Christopher Biondi (Sr.); OL/DL – Kellenberg Memorial Firebirds
Playing like he has a NIL deal with Dyno Nobel; the 295-pound Lynbrook resident repeatedly “blew up” anyone in his path on both sides of the ball to help the host Firebirds improve to 6-2 this fall behind a 14-6 toppling of defending AA-1 champs, Xavier!
His menacing blocks on offense paving the way for Kellenberg Memorial to rack up a season-best average of 8.3 yards per carry (225 on 27 attempts)…
Four different Blue & Gold clad individuals rushed for 40 or more yards (Quinn Saccheri: 86, Brendan Barkley: 56, Brayden Farrelly: 42, and Douglas Cristales: 41)!
KMHS enjoying a narrow 7-6 advantage with just over 4:00 remaining in regulation; Big #75 delivered what was perhaps his most essential pancake when in “Michael Oher-esque” fashion from the “Blindside”, he bulldozed a would-be tackler to create a schism in the opposing DL that Saccheri was able to exploit to the tune of 64-yard house call for a much-needed insurance touchdown!
For the season, the Sacred Heart commit has more than done his part in fostering opportunities that have generated nearly 3,000 yards (2,948) and 30 total TDs between ground (1,534; 21 scores) and sky (1,414; 9 TD tosses)!!
Recognized last season for his prowess as a defender; the All-League nose guard lived up to the standard in last weekend’s triumph, as he tied his season-highs for stops (6) and TFLs (2) while serving as a bedrock piece of an ensemble that smothered the always tough Knight running game and held them scoreless for nearly 44 minutes!
In reviewing the film; two specific moments especially stood out as symbols of the chaos he creates in dominating one-on-one match-ups in the trenches…
On Xavier’s first series of the contest; it was Biondi bringing the heat via 3rd down pass rush that caused an errant throw and forced the Knights to punt…
The battle still scoreless at the onset of the second half; just moments after KMHS fumbled the opening kickoff on their own 30; it was the future Pioneer thwarting off the potential game-defining scenario when he’d rip extend his arm and rip the ball free; thus allowing the Berg to regain control of the pigskin before any damage could be inflicted!!
Credited with 39 tackles (3 TFLs) and 3 sacks during the entirety of his junior campaign; Biondi has already shattered two of those categories in 2026 (11 TFLs, 5 sacks); and is well on his way to establishing new personal-bests across the board; as he needs only six additional stops between the regular season finale + postseason to reach 40 (or more)!
Week #8 marks his Metro Catholic POTW debut!
Jayden Gonzalez (Sr.); WR/KR – Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders
The man in the Red, White, and Blue Crusader jersey is absolutely “INSTANT OFFENSE” whenever the ball finds its way into his hands!
Capable of beating you as both a traditional WR and as a kick return specialist, the Bronx resident showcased the full bag of tricks this past weekend in propelling Archbishop Stepinac to a 41-17 victory at home over St. John the Baptist!
Establishing or tying single-game personal-bests across the board as a target in the air attack; the 5’9, 180-pound senior hauled in 4 grabs for 140 yards and 1 TD!
And in truth, the stat sheet does not necessarily do him justice as Gonzalez had a touchdown taken off the board!
With the game scoreless late in the 1st quarter; the #3 shirt appeared to break the ice when he made a catch over the middle and then cut to the far sidelines for what would have been a 60-yard trek to the promised land had a flag not brought the pigskin back to the Cougar 15-yard line!
While not generating the “6” he deserved; the play was the catalyst in James Lilly later drilling his field goal attempt to give Stepinac the 3-0 lead with 2:22 to go in the opening stanza!
Fast-forwarding to the 3Q and the hosts from White Plains now enjoying a 34-10 cushion; Gonzalez was on the back end of a perfectly thrown 40-yard bomb from Dylan Wrona (9-for-17, 200 yards, 2 TD passes) to make it a 41-10 affair with just under 4:00 to go in the quarter…AND THIS TOOK IT STUCK for what is believed to be the first TD reception of his career!
