Article by Matt Diano
Patrick Bruno (Sr.); WR – Chaminade Flyers
In the words of Australian singer/musician, Luke Hemmings, “Luck does not happen twice.”…So by default, we must say that the 6’1, 175-pound, senior wide-out out of Rockville Centre [Bruno] just might be the ultimate game-changer and/or clutch performer…
Not an individual whose stat line (9 catches for 149 yards, 2 touchdown receptions) this season is going to cause your “eyes to pop out of your head”, the value of the young man wearing the #82 jersey in Crimson & Gold is that he shows up when the stakes are highest and the moment knows no equal….
A hero for the second time in a matter of three weeks, just as he did in the comeback victory in week #7 over Holy Trinity (38-yard TD grab in tight coverage to end a 19-game winning streak for the Titans, 10-7), it was Bruno separating himself from his defender and hauling in a game-winning catch from senior QB, Matt Dieguez (10-for-14, 142 yards, 2 touchdowns) to summon victory from the pits of defeat in Chaminade’s 19-17 quarterfinal triumph over Kellenberg Memorial in a 2022 postseason edition of the Marianist Bowl!!!
The Mineola Mafia finding themselves trailing 17-13 with only 2:05 remaining in regulation, it was Bruno culminating/punctuating a season-saving final drive when on the last snap of the afternoon (:09 to go), he broke over the middle, but then cut back to the outside on the route, where a scrambling Dieguez was able to hit him perfectly in stride on the 1-yard line, allowing the 12th grade receiver to dive across the line for the TD (triple zeroes now showing on the scoreboard)!!!
The touchdown-yielding snatch was Bruno’s ONLY recorded catch of the game, thus adding to his reputation of bringing QUALITY over quantity!!!
Earlier in the day (the host Flyers trailing 10-3 midway through the 3rd quarter), in a capacity that does not show up in the box score, Bruno played a pivotal role in helping his school to square the game when on 3rd & 1 and the pigskin spotted just beyond midfield, he beat his man down the sidelines and was able to induce a pass interference call that moved the chains and advanced the ball inside the Firebird 32….Three snaps later, Dieguez lofted a gorgeous 21-yard ball over the shoulder top-target, Gavin Creo (5 receptions for 79, 1TD) for the equalizer!!!
Punching their ticket to the AAA semifinals for the first since they were back-to-back divisional finalists in 2012 (won the crown) and 2013 (runners-up), if the expression is true that “Once is luck, twice is coincidence, but three times is an enemy action,” then the Flyer faithful are sure hoping that when they go toe-to-toe with rivals/top-seeds, St. Anthony’s, Bruno is incendiary!
Jericho Ancheta (Sr.); WR – Fordham Prep Rams
Just hours removed from one senior WR wearing that hero’s cape on Long Island [Bruno], it was another of the breed elevating his game and putting his school on his proverbial shoulders out on Staten Island!!
Credited with just one total touchdown reception during his two-year varsity career [per MaxPreps] and staring the end of his scholastic career in the face if the Rams lost, it was the pride of Hartsdale in the #3 jersey [Ancheta] hauling in all three of junior QB, Matthew Moorehead’s (16-for-27, 179 yards) TD passes to send to FP to a 28-14 road triumph over the Vikings of St. Joseph’s by the Sea!!!
In doing so, the message was emphatically delivered that the class of 2023 on East Fordham Road are not ready to hang up their cleats just yet!!!
The only one of our nine lower-seeded squads (#5) to emerge with a win last weekend, several of FP’s student-athletes played well, but no one held a candle to the 5’10, 170-pound speedster out wide!!
Catapulting the visiting Maroon & White herd to a 14-0 lead at the halfway point, Ancheta was uncoverable in the red zone during the initial 24 minutes, drawing first blood with 4:56 remaining in the opening quarter when on 3rd & 10 on the opposing 20, he’d start in the slot and then run a flag pattern to the corner where he made the grab over a leaping defender to give the Bronx-based program a 7-0 advantage…
With under :40 ticks to go in the 2nd quarter, Ancheta doubled the lead when he crossed over the middle and pulled in the pigskin while airborne to complete the 16-yard pitch-and-catch!
The scoreboard getting mighty closer down the stretch (Rams clinging to the 21-14 edge), the 4th quarter was the stage of his most important TD, as on 3rd & 10 on the Viking 14, he’d shake his man off the snap, find nothing but unoccupied space in the middle of the end zone and then wait as Moorehead hit him for the uncontested strike that iced the “w” with only 2:13 still to spoken for!
