AA-2: Xaverian Clippers
OFFENSE: Terrance Watson (Sr.; QB)
Suiting up as a Clipper for the final time in his scholastic career; the 6’0, 220-pound field general made certain that his name will forever be immortalized on the Shore Road based campus!!
Serving as the conductor and/or architect of a successful Double-A-2 repeat bid from Xaverian; the senior leader with #5 on his back would unofficially amass an almost perfectly balanced 209 yards and two touchdowns of offensive production during his last hurrah!
Connecting on 7-of-9 passing for 104 yards, while rushing for a believed career-best of 105 on 11 carries (not including knee downs in the midst of victory formation); the Brooklyn resident either directly or indirectly had a hand (or more literally an arm/leg) in all of Xaverian’s 21pts on Saturday morning, as they cruised to a 21-8 triumph over their rivals from Flushing, Holy Cross, to deny the Knights for a second straight year!!
With the contest still scoreless midway through the 1st quarter; it would be his 20-yard keeper to move the ball from the 33 to 13 that served as a catalyst to Richie Aiken’s TD carry one snap later give XVN the initial 7-0 advantage….
A HC TD with 5:16 to go before halftime briefly putting the Queens boys on top, 8-7; Watson wasted little time in answering back as he punctuated a 56-yard march when he punched in from a distance of 4-yards out in the final half-minute before the break to regain the lead, 14-8!…Before the touchdown, he also went 2-for-2 in the air and had a 7-yard keeper to facilitate his own eventual score!!
The board still reading 14-8, Watson showcased his lethal arm and delivered a proverbial death blow when less than 3:00 into the 4th quarter (9:20 remaining in regulation), he unleashed a 41-yard bomb to Christian LaRocca for the insurance TD (21-8)!!
His matinee display impressive regardless; it is important to note that Watson’s November 22nd stat line could very well have been even more grandiose had it not been for a pair of unfortunate turnovers during promising 3rd quarter possessions…
On the opening series of the 2nd half, he connected with LaRocca on a 38-yard gainer that advanced the pigskin to the Knight 28; but the ball would be stripped and recovered by Holy Cross…
Later in the stanza, he peeled off runs of 13, 14, and 9 yards respectively to help get Xaverian within the HC 10; but a rare AIken fumble inside the red zone prematurely halted the drive!!
His MVP distinction marking his third POTW designation of 2025 (Week #5, quarterfinals) and the fourth of his career (also honored during the 2024 semis); Watson strolls into the sunset having accumulated 1,747 yards (1,092 throwing, 655 running) and 27 total touchdowns (16 in the air, 11 on land) this fall!
DEFENSE: Jaydon Salomon (Jr.; Cornerback)
There is just something about the AA-2 finals that brings out the best of Clipper student-athletes with the name “Jaiden/Jaydon”….
Following in the footsteps of the 2024 Title-Game Defensive Most Valuable Player, [Jaiden] Cadotte (now playing at M.I.T), the 6’0, 155-pound 11th grader picked a banner occasion in which to garner his first POTW selection!!
Responsible for creating two turnovers during the 1st half; Salomon was the main reason why the Clippers were able to go into halftime holding the edge!!!
With the contest still scoreless, he’d erase a 24-yard completion on his own 35-yard line when his brutal hit on Caleb Rivera resulted in the HC tight end losing control of the ball, thus allowing Giacomo Tarasco to scoop it up and return the fumble to the Knight 40 to set up the first score of the morning!
One defensive series later; #7 stepped up yet again, when just moments after Holy Cross had a TD run negated by a penalty; he registered an essential pass break-up (his team-high 6th of the year) in the end zone on 4th & 6 to culminate the red zone stand and induce the T.O.D to maintain Xaverian’s 7-0 lead!!
These two headlining contributions obviously being the most memorable of his contributions; it ought to be recognized that Salomon was excellent in coverage all day and unofficially was credited with 5 stops to raise his 2025 sum to 37!
Back for another season in 2026; he undoubtedly will be a priceless asset in the quest for a three-peat!
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AA-1: Xavier Knights
OFFENSE: Peter Heaney (Sr.; QB)
Sorry for the hike in tuition next year; but after the postseason heroics of the Knights’ senior QB [Heaney]; we think it is only right that the school commissions a statue to be built in commemoration of his feats…
The AA-1 triple crown winner (carries, yardage, TD runs) with his legs this season with grand totals of 1,407 yards and 17 touchdowns; in three playoff games this fall, the 6’0, 185-pounder hailing from Brooklyn was responsible for scoring 8 of the program’s 10 touchdowns while chewing up 460 yards (153.3/per appearance)….
