Dean Coscia (Sr.); LB/FB – St. Joseph’s by the Sea Vikings
Giving us feelings of nostalgia and conjuring up images of weekends spent watching the likes of Dan Morgan and Luke Kuechly, Coscia displayed gazelle-like fluidity in his ability to move sideline-to-sideline in pursuit of the ball-carrier!!!
Having never accrued more than nine tackles during a single outing in his two-year varsity career heading into the AA-1 semifinal contest versus the Rams of Fordham Prep, the 5’7, 200-pounder succeeded in not only breaking his personal record; he shattered it to smithereens to the tune of 18 stops in captaining the Vikings to 21-16 dub that avenged one of only two losses this season (FP shutout them out, 13-0, in week #4)…
Literally going frame by frame in watching the game film; we sincerely could count on one hand the few and far-between moments in which the #15 jersey DID NOT flash on our screen in the midst of a making a defensive play!!
The quantity of hits impressive on its accord; of equal value and/or importance would be the cause/effect relationship yielded by many of these cracks…
For instance, there would be three specific examples in the 1st half alone where we directly saw Coscia make a play that had game-changing/momentum-altering dividends!!
With the affair still scoreless in the 1st quarter, he would make a diving ankle tackle at on a swing pass completion that potentially could have saved a touchdown…FP later was forced to settle for 3 (FG) instead of cashing in for the full 7 on that possession!!
Early in the second stanza (just under 9:30 to go in the half), it was his brutal hit on the second snap after a Christian Yue punt (buried FP inside their own 12) that transformed “D” into “O”, as he’d jar the pigskin loose, enabling Joey Moran to scoop up the fumble and bring it all the way back to the house to turn the 3-0 deficit into a 7-3 edge in the blink of an eye…
With 7:10 to go before the teams retreated to the locker room, he thwarted a second consecutive FP series when his pass rush on 2nd & 15 forced Ram QB, Jonathan Bailey, to make a hurried throw that was picked off by Luigi Biondolillo on the Viking 30!!!
Not much changed in the second half, as Coscia continued to be front and center for the majority of highlight reel developments…
SJS’s cushion having ballooned to 21-3, he’d shoot into the opposing backfield on 4th & Goal on his own 1 and stuff the fullback to create a turnover on downs with 7:13 remaining in 3Q!
The board now reading 21-9 with 10:33 unspoken for in the 4th, it was Coscia’s QB pressure on 3rd & 8th that forced Bailey to make an errant throw that just missed a receiver standing on the goal line…On the ensuing play, FP was unsuccessful in their fake FG try!!!
His nearly 20-tackle appearance boosting his 2024 sum to 85; Coscia vaulted himself to the top of the Joe’s by the Sea leaderboard!!
As he and the Vikings ready themselves for the school’s first title weekend since 2019 (AA loss to Moore Catholic); Coscia does so knowing that he will not have the luxury of resting on his semifinal laurels; as it will be demanded of him that he find a way to blanket a two-headed Eagle colony (Marco Aruta & Jeremiah Williams) that have combined to run for 2,568 yards and 31 touchdowns during the course of the past three months…
Coscia registered 9 tackles in the week #1 loss (22-19) to this same STP juggernaut!
Brayden McMahon (Sr.); WR/DB – Holy Cross Knights
There is no better time to shine for a student-athlete than the postseason of one’s senior year!!
Constantly staring the “end of the road” in the face; big efforts are necessary in order to preserve that last beacon of hope!
But as the adage says, “pressure creates diamonds”; and that is exactly how precious/priceless the Knights’ 5’10, 150-pound, two-way ball hawk [McMahon] performed in sending his school back to Championship weekend for the first time since 2004 (Double-AA champ)!!
Hearing the call to service and getting the job done on both sides of the ball, the hometown kid (resides in Flushing) was the consummate play-maker in all aspects as he’d haul in 7 receptions for 110 yards to put a charge into the offense…
And on “D”, he’d log an interception!
In the end, the byproduct materialized as a commanding 35-7 victory over Kennedy Catholic!
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Angelo Negrette (Sr.); DE/TE – St. Peter’s Eagles
A tale of one man dictating terms in completely polar opposite fashions, the 6’2, 225-pounder could not have been any more noticeable/intimidating on “D”; but yet, it could be argued that it was his more subtle/ensemble contributions on Offense that actually was a2 bigger difference-maker in the Eagles’ 42-28 victory last weekend in a clash of Staten Island over three-time returning Metro runners-up, Moore Catholic…
His name called early and then often, the two-way senior would be credited with 8 stops (2 TFL), including a single-day personal-best of 5 sacks in helping propel STP back to Championship weekend for the first time since 2010!!!
Wasting little time in getting his name in the box score, the #9 shirt notched the first of his “cinco bagging” efforts on the first offensive snap of the game by the visiting/rival Mavericks…
Later on in the opening half, with his school trialing 7-0, he’d be part of a group sack that buried MC deep in their own territory and forced a punt that was inevitably blocked; thus setting up the game-tying score on 1-yard run from Marco Aruta (5 total scores—2 receiving; 2 rushing; 1 throwing)
His footsteps no doubt echoing in the ears of opposing sophomore field general, Thomas Zeh, with St. Peter’s leading 42-28 late in the 4th quarter, Negrette made certain that would be no hope for a comeback from the “Merrill Ave. Mafia” as his fifth and final sack pushed Moore Catholic back and eventually resulted in a turnover on downs!!!
