#1 Holy Cross (6-5) vs. #2 Xaverian (5-6)
When: Saturday November 23rd, 2024 @11am
Where: Mitchel Athletic Complex (1 Charles Lindbergh Blvd, Uniondale, NY 11553)
Previous Meeting: 20-13 Holy Cross Victory on October 20th (Week #7)
Watch (Online): Varsity Media (Youtube)
Players to Watch (Holy Cross)
*Madden Martinez (So.; QB)—An individual who has come on strong and is riding a four-game multi-TD throwing streak; the Bayside resident was at his best during the week #7 head-to-head against the Clippers as he tossed for bests of 278 yards and 3 scores on 17-of-26 passing!!….For the year, he is connecting on a 57.9% rate (99 of 171) with sums of 1,182 yards and 9 TD hurls…While not his first priority, he does have the ability to scramble, as proven by the 151 yards and 2 TDs he has collected on 17 keepers!….Currently leading AA-2 in both yardage and TD tosses!!
*Antoine Williams (Jr.; RB)—The top rushing option out of the Knight backfield, the 215-pounder from Long Island uses his size to full capacity, as he has chewed up approximately 40 or more yards in each of his last four appearances…All in all, he has a stat line that reads as follows: 320 yards and 2 touchdowns (both in the regular season finale)…When he squared off against Xaverian late in the year, he put up a solid 44 yards on 11 carries on the ground; but especially asserted himself as a receiver by hauling in season-highs of 4 receptions for 111 yards (as part of a 15 grab, 222-yard junior campaign)
*Brandon Glaudin (So.; RB/LB)—An asset on both sides of the ball; the 175-pound Glendale resident has made more of a steady impact on “D”, racking up 28 stops (1 TFL), 1 sack, and an INT; but when given the opportunity to shine on offense, he has carpe diemed; as demonstrated as recently as last weekend’s semifinal win over Kennedy Catholic when he trekked for season-highs of 109 yards and 2 scores on just 8 carries to raise his 2024 yardage total to 237 on 40 attempts (5.9/per)…Glaudin has the hands to match the legs, as proven by the 15 snatches for 97 yards he has registered as a 10th grader…In the week #7 match-up, he was credited with four receptions for 18 yards and made 4 stops on “D”!
*Brayden McMahon (Sr.; WR)—Without question the best overall target in the AA-2 division, the senior out of Flushing is currently holding triple-crown distinction as his 39 catches for 534 yards and 7 touchdowns headline every category…Containing McMahon has been a nearly impossible tasks for opposing secondaries this fall, as he has banked four or more receptions in six different outings this season, including a TD snatch in five different games….Named as a NYCHSFL POTW following a semifinal performance that witnessed him stockpile 7 catches for 96 yards and 2 scores…When going up head-to-head with the Clippers, he relished in a career-day, as the 7 grabs for 135 yards (1 TD) tied his single-occasion bests!
*Brenden Guirola (Sr.; WR)—Taking a backseat to no man (including his aforementioned teammate) is the Glen Oaks product who himself ranks top-3 in every pass-catching category in AA-2 with quantities of 31 receptions (2nd), 355 yards (3rd), and 3 touchdowns (3rd)…The only thing missing in the semifinal win over KC being a TD haul, Guirola otherwise played his finest game of the fall, as he caught 6 balls for 67 yards!…The 2-catch, 27-yard effort delivered against Xaverian was one of his quieter games; so he might step onto the field with a chip on his shoulder!
*Christopher Brehm (Sr.; LB)—A human eraser from his spot at LB, the 195-pound senior did not just lead the AA-2 division in tackles; he blew away the rest of the field with a +21 advantage against the next closest person on the list…The owner of a 101-stop (13 TFL), 3 sack, 1 INT swan song, Brehm had his statically best outing during week #7 when he posted a 16-stop/1 sack/1 pick effort in the win over the Clippers!
*Ramon Sierra (Sr.; LB)—As the saying goes, ”Every Batman needs a Robin”; and for the Knights, Sierra is that “partner in crime” for Brehm….His 2024 totals of 82 stops and 9 TFLs second only to his “LB brother”, Sierra does own the division sack lead with 4!!!…With five or more tackles in every appearance this season; #28 has not taken a weekend off all year; and you can bet he won’t be absent in the most important game of his scholastic career….In week #7, he racked up 8 tackles and a sack en route to the triumph over Xaverian!
