowns on 41 keepers last season) as a trusted back-up during his sophomore and junior years, the strapping 6’3, 176-pound field general out of Yonkers [Bailey] is epitomizing the saying that “the best things in life are worth waiting for.”…
Like Adam, Abraham, King David, and all of the great shepherds guiding his flock, Bailey could not have been more in control of the Ram offense than he was this past weekend in orchestrating Fordham Prep’s 44-12 victory on Coffey Field over Holy Cross!!!
The ability to elevate the performances of every teammate around you being the trait of any true leader/kingpin, Bailey succeeded in doing this in spades as he’d connect with five different targets (including three unique TD recipients) en route to either equaling or surpassing all of his previous personal-bests in the air behind a 9-for-12, 259-yard, 3-touchdown exhibition!
Spectacular from the opening possession to when he was finally relieved late in 3rd quarter, it did not take #12 long to get in the box score, as he built off of the momentum created by a long Jack McKillop (132 yards + 1 TD on 12 carries) run by finding senior TE, Tyler Vujtech, over the middle on a 10-yard play-action hurl to quickly put FP in front, 7-0!!!
A trade-off of “6’s” at the end of the 1Q (FP) and beginning of 2Q (HC) making it a 14-6 ballgame, Bailey halted any mojo that the Knights were trying to conjure, as he answered back on the ensuing series, putting the pigskin in the hands of super sophomore WR, Lake Chiesi (2 grabs for 96 yards, 1 score), on a bubble screen and then allowing the young gun to do the rest of the work, as he paraded 63 yards down the visiting sideline to the house to restore the multi-TD edge (21-6)…
Never resting on laurels and maximizing every opportunity afforded, Bailey was masterful in his conduction of the two-minute offense, as he’d sling BBs of 33 and 44 yards to the likes of Chiesi and Matt Herlick (2 receptions for a team-best 121 yards, 1 TD catch) to drive the team from their own 21 to inside the HC 10 as a precursor to an eventual 22-yard FG by Tadhg O’Neill (5-of-6 on PATs; 1-1 on field goal tries) that sent the schools into the break with the Rams relishing the upper-hand, 24-6!
One of his final acts of the evening being perhaps the most attention-grabbing on paper, after the Fordham Prep “D” induced a punt on Holy Cross’ opening series of the 2nd Half, Bailey threw a short bullet to Herlick who was then able to turn up field and out-sprint all defenders to notch the 80-yarder to add insult to injury (31-6)!!!
This is his first career POTW selection…
Dating back 2017, FP’s win in week #2 extended their streak to four in a row over their Flushing foes!
Will Handley (Sr.); OLB – Chaminade Flyers
Transcending the fact that the Flyers unfortunately suffered their first blemish (2-1) of the 2024 campaign, the 6’3, 205-pounder from Williston Park [Handley] turned in such an impressive outing during the 10-3 Battle For the Bridge Loss to Seton Hall Prep, that both the Chaminade coaching staff and NYCHSFL media felt that he warranted some spotlight!!!
“Will” not just his name; but also an accurate description of the enthusiasm and toughness in which he performs week-in and week-out; the two-time starter for the Crimson & Gold literally did everything within his capabilities to “will” his school to victory last Saturday afternoon!!
His transition from the defensive backfield as a junior (33 tackles, 2 INTs) to Outside ‘backer in his final year doing the deed on Jackson Avenue, #8 “flew around the field” to borrow from Head Coach, Tom Claro, as he’d rack up a career-high 11 total stops (4 solo, 7 assisted) for a stout D-Unit that has been menacing and active during every stage of the first three appearances of the fall…
Blessed with a motor like the Energizer bunny; the hitting ability of the “Assassin”, Jack Tatum; and the ball-hawking vision of Jack Ham, by the clearest of terms, Handley is a “play-maker”….
And he darn-near was front-and-center on what would have been an outcome altering sequence when less than 3:00 into the 3rd quarter (CHS down 10-3), he came within inches of a surefire pick-6 when he anticipated and jumped the pass route, but was unable to hang on…
Anchoring a defense that pitched a shutout in week 1 (allowing just 132 yards of total offense) and was quite splendid despite the loss (10pts and only 235 yards given up) this past weekend, this may be the first time we are recognizing the brilliance of Handley; but something tells us that it won’t be the last, as has the total tool box to be both a repeat POTW nominee, as well as an All-Catholic/All-State selection!
Jonathan Nguyen (Sr.); RB – St. Francis Prep Terriers
If the first three weeks of the NYCHSFL season has taught us anything; it is that there is an embarrassment of riches present in the offensive backfield in Fresh Meadows!!