By virtue of his stellar body of work; he’d up his Fall ‘24 numbers to a mighty impressive 56 stops, 7 TFLs, and 5 sacks (all during the championship round of 4)…
His impact on defense alone worth of being named as a POTW selection; as noted above; he proved quite invaluable on “O” to boot, as he repeatedly and selflessly sacrificed himself so that teammates could bask in the glory…
Dedicating himself to being a ferocious and unrelenting blocker to aid the vaunted ground attack; his heart and toughness paved the way for St. Peter’s to bank 213 yards and 3 scores on 38 carries, while adding an additional 201 yrds and a pair of TDs in the air!
As the Eagles go looking for prey in the form of their first Metro Catholic hardware since winning the “A” crown in 2009 when they collide with St. Joe’s by the Sea in a classic All-SI #1 vs. #2 match-up; Negrette knows that he will need to be just as good as he was in Week #1 (22-19 STP win) when he was credited with six tackles on one front; while simultaneously playing the unsung hero role in a 248-yard/3 TD demonstration rushing!
Brennen Pressley (Jr.); LB/RB – Iona Prep Gaels
Three varsity seasons…Three trips to the “ship”….That is not coincidence!!
A mainstay two-way performer for Gaels since his freshman campaign, the 5’11, 205-pound 11th grader out of the Big Apple has literally made a career out of being reliable on both sides of the ball…
His talents perhaps more pronounced on the defensive side of the line, Pressley’s ability to fly to the ball and stuff the run was especially on display last Friday night in Iona Prep’s 34-14 conquest over Chaminade in a #1 vs. #5 NYCHSFL Triple-A semifinal contest…
No stranger to double-digit stops from his LB spot throughout his scholastic tenure, the Junior standout would be credited with 11 tackles (2 for negative yardage), as well as a sack in holding the visiting Flyers to just 53 yards on the ground (-84 from their seasonal average of 136.6)…
A testament to the comprehensive value he brings to the Maroon & Gold brethren week-in and week-out happening late in the 3rd quarter; the #2 shirt culminated drives on both sides of the ball; as he’d be part of a gang tackle that stuffed Chaminade on 4th &2 inside the IP red zone to create a turnover on downs…
Then on the ensuing possession following the induced TOD, he’d be the one entrusted to punch in the pigskin from 3-yards out to increase the Iona Prep lead from 21-7 to 28-7 with 2:40 to go in the quarter!
After losses to St. Anthony’s in 2022 and Cardinal Hayes last season, Pressley and the Gaels will be determined to finally hoist the hardware that has alluded them in the past as they make the trip to Long Island (Mitchel Athletic Complex) for a AAA title skirmish with [STA] the Friars…
An absolute firefight (48-40 IP victory) when the top-2 seeds met on October 4th [Week #5]; Pressley knows that there will be a lot of responsibility on his shoulders to try to slowdown presumptive Offensive Player of the Year favorite/STA QB, Gary Merrill, who amassed 451 yards (246 throwing; 205 running) and five touchdowns (3 passing, 2 running) during the regular season match-up!
Anchored by their three-year starting LB [Pressley]; if the IP “D” is able to keep a lid on (or at least contain him somewhat) the dual-purpose game-changer for St. Anthony’s; then there is every reason to believe that the trip home to New Rochelle will be a celebratory occasion!
Terrence Watson (Jr.); QB – Xaverian Clippers
Quite difficult to single out one individual on an evening that witnessed the Clippers put 55 points on the scoreboard, it would be the 6’0, 200-pound signal caller hailing from Brooklyn that got the nod from the Xaverian coaching staff following a commanding semifinal triumph (55-13) that dethroned defending AA-1 champs, Mount St. Michael Academy!!
Tying a single-game best by recording his third three-touchdown performance of the 2024 campaign, Watson struck twice with his legs while also being on the front end of an “on the money” TD toss!!!
All in all responsible for accumulating 161 yards of total offense, he was “Bullseye” all evening with his arm, as he went a perfect 5-for-5 (61 yards); but it would be the other set of limbs where he especially looked unstoppable…
Calling his own number on 10 different occasions, the stud in the #5 jersey equaled and/or surpassed all previous season-highs across the board at the ideal time, as he closed the night having gained exactly 100 yards to break into the century club!!
With Xaverian already enjoying a 14-7 advantage in the 2nd quarter, Watson took a snap out of the shot gun and darted up the gut to paydirt from 10-yards out to tally the first of what would be three straight direct scores before the intermission to grow the margin to 34-7
After logging his second TD rush, he showcased his arm when he teamed up with Senior, Owen Conti, on a flawless 37-year pitch-and-catch over the middle to increase the margin to cap the scoring during the first 24 minutes of action!!
In illustrating this dual-threat capacity, he’d up his statistical output this year to 1,373 yards and 20 touchdowns of generated offense behind 78-for-135 (7 TDs) via the air; complement by an additional 431 yards and 13 scores on 69 attempts (6.2/per)
As an encore to the first POTW nomination of his career; Watson will try to put the Clippers back atop the NYCHSFL mountaintop for the first time since 2015 when they claimed the top prize in the “A” division!!!
This objective will be easier said than done as they are slated to square off against a Holy Cross Knight cohort that got the better of them, 20-13, during week #7…
During this regular season meeting, Watson played fairly well, completing 12-for-19 passes for 117 yards in the air and scoring twice on land; but he did throw an INT, which he no doubt will want to clean up during the rematch!