A bona fide candidate for STPOY; as electrifying as Gonzalez was in the orthodox aspects of the game; his performance as a kick returner may have actually been his most impressive feat, as for the second weekend in a row, he’d notch a KR TD!
His school trailing 7-3 after SJB recorded a pick-6; it was Gonzalez delivering an immediate response when he fielded the ball on his own 14 and paraded 86 yards to the end zone to quickly put STEP back on top, 10-7, at the onset of the 2nd quarter!
The “microwave” ability he possesses to alter/shift momentum in a heartbeat is why collegiate programs such as AIC and Western New England University have reached out with scholarship offers!
Now a first-time NYCHSFL POTW selection; if teams do not keep a watchful eye on him and make limiting his touches a priority; he will continue to burn the competition!
Kenzo Jackson (Jr.); RB – Cardinal Hayes Cardinals
Turnovers plaguing the Cardinals for much of the first quarter; they found themselves trailing 6-0 and in need of a wake-up call in their Friday night battle versus Fordham Prep!
And it was the 5’11, 205-pound 11th grader hailing from Queens [Jackson] that acted as that proverbial “alarm clock”!
Instrumental in sparking the Hayesmen to 28 unanswered points from the 2nd through 4th quarters; Jackson was responsible for generating 178 yards (14 carries for 147 rushing; 31 yards on five receptions) and scoring a pair of touchdowns (both on the ground) on 19 total chances with the pigskin; but his value was even more immense than the box score indicated!
His team facing that aforementioned initial deficit; it was the #22 jersey righting the ship and flipping momentum late in the 1st/early in the 2nd when he’d be the focal point on an 85-yard march that witnessed him pick up gains of 19 (to the opposing 20), 5 (the FP 15), and 5 (Ram 10) before cashing with one last 10-yard sprint to vault the Maroon & Gold to an 8-6 advantage with 8:18 to go before intermission!
The scoreboard still reading 8-6; Jackson did everything but score the TD on yet another extended drive for Hayes; as he racked up gainers of 13, 29 (to FP 36), and 5 (to the enemy 10) to set up the first of Kymonni Valentine’s two TD runs that increased the margin to 14-6 with under half-a-minute to go in the 3rd quarter!
Two double-digit handoffs for a sum of 21 yards moved the ball across midfield and played a role in Valentine’s second of the evening from short distance (20-6) with 5:25 remaining in regulation!
As a last act, Jackson completed his bookend scoring outing when in the closing 4:00 of action from Coffey Field, he peeled off consecutive carries yielding 17 and 32 yards; with the latter requiring him to maintain his balance and evade several Ram defenders before reaching paydirt to account for the fourth and final TD run by Hayes to cap off the damage!
Austin Lanera (Jr.); WR/DB – Kennedy Catholic Gaels
Already a returning All-Catholic selection from a season ago (as a 10th grader); today marks the first POTW distinction for the 6’2, 155-pound resident of Amawalk!
His contributions in the Gaels’ 38-14 victory over St. Dominic’s extending beyond just the stat sheet; when submitting Lanera for consideration; the Kennedy Catholic coaching staff made certain to praise the selflessness he displayed!
Carrying himself like a true team leader who was more interested in the squad succeeding than he was in chasing individual glory; the three-sport student-athlete in Somers repeatedly sacrificed his body as a primary blocker on runs to make it permissible for fellow junior, Joseph DeSocio (reigning POTW), to again flourish (80 yards on 10 carries)!
Furthermore, while playing on both sides of the ball; Lanera would set the tone in the “no fly zone”, as KC was able to make life very difficult for a Bayhawk rival that had been strong in the air for much of the 2026 season!
Credited with three tackles under the Friday night lights; it would be the lockdown coverage he displayed that was equally pertinent in Kennedy picking up their third win in the past four weeks (to raise their seasonal record to 3-4)!
