Braxton Moye (So.); WR – Monsignor Farrell Lions
All in the family!!!!
We’re just four games into the 2025 Metro Catholic season; and already, the dynamic twin-tandem from Staten Island has each made an appearance on the POTW scrolls!!!
Following in the footsteps of his field general brother, Bryce (Week #0 honoree); it would be the stud on the back end of those darts commanding the spotlight last weekend, as Braxton turned in a dominant and thorough exhibition in helping the Lions emerge with the decisive 48-13 dub over St. Peter’s in the battle for SI bragging rights!!!
Both of his two receptions (for 65 combined yards) on September 19th yielding touchdowns under the Friday night lights; the win over the Eagles marked the first multi-TD snatch performance in the young scholastic career of the 6’2, 210-pound super sophomore!!!
Wasting little time in setting the tone; the Moye-to-Moye combo took full advantage of an early SP turnover (mishandled the opening kickoff), as they converted on 4th &3 by hooking up on a 12-yard connection at the pylon to give the Maroon & Gold the 7-0 lead 1:14 into the 1st quarter…
The scoreboard now reading 14-6 late in the 1Q, the “twin terrors” again touched base when Braxton was able to take a WR screen 45 yards to the house to restore the two TD margin (21-6) with just over 3:00 remaining in the stanza….
On pace to become the greatest receiver in Lion history (topped the leaderboard in all categories as a 9th grader with 34 grabs for 527 yards and 5 scores); as good as Moye was a season ago; his fast start to 2025 (12 for 206; 4 TD snatches) has him on a trajectory to shatter his previous achievements!!!
Because he is such a natural, God-Given talent with his hands; what too often gets overshadowed is the fact that Moye has proven himself to be equally, if not more exceptional as a blocker on the perimeter…
His “mature” frame allowing him to bully smaller defensive backs; Moye racked up three pancake blocks as part of a collective/cohesive commitment to “blue collar football” that generated 252 yards and five TDs on the ground (led by the 186 and 3 tallied by week #1 POTW, Kevin Gumb Jr.)!!
Now trailing Bryce, 2-1, in career POTW nomination thus far; today is Braxton’s introduction to the list!
Hayden Muellers (Sr.); WR/TE – St. Francis Prep Terriers
The second Terrier receiver this season to have Player of the Week distinction bestowed upon him [Sean Ibert in week #0); no words ever rang truer than the philosophy that “the holder unequivocally has the best hands on the team.”!!!
His “golden gloves” featured prominently in the success of the kicking game during his two-year stint as a starter in Fresh Meadows; this past Saturday afforded the senior hybrid WR/TE [Muellers] the opportunity to showcase that those mitts were quite adept at hauling in passes for monstrous gains!!!
Credited with just four catches for 62 yards as a junior in 2024; the 6’3, 180-pound Whitestone resident was able to match and/or surpass those numbers in a single outing on September 20th; as he was the linchpin in SFP’s 21-14 victory over an always tough nemesis from Xavier!
Accruing 114 yards as an entrusted target in the “Dog’s” aerial attack; three of Mueller’s four overall grabs went for 20+ yards; and each was imperative in setting up an eventual touchdown…
Chewing up distances of 58, 24, and 10 yards respectively; on three separate occasions, a Muellers reception was responsible for advancing the ball inside the opposing red zone, as he moved them to the 7. 1. and 15-yard lines at various moments in the evening!!!
Praised by the Francis Prep coaching staff as a leader/role model in the weight room; the power most certainly equaled the finesse in fostering the “w” for his school…
Selfless in his exertions; an element that should never go underappreciated despite not appearing in the box score would be the willingness of the #10 jersey to sacrifice his body repeatedly to aid the running game….
Cooking up six pancake blocks like his middle name was “Bisquick”, there was no part of the collective triumph in which Muellers failed to do his job!!
To boot, he was flawless in his customary holder duties as the Terriers went 3-for-3 on PAT tries!!
Today marks Muellers’s debut on the POTW list!
Madden Martinez (Jr.); QB – Holy Cross Knights
A season removed from steering the Flushing based cohort to Championship Weekend (2024 AA-2 runners-up); the 5’11, 180-pound field general is displaying every indication that he has a “title or bust” mentality in 2025!!!
Demonstrating the poise, polish, and precision that yielded him “captain” distinction as a junior this fall; [Madden] Martinez was unshakable while serving as the maestro of an epic, three-score comeback that produced a 32-28 victory over habitual AA-1 title contenders, St. John the Baptist this past Sunday afternoon!!
