Article by Matt Diano
#1 St. Anthony’s (7-1) vs. #8 Christ the King (1-8)
When: Friday November 4th, 2022 @7pm
Where: Cy Donnelly Field on St. Anthony’s Campus (275 Wolf Hill Rd, Melville, NY 11747)
Previous Meeting: 44-12 St. Anthony’s on October 21st (Week #7)
Synopsis: Looking to return to the title game for the first time since 2017 and win the school’s first crown since 2013, the first step in the journey for the top-seeded Friars will be a date with a Royals’ squad that handled convincingly when Long Island battled Queens in week #7!!!!
Undefeated this season against fellow Empire State competition (lone loss was to NJ powerhouse, St. Joe’s Regional-Montvale), the Joe Minucci mentored cohort has been explosive on offense from beginning to end thus far this fall, as they enter the home confines of Donnelly Field on Friday averaging 38.5 points per game!!!
When these two teams squared off not too long ago, STA was able to pick their poison in terms of how they chose to score, as a balanced arsenal of both air and ground strikes yielded them 408 yards and six cumulative touchdowns….
Senior field general, Dante Torres, was his usual dominant self, as he completed 13 of 23 pass attempts for 219 yards and a pair of touchdowns hurls…He’ll step on the field under the Friday Night lights having tossed for at least 200+ yards in five of 8 outings, with 2 or more TD throws in 6 of 8!….
On the back end of the bullets being fired by Torres was the likes of Tim Longo (2 grabs for 27 yards, 1 TD), Ian Strong (a 62-yard touchdown grab), Kenyon Miles (2 catches for 36 yards), and Alex Menghi, who delivered a 3-grab, 63-yard evening to top both categories….A scary thought for the CTK second is that STA’s #1 overall weapon in the vertical game, KJ Duff Jr. (27 receptions for 619 yards, 6 touchdowns) was absent!
On land, it was both parts of the two-headed senior monster out of the backfield—Darius Morant & Frank Ruta—recording two touchdowns apiece…The former carried the ball on 21 occasions for 107 yards; while the latter got into the mix behind a 4 hand-off, 82-yard effort!
Defensively, it was Evan Macaluso, [Ian] Strong, and Jaeden Jenkins all intercepting one pass each, while Joseph Dechiaro (forced the fumble) and Dante Vardaro (recovered it) combined to induce another turnover…Glenn Platania (7 tackles), Preston Carey (7 stops), Vincent Spina (7 tackles), and Tyler Dunne (4 stops, 1 sack) were also part of the strong unified effort that limited Christ the King to just 238 yards!
Flipping pages to Christ the King, it is essential to realize that despite their modest outcomes, this is not a team devoid of God-given talent….
If junior QB, Jeremy Alexandre (852 yards and 11 TD passes in 2022), can trim the turnovers and establish a comfort zone in the pocket, there is every reason to believe that the Royals can find success in the air…
Top-2 receivers—Na’eem Gladding (33 grabs for 743 yards, 6 TD hauls) & Jourdin Houston (22 catches for 497 yards, 7 touchdowns) were held to one reception each during the regular season meeting…So if they can assert themselves to a higher degree, it could go a long way towards giving the Royals a fighting chance…Gabriel Reynoso could be a wildcard. The 11th grader had his only documented grab of the year for an 84-yard touchdown in the loss to St. Anthony’s!
CTK’s #1 RB, Malichi Greaves (366 yards on 46 attempts) will need to find his groove in the rematch after being bottled up to the tune of a 27-yard outing in week #7….
On Defense, much will be asked of Greaves (6 tackles, 2 TFLs), Houston (4 stops, 3 TFLs), as well as Arinze Maijeh (3 TFLs, 1 QB hurry), Tyriq Blanding (2 TFLs), Seven Wright (3 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QB hurry), and Karyll Rony-Dorceus (4 tackles, 2 PDs) who were all bright spots despite the defeat!
#2 Iona Prep (7-2) vs. #7 Cardinal Hayes (1-7)
When: Saturday November 5th, 2022 @3pm
Where: Wellington T. Mara Field on Iona Prep Campus (255 Wilmot Rd, New Rochelle, NY 10804
Previous Meeting: 27-0 Iona Prep on September 10th (Week #1)
Synopsis: A clash of our last two NYCHSFL triple-A titlists (Hayes in ‘19, Iona Prep last year), when the Gaels and Cards banged heads all the way back in week #1, the defending League and Catholic Champs from New Rochelle emerged controlled the game to the tune of the 27-0 goose-egging!!