*Kyle Toppin (Sr.; DE/LB)—Sticking with the theme of dominant 12th grader leaders on the Knight defense, the 220-pounder from Brooklyn has further bolstered a unit that surrendered 13 or less points in their last four trips to the field…Amassing 46 total stops, #55 is another North/South player as evident by his 7 TFLs and 3 sacks…Toppin was credited with 5 tackles in the October 20th victory!….He was remarkable in the semifinal round, emerging with a showing of 7 tackles (3 for negative yardage), a sack, and induced fumble!
*Jonah Santiago (Sr.; DB)—The bona fide anchor of the last line of defense; the 5’9 DB led all Knights with 5 pass breaks-ups, while being tied with a school-best 2 INTs…To boot, has been a reliable tackler, making 29 stops….Against the Clippers on October 20th, he was credited with two tackles!
*Ricardo Franco (Jr.; DB)—Another trusted DB for HC, the 11th grader that calls Roslyn his home got off to a bit of a slow start to his junior year; but has caught fire and is definitely peaking at the perfect time…Making three or more stops in each of the last five contests, his season-total has grown to 27!…As a traditional pass defender, he has fared well with 3 PDs and an INT…He recorded 3 stops during week #7
*Panteli Pantalekis (Jr.; DL)—Listed last only because we are not sure of his status (last appeared in box scores on October 12th)….If able to suit up, the 11th grader out of Glen Cove has shown that he can be a disruptive force, as displayed via a 30-tackle, 3-TFL, 2-sack resume…Assuming he has been injured; a return to the “D” only points at good fortune!!
Players to Watch (Xaverian)
*Terrence Watson (Sr.; QB)—Fresh off of being named as a Metro Catholic Player of the Week following a semifinal performance that saw him amass 179 yards of total offense (6-of-7 for 79 in the air; 10 carries for 100 yards) and score three touchdowns (2 rushing, 1 tossing), the junior from Brooklyn has assembled an excellent 11th grade season…Second only to his counterpart on the other sideline [Martinez] in terms of cumulative passing yardage, Watson has completed 83 of 141 throws for 1,035 yards and eight touchdowns. He is equally dangerous when on the run, as he tacked on an additional 435 yards and 13 scores as a scrambler/designed runner!!!…During week #7, he’d be responsible for accounting for both of the Clippers TDs on the ground and was solid in the sky (12-for-19, 117 yards); but did have an unfortunate INT on his vitae!
*Richie Aitken (So.; RB)—Topping all AA-2 tailbacks with 524 yards on 68 carries, the super sophomore is only now beginning to realize all that he is capable of achieving on the gridiron…Having not hit the century mark all fall, the gem from Queens exploded for 181 yards and a score (just 8 carries) during the semifinals dethroning of Mount St. Michael Academy…Limited to just 17 yards on six attempts on October 20th; we are predicting a much stronger showing during the rematch!
*Brandon Salomon (So.; RB)—Another youngster coming out of the backfield for the Clippers; the Brooklynite has served as an excellent complementary piece to his teammate, as he has rushed for 263 yards and 3 scores on 46 tries as a 10th grader (5.7/per)…Salomon brings momentum with him to the finals, as he is fresh off of a season-best of 76 yards (1TD) in the victory last weekend over the Mount!…He also has some unfinished business with the Knights, as he was held to zero yards on a single carry on October 20th
*Tommy Martin (Sr.; RB)—Bringing some senior power and poise to the “Back by committee” system, the 170-pounder hailing from Queens is about as good a fourth option as you will find on any roster in NYS…Averaging 4.2 yards/per on 50 attempts (208 yards), he found paydirt on two separate occasions in 2024…He too did not get much of a chance to show what he could do versus the Holy Cross defense; so there could be extra motivation to redeem himself this Saturday!…As a starting defensive back, it might be more likely than any noise he makes comes on this side of the ball!…Notched a pick-6 in the semifinal dub over MSMA!
*Owen Conti (Sr.; WR)—Sandwiched in-between the two Knights wide-outs at the top of the AA-2 receiving yardage leaderboard, the 5’11, 180-pounder is the consummate “stretch the defense”/deep threat as illustrated by an 18.1 average per catch (21 for 380; 4 scores)…Hauling in a TD toss in three straight games, the #2 shirt has picked the ideal time to start cashing in on his grabs…While the gains (21 yards) were not necessarily to his liking on October 20th, Conti did accumulate 5 receptions in the loss to HC!…Is also a mainstay in the defensive backfield!!
*Conor Molen (Sr.; WR)—The bulk of his 19 reception/74-yard/1TD campaign coming in an early season contest versus St. Francis Prep, the 6-footer from Brooklyn made 8 snatches for 74 yards and a score in a win over their AA-1 foes…Since then, he has been a steady 1-2 catch per game contributor…But having seen his potential, we do not want to make the error in sleeping on him!…Molen was limited to 1 reception for 0 yards in week #7; so anything he gives will be a step in the right direction!!
