XAVIER-28; FORDHAM PREP-0
Playing inspired football on both ends, it would be the Dom DeFalco mentored Knights snapping a four-game losing streak in the 101st rendition of the historic rivalry when they emerged as 28-0 victors over the Rams of Fordham Prep on a miserably rainy Thanksgiving morning…
The clock at the end of the 1st half being the only element that could stop their vaunted single-wing running attack during the opening 24 minutes of actions, Xavier would do all the damage necessary as it was a natural hat trick from strapping 6’2, 235-pound Jackson Lent that enabled them to successfully culminate their first four consecutive possessions of the day
After a pass break-up (almost INT) by Maxwell Wyckoff on 3rd down generated a short punt to the FP 40 on the opening drive, it would be senior RB/WR, Aydin Mora, registering his 7th rushing down of the 2024 when he took the hand-off 16 yards around the left corner to the promised land to draw first blood…Lent then punched in the 2pt conversion run to make the score 8-0!!
Mora’s TD run at the onset marked the only occasion in which a person not named Lent enjoyed the thrills of crossing the goal line; as the rugged H-Back [Lent], who entered the day with just four TDs and 106-yards this season (18 carries) would go off for three scores in a row between the 1Q and 2Q!
Another short punt from Fordham Prep putting the Knights immediately in business (on the FP 38); Lent doubled the cushion to 14-0 (blocked PAT) when on 3rd & long, he busted through the hole and darted 36 years to the house for the first of his trifecta…
An Elijah Stewart tackle for a loss on 3rd down coercing the Rams to boot it away for a third straight series; the Knights took over on their own 42, but did not remain there for long, as runs of 10, 9, and 17 yards by Senior RB, Jerry Kuharski, advanced the pigskin to the opposing 22….
A trade-off of penalties (chop block by XR; 15-yard facemask by FP) ended up benefitting the host school as the ball was moved to the Ram 6…Lent barreled his way in from this distance and then tacked on his second 2pt conversion of the half to further pull away, 22-0!!!
Even when things were looking favorable for Head Coach, Pat Deane’s squad from the Bronx [Fordham Prep]; tragedy would occur; as it was a hat laid by XR senior LB Evan Tarozzi that jarred the ball loose from Jack McKillop, allowing Stewart to dive on it for the fumble recovery inside his own 14….
Minutes later, Lent rounded out the scoring when on 3rd & 13, he’d take the hand-off wide around the right end and jet 59 yards down the FP sideline to register his third and final TD of the Holiday!..He had extended the drive when on 4th &2 on his own side of the field, he powered his way for a 4-yard gain!!
The wet ball giving Rams’ QB, Jonathan Bailey fits, a mishandled snap provided one final opportunity for the Knights to add to their cushion as Wyckoff recovered on the FP 34…But the sub-1:00 drive would not yield additional points!!
The second half proving to be a demonstration of the defensive talent featured on both sidelines, neither cohort would be able to breakthrough…
“Turnovers” being the theme of the ultimate 24 minutes, after a Sean Rooney stop on 3rd down resulted in the FP defense’s first actual stop of the contest; it would be Junior DB, Liam Averill, taking the ball right back when on the next snap, he picked off Bailey on the XR 40 and returned it to the FP 42…
FP Senior DE, Patrick Keeley had a strip sack on 4th down to give the Rams starting field position at their own 40…But that drive stalled on the enemy 33 thanks to a pass rush by Anthony Nemir on 3rd down forced an errant pass; and then Lent dropped the boom on 4th down for a stop short of the sticks for the T.O.D. on his 28…
In the 4th quarter, Vir Rawal had a pass-rush on 3rd down; and then Hanoi Nelson got a palm on the resulting punt to set up XR on the FP 45…But nothing came of the solid field position as a mishandled snap was scooped up inside the Ram red zone by McKillop…
FP’s last attempt at preventing the shutout (first since 2017; 28-0 Fordham Prep) literally fell short on an incomplete pass in the last 2:00 of regulation!
