They entered the 2025 ranked #1 in NYS…And that is exactly how the Gaels of Iona Prep are going to finish the fall!!!
Utilizing outstanding efforts on both sides of the ball during the final 17 minutes of regulation; the New Rochelle based cohort closed out an 11-1 campaign and successfully completed their bid to repeat as CHSAA State titlists when they emerged as 42-21 victors on home soil (Mara Field) over a very talented St. Francis Red Raider (10-2) squad!!
The contest deadlocked at 21 apiece with 4:29 remaining in the 3rd quarter; the Maroon & Gold machine would run off 21 unanswered points during crunch time to reaffirm their status as the kings of Empire Catholic football…
Requiring a mere 27 ticks to respond to SF junior quarterback, Trent Buttles’s 9th TD run of the year (16-year scamper that was facilitated by a 48-yard connection to Mason Anderson); it was the sensational senior tandem of Christian Guzman and Crew Davis hooking up on a 40-yard homerun ball to quickly regain the lead, 28-21, with 4:02 to go in the 3Q….
Prior to the bomb, Willie Reeves set the table when he returned the kickoff to the opposing 48!!
Chase Thompson and Eric Camacho Jr. teaming up for a sack on 1st down and then a QB hurry on 3rd down to force the 2025 Monsignor Martin champs to punt; IP made it two productive drives in a row on their next possession when Chase Reeves powered his way to the goal line and then Dashawn Harley alertly dove onto the sophomore RB’s fumble in the end zone to increase the advantage to 35-21 with 11:02 to go in regulation…
This series was almost derailed by back-to-back penalties (personal foul + false start); the saving grace came in the form of a 46-yard strike from Guzman to Eric Pirrello to advance the pigskin to the enemy 11!
Momentum now mounting for the Joe Spagnolo mentored juggernaut; Junior DB, Mamadee Sangaray proved us prophetic for calling him a ball hawk in our title-game preview; as after long catches on consecutive snaps courtesy of Tyrone Clark and Aiden Hopwood-Moore propelled SF across midfield; it was the stud in the #9 jersey [Sangaray] halting the very promising march when he camped under a Buttles pass attempt for an interception on his own 25 with 9:26 left in the 4Q!!!
An exchange of alternating turnovers on downs ensued late in the 4th quarter; as IP got inside the Frannies 5-yard behind a long run by Guzman complemented by a 24-yard screen pass to Sangaray before a personal foul penalty pushed them back; while under duress, Buttles fired high for an incompletion on 4th & short…
Starting on the SF 19 after the T.O.D. trade-off; red zone specialist, Brennen Pressley tacked on a 6-yard TD run in the waning moments (:41 to go in duration) for the insurance score that accounted for the cited verdict!
The scoreboard not necessarily indicative of how evenly-matched this battle of Westchester and Buffalo truly was; there was no shortage of stellar plays from the gentlemen on both sidelines throughout the chilly November 29th afternoon….
Drawing first blood on the opening series of the day, Davis culminated a 6:14, 64-yard drive when he plunged in from 1-yard out to register his 16th ground touchdown of his swan song…
The future UNC Tar Heel [Davis] having the honors of cashing-in; it was Guzman that was every bit the catalyst as he went perfect in the air (4-for-4; 31 yards), including multiple tosses to Pirrello; and 4-yarder to [Chase] to Reeves to put Iona on the doorstep!
On their first occasion with control of the ball, St. Francis moved the ball to within the IP 10; but a big run stop by [Willie] Reeves, coupled with back-to-back pass break-ups earned by Lamar Lewis and Sangaray brought up 4th down; and ultimately the 27-yard FG attempt on the final play of quarter #1 would go wide to spoil the march!
Bending not breaking; it was the Red Raider “D” stepping up to prevent further damage during the onset of the 2nd quarter; as they’d strand the Gaels (PJ Gallo had a 19-yard reception to the SF 34) on the 29 when Joe Wolf was unable to stay in bounds on a 4th & pass try with 8:31 prior to halftime!
Fighting through a lower body injury sustained early in the ballgame; the guts and creativity of Buttles was put on full display during St. Francis’s second possession of the day; as he’d repeatedly scramble out of danger and keep his eyes down field en route to hitting Clark (3rd & Long to the midfield), Anderson, and Hopwood-Moore (to the IP 4) in the midst of a 71-yard voyage that was polished off by a 3-yard pitch (4th & goal) by Clark for the TD to square the finale at 7-7 with just under 3:00 (2:47) remaining in the 1st half!
The last 180 seconds of action before the teams retreated to the locker room served as a demonstration of the incendiary nature of their offensive personnel; as both powerhouse programs took turns finding paydirt in short order….
Temporarily vaulting back in front, 14-7, Iona Prep relied on an 11-yard screen pass to Davis, as well as 18 and 22-yard gains by way of [Chase] Reeves and Guzman runs to put themselves back in business (SF 25)…
Davis then sprinted to the house from a distance of 14 yards for the second of his three overall TDs with 1:33 to go in 2Q!
In no way rattled; the Red Raiders came right back as a 15-yard reception by Hopwood-Moore advanced the ball to the IP 40; and then a 37-yard haul by Kenneth Litzinger III landed on the 3 as a precursor to a 2-yard TD toss on 4th down to Matthew Zielinski on the ultimate snap of the 1st half to again bring us all even (14-14)!
When the festivities resumed in the 3rd quarter; the Gaels “D” came out of the gates charged up, as a combo sack provided by Joshua Simmons (MVP of the AAA league finals) and Orion Trujillo generated a 3 & out on SF’s maiden series of the 2nd half…
Riding Davis like the thoroughbred that he is when they took control of the ball for the first time in the 2nd half; an 18-yard reception, not to mention countless runs by the #5 shirt put Iona Prep within inches of a go-ahead touchdown….But alas, a dropped pass by Simmons on 4th down unfortunately squandered the opportunity on the enemy 5-yard line!
The unfortunate circumstances described above being the kind of sequence that can/has been the downfall and/or plagued many a team (at all levels of the sport) in the past; thanks to [Willie] Reeves; it won’t even be a footnote on IP’s story as just seconds following the mishap; the 185-pound junior LB hailing from NYC made the defensive play of the game when he laid helmet to pigskin on a Buttles keeper; thus popping the ball loose and enabling Brady Morison to scoop it up for the 30-yard fumble recovery TD to create a 21-14 margin and set the stage for the dramatic conclusion!!!
By virtue of their triumph, the Gaels have now seized three of the past six NYCHSAA crowns, as in addition to the double-dip in ‘24 and ‘25; they won their first title in 2021…
Still in search of that golden moment (0-6, including four of the past five years); the Red Raiders bring back a very young and immensely capable nucleus and should be expected to find themselves back in the mix in 2026!!