All in all, Acheta concluded the night with four catches (two short of tying his career-best) for a season-high 58 yards!!!
If he hopes to extend his swan song all the way to a berth in the ‘ship, he is going to need to be just as dominant as the Rams prepare themselves for a semifinal showdown with top-seed/2021 AA-2 titlists, Holy Trinity…
When these two bands previously collided (39-0 HT on October 1st), Ancheta was absent…So his presence in the money rematch could very well swing momentum towards the road warriors!
Timmy Longo (Sr.); WR – St. Anthony’s Friars
Staying true to the theme of a senior wide receiver dominated weekend during the quarterfinals was the first-time POTW selection of the 5’9, 185-pound, Northport resident [Longo]…
That constant “pest” (in the best possible way) whose game is a lot bigger than his physical stature, throughout the last two years, there were countless occasions that we felt that “this was the week” that Longo joined the list!
Now that his time has officially come, we concur that the wait was worth it, as the true student-athlete (4.0 grade point average) showed out immensely under the awe of the postseason Friday Night Lights in the host Friars’ 57-42 quarterfinal triumph over Christ the King…
An evening where both sidelines treated those in attendance to an absolute offensive explosion, it was the #12 jersey being a slight cut above the rest, as he established new personal-bests in both total receptions (8) and touchdown receptions (2) to launch the top-seeds out of South Huntington into the AAA semifinals…
Sweeping the team-lead in all receiving categories on November 4th (the 98 receiving yards was the 2nd most of his varsity tenure), Longo set up the first touchdown of the evening for St. Anthony’s (already leading 2-0 on a blocked punt produced safety) late in the 1st quarter when on 1st down on the Royals’ 15, he caught a WR screen and raced 12 yards to the 3…On the ensuing snap, Senior QB, Dante Torres (19-of-20, 369 yards, 5 TD tosses; 13 yards, 2 TDs on 3 carries) rolled out and scrambled to paydirt!
On STA’s next possession (early 2nd quarter), it was Longo’s turn to culminate a successful drive, which he did when Torres faked the hand-off and then hit him on a slant over the middle from the 5-yard line for the first of their two touchdown hook-ups (to increase the lead to 16-0)!
Points continuing to fly up on the scoreboard in droves, with the margin sitting at 43-14, Longo struck again on the first possession of the 2nd half for the Black & Gold, as Torres found him over the middle, where he split two defenders and cruised to the house to polish off the 40-yard TD snatch!!!
His senior stat line now reading 22 receptions for 390 yards, and four TD grabs, Longo has already equaled (touchdowns) or surpassed all of his 2021 totals…And he still has as many as three additional appearances to further add to his legacy!
Nick Duryea (Sr.); RB/FS – Kennedy Catholic Gaels
Completing the senior sweep of quarterfinal POTW nominations was the two-way standout hailing from Wappingers Falls [Duryea]….
No stranger to the limelight, either on the gridiron or the baseball diamond (smooth lefty stroke with power), there have not been many (if any) write-ups involving the Gaels during the past three years where the 5’10, 180-pounder did not elicit a reference of some kind…
Stealing not only the show, but the ball on one occasion (registered his second interception of the 2022 campaign), where Duryea truly proved to be invaluable came on offense where his willingness to embrace the roles of both workhorse and thoroughbred was paramount to Kennedy Catholic’s ability to defend home soil, 29-20, over a very determined and upset-minded foe from Holy Cross!!!
Matching or re-writing all of the accolades of his personal record book, Duryea took the hand-off 30(!!!) times (previous high of 20), exceeded 200 yards for the first time in his career (prior best of 150), and scored twice on the ground (his third multi-rushing TD effort of the season) to single-handedly will the “boys of Somers” into the AA-2 semifinals!
Stepping onto his home field for one last hurrah last Friday night, the KC faithful won’t soon forget his name as he found the promised land on treks from distances of 15 and 5 yards to account for 50% of the Gaels’ four total touchdowns…
Known to be an all-purpose RB, Duryea complemented his strong night on land by also aiding the vertical attack, as he hauled in two of freshman QB, Kenneth Dillon’s (10-for-19, 148 yards, 1TD throw) 10 connections for an additional 20 yards of offensive production!!
On the cusp of his first 1,000-yard/10 rushing TD season (enters the semifinals with sums of 865 and 9), Duryea will definitely have some extra motivation when the Gaels travel to face top-seeded Xavier with a berth in the finals on the line….When the two schools met on September 23rd, he was limited to just 6 yards on 4 attempts; Hence, he has some unfinished business with the Knights!