His altruism rewarded by the football gods; Lanera did have the privilege of boasting a signature moment, as it was a 73-yard touchdown hook-up between Dominick Tassone and his top target that extended a then 18-0 lead to 24-0 with 9:38 remaining before halftime!
All in all, he wrapped up the evening with two snatches for 86 yards as proof of why he is likely well on his way towards being a rare three-time All-Catholic choice by the time he takes his final snap in the fall of 2027!
Madden Martinez (Sr.); QB – Holy Cross Knights
Returning to the POTW list for the second time in his career and the first time since week #3 of his junior campaign…
The 2x All-State Honorable Mention/2025 All-Catholic team member had his golden arm locked and loaded in the Knights’ 42-0 shutout victory against Christ the King in the war of Queens (Flushing vs. Middle Village) bragging rights!!
Only asked to drop back and throw the pigskin eight times all afternoon; Martinez made certain that every toss counted to the fullest as he’d connect with four different targets (Caleb Rivera, Brandon Glaudin, Joseph Alestra, and Adrian Collado) to equal his single-game best of four touchdown throws!
Boasting a pinpoint accurate 6-for-8 for 141 yards performance; the man donning the #12 raised his seasonal output to 761 yards and 13 touchdowns (tied for 1st in the AA-2 division) chucking on 45-of-80 (56.2%) attempts!
The Knights having made consecutive trips to Championship weekend but come up empty on each occasion; if their heralded senior leader continues to spread the ball around like he’s a knife putting hot butter on a bagel (four straight outings with two or more TD passes); then there is every reason to believe that the “Green Machine” can flip their fortunes in 2026!
Bryce Moye (Jr.); QB – Monsignor Farrell Lions
Now making his SIXTH overall appearance in the past 2.5 seasons; we honestly thought that there was nothing the 6’2, 215-pound junior gun slinger could do to further impress us….
And then last Friday night happened!
Totaling FIVE touchdowns in the Lions’ 55-21 victory over St. Anthony’s in a clash of the two most recipient NYCHSFL triple-A runners-up (STA in 2024, MF in 2025); the All-State, All-League selection had an “SAT Exam” kind of evening, where he combined his best mark in the air (3 TDs tosses; now done 7x dating back to 2025) with his top effort on the ground (2 TD keepers; achieved three times; all in the past three weeks) to utterly decimate the Friar defense!
Finishing the night with a stat sheet that read as follows: 13-for-20, 192 yards, 3 touchdowns with his arm; 78 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries); the top contender for Riverso/Offensive Player of the Years did nothing but pile up more evidence as to why he is the worthy choice for the award!
Orchestrating the Maroon & Gold to touchdowns on every series in which he took the snaps…
Moye had completions of 16 (Mason Morales) and15 (Joseph Augustine-Martino) yards, as well as a 14-yard run to set up Jayden Burch’s 20-yard trek a little than 3:00 into the game to quickly give Farrell a 7-0 lead!
Interestingly, Moye had a 26-yard TD run called back earlier in the drive!
After a STA TD cut the margin to 7-6, it would be 26-yard screen pass to Morales, complemented by 20-yard over the shoulder grab in the back of the end zone by Braxton Moye that served as the response to make it a 13-7 affair with 5:23 to go in 1Q!
After a fake punt pass from David Leverock to Morales kept the possession alive; Moye overcame multiple penalties by registering a 12-yard run; a 17-yard screen pass to Charlie Costanzo; a 9-yard run; and then back to-back hook-up with Leverock (12 yards to the STA 7) and Augustine-Martino (7-yard TD dime)….He’d shovel the ball to Costanzo for the 2pt conversion to increase the cushion to 21-7 approximately :20 into the 2nd quarter!
Making four-for-four in terms of possessions and touchdowns; just moments after the Lion defense induced a turnover on downs; it was the Moye-to-Moye twin terror exchange converting a perfectly thrown 36-yard strike (28-7; 8:07 to go before the half)!