The most prolific offense in AAA this season (edged out STA by a slight margin of 38.7 to 38.5), when the Maroon & Gold juggernaut went to work at the onset of the year, it was senior RB, Colin O’Garro, leading the charge versus Hayes, as he ran for a career-best three touchdowns (not to mention 172 yards) on 19 carries to account for 3/4s of the IP output!!…The massive display by the gentleman in the #5 jersey set the tone for the caliber of swan song he produced as he enters this postseason with a stat line of the following: 1,046 yards +13 touchdowns on 110 tries (9.5/per carry)…He is riding a streak of four consecutive century-mark-plus performances and is showing no signs of slowing down as his scholastic career rapidly approaches its sunset!!
Reigning Metro Catholic and New York State Offensive Player of the Year, Ajani Sheppard, was asked to do very little in week #1, as he tossed for a season-low of 101 yards (1 TD) on 10-of-20….However, as circumstance dictates, it need not be said that the 1st-team All-Stater committed to Old Dominion is able to flip a switch at any moment and deliver a mind-blowing showing in all regards….On track to boast yet another 2,000/1,000 season, the future Monarch has amassed 2,736 yards of total offense (1,837 in the air; 899 on the ground), while having a hand in 24 touchdowns (18 throwing; 6 rushing)…
If the aerial game does get deployed, the two names to pay attention to will be the 12th grade WR tandem of Ethan Acevedo (25 catches for 406 yards, 6 TDs) & Michael Senatore (19 receptions for 379 yards, 4 touchdowns)…Both notched multiple-catch outings (combined 5 grabs for 88 yards) on September 10th, with Senatore snatching the only TD ball of the day!….Sophomore, Steven Dowdy Jr., is fresh off of a career-day in the regular season finale vs. Chaminade; the 5’10, 175-pound, Bronx native made six catches for 101 yards and 1 TD. He has been on fire of late, posting three 100-yard receiving appearances in a row for the Gaels!
Led by their bedrock All-State captain, Zyian Moultrie-Goddard (2021 NYCHSFL AAA Defensive Player of the Year), and featuring Kieran Connolly, Jaylin Hicks, Capri Martin, Adande Nartey, Jaden Codrington, and Terrance Walden among others, the IP defense was go hunting for more zeros in their opening-round contest!
On the flip side, for Head Coach CJ O’Neil’s team to have a chance, it is imperative that sophomore QB, Rich Belin, junior RB, Kenneth Antoine, and senior wide-out, Taifah Mason all rise to the challenge and put the Cardinals on their proverbial backs!
Belin, the younger brother of former Hayes’ All-State signal caller, Henry (now playing collegiately at Duke), skill set is not to be questioned. After all, he is already holding NCAA DI scholarship offers despite still honing his craft….For C.H. to hang in till the end, he will need to improve upon the 6-for-15, 62-yard effort he had in week #1…
Antoine, who has multiple 100-yard running games in his last year as a high school student-athlete, was limited to just 21 yards on 14 carries during the first meeting!
Mason’s 4 receptions for 50 yards was the highlight for the Cardinals in the previous loss; if he can further elevate, then that will be a tremendous aid to his young quarterback who will be looking to him as the primary target!
Holding IP to their second lowest scoring total of the fall, Abdoul Bah (11 stops), Ray Boyd (11 tackles), Giovanni Downer (9 stops), Teddy Ethan Holland (6 tackles, 1 sack), Kahmari Valentine (5 stops, 1 sack), and Brock Belin (5 tackles) all did their jobs on “D” at the start of 2022 and will need to be just as forceful now that postseason has rolled around!
#3 Archbishop Stepinac (7-2) vs. #6 Monsignor Farrell (3-6)
When: Saturday November 5th, 2022 @6pm
Where: Archbishop Stepinac HS Campus (950 Mamaroneck Ave, White Plains, NY 10605)
Previous Meeting: 45-11 Stepinac on September 10th (Week #1)
Synopsis: A rematch of a 2021 Triple-A NYCHSFL semifinals where the Lions [Farrell], despite being the #2 seed on paper, pulled off what many called the upset of the season when they punched their ticket to the ship, 24-21!
