Daniel Breton (Sr.); NG – Mount St. Michael Academy Mountaineers
An imposing force on the inside of the MSMA defensive line; the 6’0, 230-pound hometown kid could not have picked a better occasion in which to register the finest showing of his scholastic career…
Shining under the Friday night lights in the first appearance of his senior season being a memory that will stay with him forever; there would not be many boxes on his personal stat sheet that went unchecked in the Mountaineers’ 30-14 victory on the road against the Gaels of Kennedy Catholic!
Atop the totem pole in every category imaginable; Breton would accrue a team-high/personal-best 6 total stops (2 TFLs), including a QB sack early in the 1st quarter that drew first blood and put the Mount up 2-0!!!
A consistent and unbridled menace for a D-Unit that collectively racked up three safeties (Kaiden Carmichael & Jomar Sanchez joined the party) and held their hosts from Somers to negative offensive production in the 1st half; Breton would later be front and center for another turnover inducing sequence when in the 3rd quarter of a then 20-7 contest; he’d pounce on a loose pigskin for a fumble recovery that set up the offense inside the enemy 38-yard line!!!
Already a 1/3 of the way towards equaling the 18 tackles he earned as a junior; Breton has our attention as we eagerly look forward to wh
Sean Ibert (Sr.); RB/WR/KR – St. Francis Prep Terriers
In the words of WWE superstar, Booker T,…”FIVE TIMES….FIVE TIMES…FIVE TIMES…FIVE TIMES…FIVE TIMES!!!
Such would summarize the out-of-this world effort delivered by Terrier senior universal weapon, Sean Ibert, in SFP’s season-opening 41-27 victory on August 30th over their hosts from West islip, St. John the Baptist!!!
Single-handedly outscoring the Cougars, the 5’10, 175-pounder had a career-day that he will not soon forget; as he found the end zone on five separate occasions in three unique manners!!
His “Jack-Of-All-Trades” reputation certainly no secret to those who watched him last year (267 yards and 3 touchdowns on 48 carries; 261 yards and 7 TDs on 19 grabs; 29.3/per average on kickoff returns); it would suffice to say that Ibert outdid even his own high standards in vaulting Francis Prep to their third straight 1-0 seasonal start!!
Credited with 94 yards and four TDs of traditional offensive production; it would be the reliable hands of the #22 jersey that were especially impactful, as he’d establish new single-game bests across the board in all receiving categories—8 grabs for 80 yards, 3 TD hauls!
2/3s of his touchdown catches transpiring during the 2nd quarter; senior field general, Jack Leary (15-for-18, 182 yards, 3 TD passes) zeroed-in on Ibert on connections of 5 and 16-yards respectively to turn a 14-7 deficit at the end of 12 minutes (1Q) into a 21-14 advantage at the midway point!!!
His performance during the 2nd half even more prominent and clutch than the 1st; Ibert repeatedly rose up and halted any potential momentum swings by stockpiling all three of SFP’s TDs during the 3rd/4th quarters….
His most electrifying feat coming in direct response to a John the Baptist touchdown (to knot the game at 21 apiece); Ibert handled the ensuing kickoff and bolted 77 yards to the end zone to restore the lead (28-21) with 8:03 to go in the 3Q…
A 26-yard TD snatch a little over 6:00 later (1:54 on the clock in the 3rd) topped off his pass-catching heroics (made the score 35-21)….
And then the “backbreaker” took the form of a 1-yard thrust in the ultimate 1:17 of duration (35-28 edge); as Ibert’s TD run was the exclamation on a 14-play, 80+-yard series that clinched the win!!
Now a two-time selection to the Metro Catholic POTW list; Ibert garnered his first accolade back in week #3 of the 2024 season!
Joseph Moran (Jr.); RB/OLB – St. Joe’s By the Sea Vikings
A contributing asset for a Viking squad that hoisted AA-1 hardware a season ago; there is no longer anything “complementary” about the 6’0, 205-pound two-way player…
Simply put; Joseph Moran has ascended into the role of being “the man” in all aspects for the Tressor Baptiste mentored defending titlists hailing from Staten Island!!!