In their ultimate drive before retreating to the locker room for halftime; Moye went off for a 16-yard QB dive (to cross midfield and put the ball on the opposing 49) and then found Morales on a 27-yarder to the STA 10 as a catalyst to Leverock’s 9-yard house call with 2:22 to go to make it 35-7 after 24 minutes!
Aided by repeated big runs courtesy of Burch on the squad’s first possession of the 2nd half; Moye culminated the march by calling his own #1 on keepers of 6 and 1-yard (TD) respectively to further balloon the differential to 42-7!
The scoreboard now reading 48-21 early in the 4Q; as his last act; Moye capitalized off of Leverock’s INT return to the enemy 25 by busting up the gut for a 16-yard TD cruise to punctuate his career night!
Morales (5 receptions for 92 yards), Brax. Moye (3 hauls for 64 yards, 2 TDs), and Augustine-Martino (3 snatches for 45 yards, 1 TD) all shared in the glory with their quarterback!
Moye will approach the regular season finale against cross-Island rival, St. Joe’s by the Sea having hurled for 1,611 yards (1st in Triple-A) and 14 touchdowns (2nd in AAA) on 112-of-162 (69.1%); while tacking on an additional 272 yards and a team-high 8 TDs on the ground!
Justin Pierre (Fr.); WR/DB – Cardinal Spellman Pilots
The Pilot faithful dreaming of the day that they see the program restored to the juggernaut it was in the Mid-2010s (five straight finals appearances from 2015-2019; titles in ’17 and ’18)…
All that is required for the rebirth of a dynasty to come fruition is for a few special players choose your school during the admission’s process!!
And you can bet that Head Coach Shaheem Burnett and his staff are feeling quite blessed that Justin Pierre elected to stay home in Brooklyn!
An undeniable diaper dandy that is going to achieve major milestones over the course of the next 3+ years; the 5’8, 150-pounder gave the home crowd a glimpse of the “total package” he brings with him to the gridiron last Saturday afternoon in Spellman’s 31-8 triumph over Nazareth Regional!
A playmaker on both sides of the line of scrimmage; Pierre stockpiled 125 yards of total offensive production, highlighted by one of the many “on the money” TD tosses delivered on the day by junior signal caller, Elijah Walker!
Defensively, the “fab frosh” was every bit as effective as in addition to accruing 4 stops; he’d also single-handedly create a turnover when he both knocked the ball free and pounced on it for the recovery!
His name being one that we fully expect to be hearing/reading/writing about frequently; the first-time POTW honoree is the bedroom/foundational piece from which the school can build back to cherished prosperity of yesteryear!
To truly put into perspective how fare of a feat he just accomplished is; since 2022, he is only the third 9th grader to receive Metro Catholic Player of the Week spotlight!
He joins Thomas Zeh (led Moore Catholic to a runner-up finish in the 2023 AA-1 playoffs before transferring to Erasmus Hall and helping them to a 2025 PSAL crown) and the living legend that is the Bryce Moye (led Monsignor Farrell to a triple-A runner-up last fall as a sophomore and seems primed to take them back to title weekend again this season)!…
Hence, there is a correlation between this accolade and future team success!
Jake Price (Sr.); QB – Xaverian Clippers
Repeating as a Metro Catholic Player of the Week (previously honored in week #4); it sure looks as if the 6’4, 190-pound field general from Rockaway Beach is primed to extend the Clippers streak to three straight years with a NYS recognized individual taking the snaps!
His patience a true virtue; after sitting and learning while Terrance Watson anchored Xavier to back-to-back AA-2 crowns; Price has been every bit as productive as his predecessor in guiding his gridiron brothers to a strong 6-2 record that has them in the conversation for a high postseason seed (bumped up to AA-1)!!