The AA-1 finale being the scene of his career-high of 216 yards (his eighth 100+ outing of 2025) rushing; Heaney struck for both of Xavier’s scores during the final 24 minutes of action; and had his imprint on a third score earlier in the day to vault the Manhattan based cohort to their second NYCHSFL crown in the past four years (2022 AA-2), as well as the first AA-1 hardware since 2015 behind a 28-7 victory over the top-seeded/defending titlist Vikings of St. Joseph’s by the Sea!!!
His praises sung repeatedly throughout the past three months, Heaney earned Player of the Week status in both the semifinals and finals to make him a four-time nomination/section during his swan song campaign!
The sparkplug that ignited the unstoppable Maroon & Blue ground attack at every venture; November 22nd proved no different as after the Xavier defense forced a punt; it was Heaney coming out of the gates with runs of 13, 7, and 2 yards respectively to advance the ball to midfield and lay the tracks for Elijah Stewart’s 46-yard trek to the house (the first of a pair of TD runs for the senior RB) two snaps later to draw first blood, 7-0, approximately 4:52 into the opening quarter!!!
The cushion sitting at 14-7 late in the 3rd quarter; #2 showed why he might be the #1 favorite to win the Riverso Memorial Award (Offensive Player of the Year) when he took a QB draw to the left and sprinted 47 yards down the opposing sideline to paydirt to increase the margin to 21-7 with 3:03 to go….
Hammering the “nail in the coffin” at the onset of the 4Q; Heaney culminated yet another one-and-down march when on Xavier first snap of the final quarter, he took a 76-yard voyage to the promised land to round out the Knights’ scoring (28-7) with just 11:33 separating them from the dogpile!!
Xavier raising their seasonal resume to 10-2; the AA-1 royalty and their “King” are not done; as they will return to the field on Thanksgiving looking to extend their streak of Turkey Bowl triumphs to two in a row (snapped a four-game drought in 2024) when they square off in the 102nd rendition against Fordham Prep!
DEFENSE: Robert Milacci (Sr.; Linebacker)
Recognized as much for being the pulse/mood setter for the “D” as it was for his overall vitae this past Saturday; the 215-pound senior LB was credited with 7 total stops (to up his team-lead to 92 this season)…
However, it was the intangibles/efforts that did not show up in the box score that validated him as the DMVP….
For example, with Xavier clinging to 14-7 advantage in the 3rd quarter; there was a sequence in which he’d apply pass rushes on two separate occasions that yielded an incomplete pass (almost ruled as intentional grounding) and then a forced dump off for short yardage to create a punting situation….
The momentum established by this stand carried over to offense as Heaney exploded for the aforementioned 47-yarder on the ensuing snap…
Collectively limiting the Vikings to just six first downs all morning and pitching a 2nd half shutout; with #20 setting the tone (both during Championship weekend and the season in its entirety); it comes as a shock to no one that the Knights boasted the #1 rated defense among all NYCHSFL programs regardless of classification!!
Making his POTW debut during week #4; by virtue of his steady play and leadership, Milacci becomes a repeat selection in 2025!
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AAA: Iona Prep Gaels
OFFENSE: Crew Davis (Sr.; RB)
Taking home Offensive MVP honors from the Triple-A finals for a second consecutive November; the future UNC Tar Heel may have only scored one official touchdown (registered a four-spot in 2024) last Saturday; but his combination of massive gainers on the ground and well-timed receptions added to reputation as a postseason assassin!!!!
Amassing 253 yards of total production (202 yards running on 24 carries; 5 grabs for 51 yards) while topping the totem pole in each category; what makes an individual like Davis so special is that he doesn’t need to be the one to cash-in for the TD in order to be the most important player on the field!!