His stat line as a sophomore in 2024 featuring very credible bullet points such as 29 total stops (6 TFLs), 3.5 sacks, 2 picks; 5 receptions for 93 yards (2 TDs), etc; you can throw those quantities out the window as the #18 shirt is about to blow away his previous output and rewrite the entirety of his individual record book in ‘25!!!
Unstoppable in SJS’s 28-18 victory Holy Cross (AA-2 runners-up last fall) in a collision of returning NYCHSFL finalists; Moran transformed from a person who carried the ball just once (for 17 yards) a year ago to a “roadrunner” who marched up and down “Joe Ryan Memorial Field” to the tune of 168 yards and a TD trifecta on just eight carries (20.5yds/per)!!!
Joe’s by the Sea already enjoying a 7-0 advantage; Moran struck for the first of his aforementioned hat trick when he punctuated a second straight successful 1st quarter drive by taking the handoff and darting 60 yards down the visiting sideline to the house to increase the margin to 14-0!!
On the back end of a 20-yard screen pass that advanced the ball just inside the red zone; Moran later cashed in for his second “6” of the afternoon when late in the 2Q he plunged across the line from short distance to send his school into the locker room with the 21-6 cushion!!
He’d stay en fuego at the beginning of the second half; as a little more than 4:00 into the 3rd Quarter, he notched TD #3 when he a found a hole and sprinted 50 yards to the promised land for the insurance score (28-6)!!!
His explosive afternoon with the ball in his hands perhaps overshadowing his body of work on “D”; it need be properly recognized that Moran also found the “second wind” that enabled him to record a career-best 8 total tackles; highlighted by a touchdown-saving stop on his own 3-yard line in the last half-minute of 2Q!!!
His nomination for week #0 marks Moran’s first such honor!
Bryce Moye (So.); QB – Monsignor Farrell Lions
A season-removed from making a handful of appearances under center as a freshman, the 6’2, 190-pound super sophomore has inherited the “keys to the Kingdom” for the Lions’ offense; and he had the unit humming on August 30th as part of a 45-0 triumph on home soil over South Shore in a cross-Borough battle (SI vs. Brooklyn)!!
The successor to 2024 All-Catholic selection, Ryan Walsh; Moye left no doubt that the Farrell aerial attack is going to be as potent as ever when he connected on 9-of-11 throws for 165 yards, and three touchdowns in the dub against the visiting Vikings!!
Tripling his TD tosses from his diaper dandy campaign of 2024 (17-for-26; 186 yards, 1 TD pass) in a single outing during week #0, Moye not only illustrated pin-point accuracy this past Saturday; he also exhibited extraordinary field vision, as he’d spray the ball all over the field en route to getting SIX different targets involved!!!
But alas, coincidentally, it was the legs of the 10th grade dual-threat standout that accounted for the first of his four overall scores; as he capped off a 17-0 1st quarter onslaught for the “Amboy Road renegades” by cruising up the gut for a 2-yard keeper with 2:15 remaining in the stanza!!
The “golden arm” would get warmed up and started dishing out damage at the onset of the 2Q when he played pitch-and-catch with twin brother, Braxon (3 receptions for 71 yards) on a 34-yard slant that increased the lead to 24-0 with just under 11:00 to go in the half…
The scoreboard now reading 31-0 following Kevin Gumb Jr’s (11 carries, 120 yards, 2TDs) second ground score of the afternoon; Moye capitalized off of an ill-tlmed fumble from South Shore deep inside their own zone (SS 10) by rolling out on the ensuing snap and hitting a short dump-off to Charles Costanzo for TD hurl #2 to create further separation (38-0) with 5:20 before halftime!
The verdict not in question during the final 24 minutes; HC Rocco Del Priore incorporated a merciful approach of exhausting the clock by relying on the running game; but that would not prevent Moye from tacking on a bonus TD fling when he fired a Bebe over the middle into the waiting arms of Senior, Ryan Tait, for a 4-yard hook-up that rounded out the scoring for the Lions with 3:30 before the end of the 3Q!
With their new gunslinger in complete control; the Farrell punter was never summoned!!
Previously named as a POTW during Wk #7 of his frosh year; Moye joins Ibert as the only multiple-time recipients of this distinction among our six week #0 choices!