The Knights finding themselves buried in a 21-0 hole early in the 3rd quarter; it would be the dual-threat signal caller donning the #12 shirt that came to the rescue, as the returning Honorable Mention All-State selection delivered an all-encompassing performance that produced 24 unanswered points to send HC into the ultimate 12:00 enjoying a 24-21 cushion!!
The first of his cumulative four-score day taking the form of a 1yd QB keeper to cut the deficit to 21-8; Martinez later added TD hurls of 45 and 76 yards respectively to the likes of Caleb Rivera and Antoine Williams….
Going above and beyond; at every step of the climb back; Martinez punctuated each successful series by either throwing (2x to Ricardo Franco) or running (after the third TD) for the 2pt conversion!!!
A long Cougar TD run temporarily putting SJB back on top, 28-24, during the final stanza; Martinez would again rise to the occasion and recapture momentum, as on initial snap of the ensuing possession, he connected with Kenneth Brassfield-Dailey on an immaculately thrown 67-yard TD connection; and then played pitch-and-catch for a third time with Franco for the 2pter to account for what was deciding sequence in determining a victor!!
His final stat line in the air on September 21st reading as 12-for-20 (60%) for 229 yards; per the data entered into MaxPreps; the TD pass trifecta tied a personal-best; while the yardage was just 49 yards short of equaling the 278 for which he chucked in a 2024 regular season win against Xaverian in a preview of the eventual Double-A-2 title matchup!
Martinez is a first-time POTW recipient; but we fully expect to be writing about him on countless more opportunities during the remainder of his 11th grade year and the entirety of his swan song in 2026!
Anthony Trapani (Jr.); RB/LB – Chaminade Flyers
The first student-athlete this season to be a repeat POTW nominee (previously honored in week #0); the 5’8, 180-pounder hailing from North Bellmore [Trapani] is not the best offensive player in the NYCHSFL; nor is he the best defensive player in the Metro Catholic league…
But when you take into consideration “sum of the parts” and/or the total value he brings with him to the gridiron on a weekly basis; we would be hard pressed to identify an individual that has been more outstanding or impactful through the early stages of Fall 2025!!!
The “heartbeat” on both sides of the line of scrimmage; the #22 jersey has been the Crimson & Gold’s most effective weapon on offense; while concurrently being among the most active playmakers on “D”!!!
His name perennially on the tongue(s) of the public address announcer (both at home and on the road); there is no debate as to whether he has been the “sauce” behind Chaminade’s present three-game winning streak!!
Improving his record to 2-0 in all-time matchups against the Crusaders of Archbishop Stepinac (snapped a five-game losing streak during their 2024 meeting); Trapani was at the forefront of a pair of game-altering/deciding plays in the 4th quarter that enabled the visiting Marianists to come away with a 24-23 triumph in double overtime!!
His first act of heroism occurring as a ball-carrier at the onset of the final 12 minutes of play; just moments after Stepinac took a 17-10 lead via a fumble recovery for a TD; it was the 11th grade Iron Man answering back immediately when on the first snap of the next CHS possession; he took the hand-off up the middle, maintained his balance, shook off a tackle and then sprinted 85 yards to paydirt to tie the contest at 17-17 with 9:46 to go in regulation!!
This equalizer being the second touchdown of the night for the “Jackpot” Junior; Trapani would also be responsible for drawing first blood under the Friday night lights, as he punched in a 4th & Goal run from the 2-yard line (after gaining eight yards on the prior carry) to give Chaminade a 7-0 advantage less than 2:00 into the 2Q!!
All in all, he concluded the night having registered the first century-mark performance of his two-year varsity career, as he racked up 102 yards on 10 carries (2 scores)!!!
Defensively, the multi-sport standout (also a leader on the lacrosse team) proved to be every bit as clutch…
The game still deadlocked at 17-17 with just over 90 seconds on the clock in the 4th quarter and Stepinac having marched just outside of the red zone (CHS 21); Trapani halted what was likely going to be a winning drive when he shot off the edge and deflected a pass attempt into the arms of teammate, Luca Mastronardi, for an INT that gave the gents from Mineola a final attempt at the dub before ultimately settling for extending the battle to extra frames!!
The tipped toss resulting in the second turnover in which Trapani played a role; earlier in the evening, he’d pounce on a loose ball to log a fumble recovery!
He’d furthermore solidify his value by amassing six total stops, including two tackles for negative yardage!!
Sporting aggregated totals of 252 yards and six TDs on 35 carries (7.2/per) offensively; not to mention 35 tackles on “D” thus far during the current campaign; Trapani heads into week #4 as both the program’s top rusher (across all categories) and stopper!!