His presence felt on every successful IP drive during the 42-20 vengeance victory against Monsignor Farrell (handed Iona Prep their only loss to a NY Catholic opponent in the past two years during the regular season); #5 got the part started on the opening drive, as he posted runs of 11, 8, and 19 yards (on 4th &1) to parade the Gaels to the doorstep before senior field general, Julian Guzman, eventually called his own number on a 2-yard keeper to give the #2 seeds from New Rochelle the early 7-0 lead (7:15 remaining in the 1Q)…
The top-seeded Lions answering back with a TD of their own on their next possession to trim the deficit to 7-6; Davis made sure to restore the cushion when he powered his way in from a distance of 3 yards away (after converting a 4th & 1 earlier in the series) to make it a 14-6 contest in the last half-minute of quarter #1…
A Brady Morison run stuff on 4th down creating the T.O.D. with on the IP 39 with 7:15 remaining before intermission; the Fairfield, CT resident was not content to take a modest 14-6 edge into the locker room as it would be back-to-back carries for 25 and 5 yards respectively that moved the pigskin to the Lion 2 and set the table for Guzman to bank his second land score of the afternoon to up the margin to 21-6 with 3:05 prior to the break!!
After Farrell scored on their initial possession of the 2nd half to slice it to 21-12, Davis continued to do Davis things as he strung together three handoffs in a row for a total of 31 yards to lay the tracks for an 8-yard TD shovel pass from Guzman to Chase Reeves, for the fourth touchdown of the day for Gael Nation (28-12; 5:34 to go in the 3Q)….
The board now reading 35-20 late in the 4th quarter; for good measure, Davis complemented a 38-yard screen pass to Joshua Simmons (put the ball on the MF 35) by tacking on runs of 12 and 5 yards (ball to the Lion 10) as a precursor to Brennen Pressley’s clincher moments later (2:48 remaining regulation) to cap off the incendiary display by the IP offense!!!
As he readies himself to suit up one final time in the NYCHSAA State finals; Davis will bring 1,653 yards (1,257 rushing) and 18 touchdowns (15 on the ground) with him to the clash against Monsignor Martin titlists, St. Francis…
A perfect 2-for-2 in seizing League title game MVPs; it need not be said that he will be fully focused on sweeping Outstanding Player designation at the state level on November 29th…In the 2024 state finale, he roasted Canisius for 336 yards and TD trifecta as part of a 42-26 IP triumph!
DEFENSE: Joshua Simmons (Sr.; OLB/DE)
The largest man on the field standing 6’5 and tipping the scales at 240 pounds; it is impossible to overlook the #8 shirt under normal circumstances…
But alas, there was nothing normal about the manner in which he closed out the Gaels’ successful AAA repeat bid last Saturday!
Flashing his brilliance on both sides of the ball during an alternating offensive drive and then the subsequent defensive stand; the Junior stand-up LB (holding offers from the likes of the United States’ Military Academy, Syracuse, and Boston College) made one of the most electrifying contributions of the afternoon when he leaked out of the backfield and hauled in a 38-yard pass from Guzman to move the ball from his own 32 to the Lion 30 as a foreshadow to Reeves’s 8-yard insurance TD catch in the last 3:00 of regulation….
The massive reception was the first of the year for Simmons…
Moments later, those “gold glove” mitts of his were put to further good use, when on the first snap of Farrell’s next possession, he extended his arms and dragged his feet to notch an agile INT on the opposing 25-yard line!!
The pick, his second of the year, being one of a pair of turnovers in which Simmons played a role; earlier in the contest (last 3:00 before halftime), he’d get pressure on a QB hurry and force Farrell super sophomore QB, Bryce Moye, to throw an errant pass that was intercepted by Zander Poole to conserve the 21-6 lead!!
Another pass rush in the final 1:00 before the break again enticed an early release from Moye; resulting in him just missing (incomplete pass) on what would have been at least a 30-yard connection (if a potential TD) to Gianni Pasqualone!
His knack for invading the enemy backfield carrying over to the 2nd half; despite being double-teamed; Simmons would get penetration on another QB hurry in the 4Q, causing Moye to bail out and scramble his way into the clutches of Brady Morison for a sack that created a 3rd &9 situation that eventually turned into a T.O.D. with 8:35 to go in regulation (35-20 IP edge)…
A comprehensive/total team effort on “D”, Simmons was part of a determined group that held the top-seeded Lions to just 37 yards on the ground (217 total; -160 below their seasonal average) and harassed Moye to the extent that he tossed his first multi-INT game of 2025!!
Now a first-time POTW honoree; Simmons will be counted on to engulf a Red Raider squad that has boasted a 38.5ppg average in the upcoming Catholic state finals!!