If first-year Hea Coach, Rocco Del Priore, hopes to pull that “rabbit out of the hat for a second straight postseason occasion, it will imperative that the defense plays shutdown ball in the secondary, as they did a year ago when they picked off the Crusaders twice….The individuals responsible for those turnover-generating plays are both back, as Nicholas Souffrin (27 stops, 5 PDs) & John Caufield (78 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INTs, 7 pass break-ups) will anchor a last line of defense that struggled during the regular season match-up on September 10th, allowing Stepinac [Will Currid] to connect on 20-of-34 attempts in the air for 280 yards and a trifecta of TD strikes….If history repeats itself, it could be a long evening for the road warriors from Staten Island!!
Unfortunately, another “elephant in the room” and/or game-altering difference between 2021 and 2022 has been the absence of All-State TB, Messiah Burch, who torched A.S. in the championship round of 4, busting out for 193 yards and a pair of scores to propel the offense….A home run hitter any and every time pigskin is in his hands, his loss to a season-ending injury has forced the likes of Caufield (697 yards, 10 rushing touchdowns on 100 carries) and Mauricio Cetina (376 yards and 3 TDs on 49 carries) to elevate their games….Cetina was a bright spot in the week #1 loss, as he gained 80 yards and scored a touchdown on 12 tries…Caufield will need to be more impactful than the 25 yards he accumulated on 7 hand-offs…
Don’t be surprised if Junior QB, Cristian Pinto (61.2% completion percentage; 1,435 yards, 9 TD tosses) sees his activity increased following a 5-for-11, 55 yard appearance during the regular season….Pinto has hurled for 200+ yards three times this season, so if he gets into a groove, he is more than capable of putting forth a banner effort!!!….Justin Guzman (19 receptions for 175 yards, 2 TD hauls in 2022) for the favorite weapon in week #1, as he grabbed 3 out of the 5 completions in the loss….But the program’s top-2 statistical leaders—Shawn Keegan (39 catches for 510 yards, 3 TDs) and Souffrin (36 for 666, 4 scores) need to be at their best as well!!!
On the other sideline, if you are long-time Stepinac Head Coach, Mike O’Donnell, your message to your cohort is something as simple as, “just do what you did initially”!!!!
Emerging with perhaps their most balanced attack of the season, complementing the aforementioned 280 yards in the air chucked by Currid, was a season-best 223 yards and two touchdowns on the ground…Championed by the junior duo of Jordan Osbourne (494 yards/7 TDs rushing on 56 carries) & Lorenzo Robinson (432 yards +7 scores on 56 tries), the former just missed hitting the century mark (95 on 10 carries), while the latter [Robinson] netted 56 yards on 6 hand-offs. Each scored one TD apiece….Serge Lagardere, who is among the Crusader’s top-2 receivers, flashed some brilliance in jet sweet scenarios, as he tacked on 60 yards on 5 tries!!
Speaking of Lagardere (41 receptions for 672 yards, 4 touchdowns), he was one of three individuals that caught a TD pass in week #1….Joining him were Gjok Dedvukaj (57 grabs for 881 yards, 5 touchdowns) and Bodhi Ogg (36 snatches for 412 yards, 3 touchdown grabs) who contributed stat line of 7 for 85 and 3 for 51 respectively….The big man, Jahi Gary (28 receptions for 461 yards, team-high 6 TD snatches) were relatively quiet in the first meeting, making just one grab for 20 yards. But he can go off at any minute and transform the game with his 6’5/match-up nightmare frame!
Defensively, the usual suspects—-JT Krivinskas (112 total stops, 8 TFLs,4 sacks3 caused fumbles), Eddie Palumbo (77 tackles, 4 stops for negative yardage, 2 sacks, 3 QB hurries, 1 INT, 2 forced fumbles), Giuseppe Pennolino (72 stops, 3 TFLs, 2 sacks, 3 QB hurries, 1 pick, 2 caused fumbles), Isaiah Darby (39 tackles, 4 TFLs, 3 sacks, 5 hurries, Wayne Coleman (67 stops, 9 TFLs, 7 sacks, 14 QB hurries), Jack Donahoe (51 tackles, 11 PDs), and Jandiel Jimenez (50 stops, 4 TFLs, 3 sacks, 8 hurries, 5 fumble recoveries & 3 forced fumbles) were all lights out in limiting the opposing Lions to a season-low 192 yards of total offense….
#4 Chaminade (4-4) vs. #5 Kellenberg Memorial (6-3)
When: Saturday November 5th, 2022 @1:30pm
Where: Gold Star Stadium on the Campus of Chaminade HS (340 Jackson Ave, Mineola, NY 11501)
Previous Meeting: “First Meeting of 2022”
Synopsis: Thank you football Gods!!! When the 2022 scheduled was released and missing was the annual Marianist Bowl between sister schools—Chaminade and Kellenberg Memorial, there simply felt like a void existed in the world!!!