*Antonio Hernandez (Sr.; WR)—Compiling as 12-reception, 138-yard, 1-TD resume in his final season as a Clipper; we are including #34 as a featured player because of the strong performance he delivered during the head-to-head versus Xaverian (3 grabs for 25 yards)!!!….Utterly explosive when the ball is in his hands as he proved via a kickoff return for a TD in the semis!
*Jaiden Cadotte (Sr.; DE/TE)—While defensive stats were not available for the ‘24 season; when watching some highlight film, big #99 flashed repeatedly as the kind of person who makes his mission to invade the opposing offensive backfield early and often…Seems to be possess a high motor and will pursue the QB like a dog on a bone…Has been utilized as a TE on offense (and not just as a blocker; they will throw it to him)!
*Matteo Perrotta (Sr.; Two-Way Lineman)—A true Ironman in the trenches; Perrotta is a big reason why the Clippers have been able to amass 2,754 yards and 31 touchdowns this season on offense….Flipping the page; anytime we see heat being applied to the rival QB, #74 is on the screen involved in some way!
*Colin Smith (Sr.; Two-Way Lineman)—Ditto to what we said about Perrotta; the #71 jersey showed up everywhere we looked on film…His combination of size (225 pounds) and athleticism (can run down the QB) has transformed him into a force on both sides of the line of scrimmage!
*Thomas Regan (Sr.; Two-Way Lineman)—Large and in charge; #79 is the biggest of the three featured double-duty beasts in the trenches…We took more notice of him as a leader blocker on offense; but there were certainly moments when his impact on “D” also materialized!
Mini Synopsis
Two incredibly evenly matched programs; the AA-2 title contest is a surefire toss-up!!!
When these two squads last met, the Knights were blessed to receive a career-day out of their sophomore sensation QB, Madden Martinez….
But, even with the luxury of having a dynamic 1-2 punch at WR in the persons of Brayden McMahon & Brenden Guirola (70 combined receptions for 889 yards and 10 scores) at his disposal; it would be unfair to ask/expect the 10th grader to equal and/or surpass a 278-yard/3TD effort…So others are going to have to step up!!
The thunder & lightning tandem of Antoine Williams and Brandon Glaudin have been “good” from start to finish thus far in 2024…This Saturday affords them the opportunity to be great, as Williams is still seeking a 100-yard performance this season; while Glaudin might be heating up after rushing for a season-high in the semis!!!
Defensively, Coach Tim Smith’s charges could not be playing better at the moment…The 13 points they allowed to Xaverian during week #7 being the only game all year versus fellow A-2 opponents where they allowed double digit points, the Knights pitched a shutout in the week #8, surrendered only 6pts in week #9 and then were lights out in holding Kennedy Catholic to 7 in the semifinals…
With a loaded front-7 comprised of superstars—Christopher Brehm, Ramon Sierra, and Kyle Toppin (combos of 229 tackles, 29 TFLs, 10 sacks); and a backline that boasts Jonah Santiago & Ricardo Franco among others (3 INTs; 8 pass break-ups), it need not be said that nothing is going to come easy for the Clippers!!!
While the descriptions above may seem to be hinting at a “Doomsday” prophecy for Xaverian; that is hardly the case…
If anything, we feel that between the two schools, it is the Clippers that have the most room for growth since the last meeting!
Simply put, while there were no “bad efforts”’; the stars did not necessarily show out the way we know they are capable of…
Richie Aitken (leading rushing in AA-2) is considerably more dangerous than just the 17 yards/0 scores he posted in October…
Owen Conti being kept to just 21 yards receiving is abnormal!
If these two student-athletes are just 1% more efficient on Saturday morning; that might be all it takes to flip the outcome!!
And you can never/should never bet against a cohort as battle-tested as Clippers….They own a win over a AA-1 opponent [St. Francis Prep]; and played AA-1 top-seeded St. Joe’s by the Sea to a narrow 17-13 loss, while losing a respectable 21-7 outing to the other AA-1 finalist, St. Peters!!…
Make no mistakes about it; Kevin Fountaine has this group ready; and they fear no one!!!
Advancing to Championship weekend for the first time since 2004 (Double-A titlist), Holy Cross is seeking their sixth overall Downstate Catholic crown since the establishment/reconfiguration of multiple divisions (A, AA, AA-1, AA-2, AAA) circa 1975…
Xaverian, who on the “A” level had a run of four title game appearances in five years from 2013-2017, will be hunting for the school’s first crowns since 2015 (A) and third in history!