Just two weeks removed from teammate, Troy Fason, garnering POTW honors after scoring a game-winning touchdown to knock off defending AA-1 champs, St. John the Baptist; the spotlight on September 14th to the person of 5’5, 145-pound sparkplug out of Bellrose [Nguyen]…
Amassing just three total touchdowns during all of the 2023 season while operating in a reserve/second-wave capacity, the #11 shirt picked a banner occasion in which to have a breakout day, as it was the four-touchdown effort he banked that spearheaded St. Francis Prep’s 34-0 trouncing of Morris Catholic (NJ), to give the NY Metro contingent their only win (1-9) in the 2024 rendition of the Battle For the Bridge!
Blowing past his previous career-best of 60 yards on 8 carries (achieved during Week #0 of the 2023 fall in a dub over Christ the King), the perennial scholar-Athlete (3.7 grade point average) torched the Garden State Crusaders to the tune of 101-yard, 3-touchdown resume on just seven carries (14.4/per)…
His impact felt from the opening whistle, Nguyen culminated a successful opening drive when he took the misdirection handoff to the left, cut to the middle, and then found a seam on the right to dash 18 yards to the house to give SFP a 7-0 lead just 3:10 into the 1st quarter…
He’d make it two consecutive marches on which he emphatically put his stamp when after the Terrier defense forced a punt, he’d shift out wide, cross over the middle, and then wait for 11th grade gunner slinger, Jack Leary (7-for-10; 131 yards, 1 TD pass) to put the pigskin on the money for the 38-yard pitch-and-catch TD exchange to up the score to 14-0 with approximately 4:30 to go in 1Q!!!
Adding to his epic afternoon, Nguyen logged his third touchdown of the contest (second on the ground) when he took a toss to the right side of the line and then sprinted with reckless abandon to the corner, beating all of the MC defenders to the pylon to increase the cushion to 21-0 with 5:25 prior to the intermission…An INT by Fason on the MC side of the field, as well as a pair of receptions by Julian Morales (25 yards rushing on 6 attempts; 21 yards as a receiver on two grabs) were essential in paving the way for their teammate to complete the natural hat trick!!
Merciless in piling on the points, with his school now enjoying the luxury of a 28-0 separation (54 of the 77 yards chewed up by Sean Ibert coming via a cruise to the promised land in the last 2:00 of the 2nd quarter), it must have felt like deja vu for Nguyen, as he again took the opportunity to commence a half in grand fashion, as fireworks ensued on his 62-yard dart on SFP’s first drive of the final 24 minutes (9:11 remaining in 3Q) to put a bow on both his solo accolades and the squad’s collective offensive volume!
This is week marks Nguyen’s debut on the POTW list!!
Carl Shaw III (Sr.); RB/LB – Mount St. Michael Academy Mountaineers
Posing early-season arguments for why he NEEDS to be regarded as an NYCHSFL Offensive Player of the Year candidate, the 5’9, 165-pound senior hailing from the Bronx has been in “Bo Jackson Tecmo Bowl” mode during the first two appearances of his swan song campaign for the Mountaineers…
Recording TDs on five of his eight total touches on offense (either ball-carrier or pass-catcher) thus far this fall, Shaw III followed up a 2-handoff/16-yard/1TD affair (also had a KO return for “6”) in a 43-8 week #1 triumph over Capital Prep Harlem Charter School by exploding for four scores this past weekend to propel his school to a commanding 49-0 victory at the expense of Cardinal Spellman…
The only other Player of the Week distinction of his scholastic tenure coming in an MVP-seizing 3TD display in the 2023 AA-2 title contest, Shaw would succeed in finding the end zone on one additional occasion on Sept. 14th, as he’d go off for a trifecta (tying his personal-high) of rushing touchdowns, while also tacking on a receiving TD to account for 24 of the already recognized 49-point output!!!
Boasting a double-digit average per carry (66 yards on 6 attempts out of the backfield), Shaw III got in the groove earlier, as he punctuated the first drive of the game by powering up the middle on a 5-yard run to break the ice and give MSMA the immediate 7-0 edge 2:02 into the opening stanza…
That margin having expanded to 23-0 (TDs run by Franklin Dominguez & Victor Declet; 2pt safety courtesy of Zaire Caldwell), Shaw struck again on land from 11-yards away in the final minute of the 1Q to further pull away, 29-0!!…The TD run came after he had a 26-yard touchdown reception negated by a penalty earlier in the possession!
Rest assured through, the opportunity to showcase that his hands were every bit as potent as his legs would be afforded to him in the last 3:00 of the 1st half, as he’d shoot out on a perfectly-executed wheel route and be on the back end of a 46-yard hook-up from senior field general, Kadane Joseph (6-for-9; 112 yards in the air; 1 TD hurl) to send the two squads into the locker room with the board reading 36-0 after 24 minutes of action!!
The last of his aforementioned three TD treks being by far his longest, Shaw III capped off his individual heroics by taking the ball up the middle and then cutting down the home sideline for a 34-yard voyage in the final 3:00 of quarter #3!!!
He’d find the energy to contribute on defense to boot, as he racked up 4 cumulative stops/1 TFL to aid Mount St. Michael in blanking Spellman for a third straight meeting (27-0 in 2022; 14-0 in 2023)!!!