By virtue of their triumph, the Knights raised their Turkey Bowl record to 42-55-4 and capped off the 2024 campaign with a 5-5 record…
Fordham Prep sees their fall come to a conclusion with a 6-6 slate!
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CARDINAL HAYES-22; MOUNT ST. MICHAEL ACADEMY-0
You can make it 11 years in a row where the gentlemen clad in Maroon & Gold sat down for their turkey dinners with Bronx bragging rights in their proverbial pockets!!!
In what was a game plagued by sloppiness and costly penalties; Hayes still proved to be too large an obstacle to overcome for the host MSMA Mountains…
The defensive units for both programs coming out of the locker room all charged up; the opening 12:00 would go scoreless as the two squads combined to induce three punts and three separate turnovers on downs during the first six possessions of the morning…
Finally, after a mishandled punt attempt by the Mount (created by an Ayden Smartt sack on 3rd down), resulted in the Cardinals taking possession of the pigskin on the opposing 15, it would be Tristan Rodriguez taking a carry 10 yards to the 5; and then big Kahmari Valentine (317-pound DL) bulldozing his way into the end zone for the touchdown..Syracuse bound/reigning NYCHSFL and NYS OPOY recipient, Rich Belin, hit Antwan Harvey on a 20-yard pass completion (after a penalty) to convert the 2-point try and make the score 8-0 with 7:35 remaining in the 1st half…
The fourth Mountaineer punt of the day giving control back to the Cardinals; Belin hit future Yale Bulldog, Reid Jones, on a 35-yard hook-up to advance to the MSMA 11…His 11-yard TD run on the next play erased by a penalty; Senior All-purpose weapon, Ken-G Burham refused to be denied his “6”, as he simply shook off the penalty and scored on a 20-yard run to make the score 14-0 (2pt try no good) with 3:37 to go before the intermission…
Harvey pouncing on a loose ball initiated by a squib kick instantly restoring possession to the 2024 Triple-A semifinalist, Hayes threatened to tack on another score before halftime when Jones hauled in a 25-yard TD pass…But alas, a flag wiped out the sequence and the series later concluded on an incomplete pass on 4th & 6 inside the MSMA 22!
Bad weather conditioning wreaking havoc on all ball-carriers’ ability to maintain their grip, a Mount fumble quickly after the aforementioned T.O.D. gave C.H. one final attempt at padding the lead in the last half minute prior to the break…
A 17-yard scramble by Belin would surge his team to the 2-yard line with :02; but he’d then be met at the goal line and stuffed at the buzzer to keep the scoreboard unchanged (14-0)..
Coercing a three-and-out on the Mountaineers’ first offensive series of the 2nd half; the Hayes’ attack got back to work on their initial drive, as the man in the #30 jersey (announced as sophomore, Ethan Waife) both sparked and then culminated the march, as he broke for a 13-yard run on the first snap and then cashed in on a 10-yard sprint for the touchdown…In-between his two double-digit gainers would be a successful 3rd & 12 pick up courtesy of the tandem of Belin and Jones who teamed up on a 14-yard WR screen to move the ball inside the enemy 23…The duo teamed up again on a 2pt exchange following the TD to up (HAYES) the cushion to 22-0 with 6:54 remaining in 3Q!
The ultimate 19 minutes of action producing no subsequent output from either cohort; a pattern seemed to materialize as repeated fumble recoveries by the likes of Jaden Bigio, Jasiah Howard, Malachi Lassiter, and Jayden Ramos (Team manager suited up) consistently set up the Cardinals inside the MSMA 35…But untimely penalties derailed these opportunities, as multiple TDs were taken off the board due to infractions…
While the verdict did not go in their favor today; Jaire Edwards, Zaire Caldwell, and Ryan Ragin had their names called often and were to be commended for stellar respective efforts on “D”!!!
The dub caps off an 8-4 campaign for Hayes; while the defeat dropped the Mount to 6-6!