Tying his career-best for TD tosses in a single day; Price had a direct hand in all 29 of the points racked up by Xaverian in their 29-21 victory at the expense of the Terriers of St. Francis Prep!
The Conductor for TD-yielding marches on three of the school’s first four possessions of the afternoon; Price wasted no time in getting the Clippers on the board as he’d find his favorite target, Christian LaRocca on a 60-yard bomb to give XVN the early 7-0 lead 3:56 into the 1st quarter!
One series later, the tandem played pitch-and-catch again, as #5 connected with #27 on a 13-yarder to double the cushion to 14-0 with 4:01 remaining in the opening stanza!
Price’s TD chuck came just moments after what would have been a 13yrd touchdown pass to LaRocca had been wiped out by a flag!
The final 2:00 before intermission witnessed more heroics from Price, as the margin grew to 21-0 with 1:41 on the clock before halftime courtesy of back-to-back runs of 23 and 6 (TD) by the one-year wonderkid!
Prior to the keepers; there was an equally valuable 33-yard strike to LaRocca that advanced the pigskin to the SFP 36!
A Francis Prep mini rally at the end of the 2Q and beginning of the 3Q seeing the deficit trimmed to 21-14; the eventual game-winner came in a most peculiar manner when it was Mario Manna transforming what appeared to be an interception into a 51-yard home run pass when he ripped the ball out of the hands of the SFP defensive back and paraded 34 yards undeterred to the promised land for Price’s third official touchdown pass (fourth total score) with 47.5 to go in the 3rd quarter (29-14)!
Heading into the regular season finale; Price’s 12 TD tosses ranks him 3rd among AA-1 quarterbacks!
From clipboard holder to MEGA STAR….What a difference a year can make!
Nico Vitagliano (Sr.); PK – St. Joseph’s By the Sea Vikings
It wasn’t over when the “Germans bombed Pearl Harbor”; and it is NEVER OVER when you have a “Jack-of-All-Trades” like Nico Vitagliano at your disposal!
Invaluable and unforgettable in propelling the now 7-2 Vikings to a shocking 28-27 victory over St. Peter’s (after trailing 21-0 in the 2nd quarter); the 5’9, 140-pound triple-threat (offense, defense, and special teams) was front-and-center for three absolute momentum shifting sequences in the 3rd quarter!
After St. Joe’s by the Sea cut their hole to 21-14 via a 15-yard TD exchange between Peter Tronolone and Arthur McCarthy; it was Vitagliano enabling SJS to play “make it, take” when his perfectly executed squib kick was pounced on by teammate, Salvatore Leto!
Head Coach, Tressor Baptiste’s bag of tricks deeper than Houdini and David Blaine’s combined; after immediately regaining possession; St. Joe’s by the Sea knotted the game at 21 apiece on the subsequent snap following the onside boot when the “man of the hour” in the #7 shirt [Vitagliano] lofted a 36-yard touchdown pass off of a WR option to Nicholas Laona!
Then deja vu ensued, as Vitagliano again showed himself to be a master of “unorthodox warfare” when for the second time in as many tries; his well-placed squib was secured by Joseph Zamore to make it THREE possessions in a row!
The next series would not produce points; but what it did manage to achieve is control of field position as Julian Criscitiello rose to the occasion with a clutch strip on the SJS punt that set up the eventual game-winning touchdown pass from Tronolone to Laona to give Sea their first lead (28-21) of the contest with just under 7:00 to go in regulation!!!
The cunning/clever exploits of Vitagliano the most intriguing part of the comeback; what should not go unnoticed or underappreciated is the fact that in addition to the “unconventional”; he also performed steadily on defense (6 total stops) to prevent the deficit from getting out-of-hand in the 1st half!
His 4-for-4 body of work on PAT attempts further enhanced his argument for POTW honors!
We’ll be watching football for the better part of the next 50 years; and we guarantee you will NEVER see another instance of what this young man managed to pull off within the span of under 1:00!!