However, the powers-that-be from up above heard our cries and have delivered unto us a playoff clash that is sure to be worth the wait….
A rivalry that has gone back-and-forth over the course of the past 4-5 years, the visiting Firebirds won regular season match-ups in 2018 (42-14) and 2021 (35-8), while the host Flyers swept a pair of meetings in 2019, including a 29-12 triumph in that year’s AA-1 title contest!!!
A true test of wills, in many ways, November 5th at Gold Star Stadium with be a collision of KMHS’s skill on both sides of the ball vs. The toughness/grit/hunger possessed by the host Crimson & Gold [Chaminade] on both sides of the line of scrimmage….
As was demonstrated by Holy Trinity when they defeated the Firebirds’ in week #5, the path to victory for Coach Kevin Dolan’s Flyers is to out-work their foes in the trenches and make it a 48-minute dogfight!!
Because the Chaminade offense has been a little erratic at times during the year, a low-scoring affair is their recipe to success; and God knows they certainly have the personnel on “D” to stifle a very talented Blue & Gold attack….
Simply put—-the front-7 core comprised of Matthew Rappa (64 tackles, 7 TFLs, 1 INT), Charlie Battaglia (62 stops, 10 TFLs, 1 sack, 2 picks), Benjamin Mann (52 tackles, 7 hits for a loss of yardage, 4 sacks), Seamus Miller (45 stops, 2 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 INT, 3 fumble recoveries), Luke Ventura (40 tackles, 6 TFLs, 1 sack), Claudio Pinto (34 stops, 3TFLs, 3 sacks), and Dean Aquilina (33 stops, 12 TFLs, 2 sacks) will need to make it their collective mission to torment and/or terrorize opposing All-League/Dual-threat QB, Devin Page (1,710 yards +11 touchdowns with his arm; 775 yard and 9 TDs with his legs)!!!
And if/when the ball does get put up in the air, bone-crushing DB, Bryan Freel (45 tackles, 2 interceptions) will need to do his best to negate KMHS top receiver, Sean Cannon (51 grabs for 700 yards, 4 touchdown receptions)….
Offensively, an OL lead by senior, Mason Dietrich, will be summoned to serve as road graders for junior RB, Jack Tully, who despite missing a game, still ran for 650 yards and 5 scores this season….
Senior field general/future Fordham Ram (baseball), Matthew Dieguez (1, 043 yards and 11 touchdowns throwing) has shown some absolute flashes of brilliance this season (Ex- 271 yard/6 TD pass showing in a win over Cardinal Hayes)….So while he enters with less fanfare than his counterpart [Page], he is still plenty capable of moving the chains!…..Fellow senior, Gavin Creo (37 receptions for 437 yards, 7 TD snatches) has been the focal point of the air raid this season….Patrick Bruno (8 grabs for 127 yards; game-winning TD catch vs. HT) has come on strong down the homestretch and will provide a deep-ball threat!!!
For Coach Eric Meisse’s flock, Page and Cannon are hardly the only potential difference-makers on “O”, as Matthew Watterson (32 catches for 454 yards, 2TDs), Charles McQuade (17 grabs for 106 yards), Peter Sluka (12 snatches for 130 yards, 1 TD grab), and Claude-Albert Makelele (7 receptions for 227 yards, 2TDs) further bolster the vertical onslaught….
In his first season as the primary backfield option, Ethan Cumming, has been extremely steady, running for 50 or more yards in six outings and finding the promised land in five games this fall….His stat line of 590 yards/7 touchdowns is enough to keep the Flyer “D” honest and prevent from cheating on Page!!
And speaking of prevention, it has been the double-duty of individuals such as Cannon (74 tackles, 6 interceptions, 6 PDs), Watterson (63 stops, 3 sacks), 1 INT, 5 pass break-ups), McQuade (37 tackles, 7 PDs), and Makelele (22 stops, 10 pass defenses), coupled with teammates—Jack Ligarzewski (67 tackles, 2 sacks), Christopher Moore (52 stops), two-way lineman, Dylan Page (28 stops, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble), Patrick Conroy (16 tackles, 1 INT)—that has fostered a defensive culture that has seen Kellenberg hold their nemesis to under 20 points in five of 9 appearances in 2022!