By Matt Diano
All week, the mission at hand was understood by every student-athlete wearing a
Vikings football jersey….STOP ARUTA AND WILLIAMS!!!
MISSION ACCOMPLISHMENTED, GENTLEMEN!!!!
In what was a blood and guts war waged on both sidelines, it was top-seeded St. Josephs’s by the Sea hoisting NYCHSFL hardware for the first time in program history when they emerged with an 8-7 victory in a clash for Staten Island bragging rights over the second-seeded Eagles of St. Peters’!
The AA-1 title yielding triumph under the Friday night lights on the campus of Monsignor Farrell HS raising the Tressor Baptiste coached squad’s record this season to 11-2; the ugly fall weather was not the only thing “cold”; so too was the revenge dished out after SJS previously dropped a 22-19 contest all the way back on September 7th (Week #1)!!
The only points of the evening occurring when the two school actually exchanged touchdowns on their respective opening drives in the 1st quarter; it would be the Eagles that drew that initial blood when it was returning All-Catholic selection/HM All-State selection, Marco (Swiss Army Knife) Aruta punctuating a 66-yard, 4:42 drive by striking for his 11 th overall touchdown of the postseason in the form of a 17-yard TD run (16th land score of his swan song) to give STP the early 7-0 lead..
Seemingly not phased at all by the deficit, the Vikings wasted no time in delivering their response, as they mounted their own extended march (65 yards in a span of a little under 5:00) when sophomore field general, Christian Carter, plunged 1-yard across the goal line with 2:43 remaining in the opening stanza…The short, power TD run would be set up on the previous snap on a 38-yard completion (YAC of 19) to Christian Yue, that put SJS on the doorstep…
With the scoreboard reading 7-6 and everyone expecting the typical PAT attempt to even the contest; the Joe’s by the Sea brain trust pulled off some trickery, as Anthony Lavezzoli (lined up as the holder) would pop up and sprint into the end zone for the successful 2-point conversion!!
Once on top, the “Hylan Blvd Hit Squad” would do the rest as they were relentless at all three levels of the “D”; making it almost impossible for the rivals from Clinton Ave. To even cross midfield, let alone threaten a score for almost the entirety of the remaining 39 minutes!!!
Spotlighted in our “AA-1” championship preview as players to focus on—the likes of Lavezzoli, Joe Solla, Luigi Biondolillo, Thomas DiGregorio, Damian Aviles, and especially “Mean” Dean Coscia (named as the Defensive MVP) did not disappoint as they were centerstage all night making plays that halted St. Peters’ drives…
Beginning with the stud in the #4 shirt [Lavezzoli]; on the ensuing Eagle drive following the aforementioned go-ahead TD + 2-pointer, it was the senior DB registering the only interception of the night when we went up and won a jump ball around his own 28 to create the turnover with 10:22 to go in the 2nd quarter…
With approximately 5:30 remaining in the 3Q, senior LB, Solla, got his hands inside the receiver on 3rd down to strip the ball and generate the pass break-up that induced a punt…
Next it was a combo effort from Biondolillo and DiGregorio with 2:02 to go in the 3rd Quarter that caused a change of possession, as the tandem sniffed out a screen pass/short dump off and gang tackled (Biondolillo going low; DiGregorio cleaning up high) St. Peters’ top target, Brandon Weinberg, short of the sticks to produce the boot away…
Coscia joined the party in the final 7:03 of regulation when he brought the heat on a 3rd down pass rush; forcing STP QB, Ryan Vallely to make an errant throw off target to force a punt…
The clock dipping below 3:00 in the 4th, Aviles was as clutch as could be; as he ran step-for-step with Saliou Diokhane before ultimately knocking away the intended home run ball (if caught would have moved the Eagles inside the SJS 20) to bring up force down…The next play resulted in a turnover on downs when Vallely skipped a pass in front of his receiver on 4th & medium…
The only thing now standing in their way of a brass ring celebration being one final defensive stop; Cosia would fire up the middle for a 10-yard sack to temporarily frazzle STP…
An ill-timed pass interference keeping hope alive for St. Peters’, 11th grade DB, Matthew Fuentes, had the honor of being the one to cement the “dub” when with nothing but zeroes on the board, he’d bat away a desperation heave into the end zone as the exclamation on an exhibition of collaborative defensive brilliance…
For St. Peters’, while their dynamic duo of reigning All-State player/2023 NYCHSFL OPOY Recipient, Jeremiah Williams, and Aruta (suffered an injury in the 1st quarter; but looked hobbled when he returned to the field in the 2nd half) never quite found their groove; several players most certainly earned themselves commendation in the losing effort…
Inheriting dire predicaments when shortened punts on back-to-back stalled series left them in the position of having to defend inside their own 30; it was Logan Kielty polishing off a goal line stand when he stuffed Lavezzoli on the 1-yard line with 8:11 remaining in 4Q
Moments later, Nicholas Scolaro, dropped the boom with a ferocious hit on 4th & 5 to tackle the SJS receiver [Aviles] one yard shy of the marker to entice the turnover on downs inside his own 20!!
Previously (3rd quarter), Brody Turnbull (pass break-up on the opening drive of the 2nd half) and Gregory Ajose-Martinez (sack in the final 4:30 to create 3rd & Long) made contributions that directly or later coerced Joe’s by the Sea to kick the pigskin away…
The defeat dropped STP to 10-3 in 2024…They were seeking their first Metro crown since claiming “A” gold in 2009!!