John Smith (Sr.); RB – Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders
The prototypical incendiary presence in the Crusader backfield in 2024; despite having to split carries with senior, Jordan Osbourne, last season; Smith still managed to chew up 458 yards and score five rushing touchdowns on just 59 attempts (team-high 7.8/per)!!!
And now that circumstance (the graduation of Osbourne] dictates that he will be taking a backseat to nobody during his swan song in White Plains; we are already witnessing the greatness that he possesses inside of himself!!
Wasting little time in reminding the pundits of the breakaway speed with which he has been blessed; the wearer of the vaunted #6 jersey (reserved for a student-athlete that has been deemed a game-changer) came out of the gates blazing in Stepinac’s 40-14 defeat of Lincoln HS on August 30th!!!
The actor/director/and producer of a non-stop highlight reel; the 5’7, 175-pound stud from the Bronx either equaled and/or surpassed all of his previous single-game bests when he racked up 151 yards and scored a pair of TDs on a mere 11 hand-offs in the statement-making season-opener!!
His brilliance apparent from the get-go; on only the second snap of the afternoon; Smith would take the hand-off wide and then cut back towards the middle to rocket 60 yards to the house to put AS in front, 7-0, approximately 20 ticks into the festivities!!!
After the defense generated a safety to increase the margin to 9-0; heavy doses of Smith was the recipe for prosperity; as a chain of three runs (including an 18-yard TD trek) on four snaps polished off a 43-yard series to up the advantage to 16-0 with 4:07 left in 1Q!!
Presently the holder of a scholarship offer from St. Anselm College; if century-mark/multi-TD outings become the norm for Smith; it will not be long before he has a wealth of suitors courting him!!!
This is Smith’s POTW debut!!
Anthony Trapani (Jr.); RB/LB – Chaminade Flyers
A rare sophomore call-up to the varsity last season; the 5’8 resident of North Bellmore had quite the rookie season for the Flyers; as he racked up totals of 63 tackles, 2 sacks, and an INT while specializing on the defensive side of the gridiron!!!
Now an upperclassman and a leader for the Mineola based program; it took all of one week into the 2025 campaign to realize that the #22 jersey is going to be the utmost catalyst while performing “Ironman” duties!!!
The caliber of his efforts nothing short of extraordinary; Trapani set the tone for what we should expect from him this fall when he darn-near willed the Crimson & Gold to victory on the road against 2024 Rhode Island State runners-up, La Salle Academy, before ultimately seeing the squad fall just short (28-27) in their 4th quarter comeback attempt!!
Metro Catholic football enthusiasts already keenly aware of his capabilities as a linebacker; this past Saturday would provide an immense glimpse into his versatility on offense as Trapani would be responsible for amassing 77 yards of cumulative offensive production and scoring twice on just eight total touches throughout the afternoon!
Carrying the pigskin six times for 40 yards (2 TDs) throughout the day; he’d be the one to “break the ice” for the Chaminade attack as down 14-0 in the 2Q, his number would be called on back-to-back handoffs in the red zone (opposing 9), including a culminating 4-yarder where he shook off several tacklers to find paydirt to cut the deficit to 14-7 (PAT by Justin Jones)!
Just prior to the conclusion of the 1st half; it was Trapani’s skills as a receiver out of the backfield that proved invaluable, as he hauled in his only two grabs of the contest (37 yards) on consecutive snaps (for 12 and 25 yards respectively) to advance the ball to the Ram 1-yard as a precursor to Sean Carnevale’s 1-yard QB sneak that squared the cross-state clash at 14-14 at the break!!
Thomas Claro’s cohort now trailing 28-21 in the waning stages of regulation (under 3:00 on the clock); the 2nd-year HC knew exactly who he’d entrust down the homestretch; as he fed his 11th-grade thoroughbred for a 2-yarder on the doorstep to bring the Flyers to within 28-27 (botched snap on the PAT being the deciding factor in the outcome)!!!
Not to overlooked in the midst of a breakout display on “O” would be his team-leading 11 stops (two short of tying his personal-best) on “D”, as Trapani banked the third double-digit tackle game of his blooming varsity career!
Week #0 representing his induction into the POTW club; we hope to see a plethora of return engagements over the course of the next two seasons for LB extraordinaire!