Category: Awards

2025 MONSIGNOR PETERS’ AWARD (Outstanding Student-Athlete)

MONSIGNOR PETERS’ AWARD (Outstanding Student-Athlete) First bestowed in 1962, there is no greater honor and tradition within the NY Metro Catholic football league than the annual awarding of the Monsignor Matthew Peters’ Award… A “badge” of Studiousness, Christianity, and Physical gifts; in order to even be considered, it is imperative that the individual be a “triple-threat” who shines on the field, in the classroom, and within his community…. Referenced and/or jocosely cited in modern times as something of a “cheat code” that puts the recipient on a path to greatness that extends well beyond their football-playing days; past winners have gone on to achieve amazing feats within the realms of medicine, finance/business, law, military service, and just about any other respected field of professionalism/vocation! Members of this “brotherhood” routinely finding themselves on the campuses of America’s finest colleges/universities; recent predecessors—Matt DiLullo (2020, Scott Becker (2021), John Donahoe (2022), Edward Palumbo

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2025 NYCHSAA STATE FINALS MVPs

2025 NYCHSAA STATE FINALS MVPs (Iona Prep) Offense: Julian Guzman (Sr.; QB) 3 State finals appearances…3 titles (and counting)…This is the legacy that the 6’0, 185-pound field general will be leaving behind in New Rochelle as this past weekend, he added a second straight NYCHSAA crown on the gridiron to the 2025 hardware he claimed on the baseball diamond last spring… Fresh off of a 4TD illustration (2 passing, 2 rushing) in the Metro Catholic AAA finals triumph over Monsignor Farrell and putting on the pads for perhaps the last time in a storied scholastic journey (will be focusing on baseball at the University of Maryland); if November 29th was his curtain call; then bravo to him for bringing down the house in every possible way to direct the host Gaels to a 42-21 triumph over Monsignor Martin champs, St. Francis HS!!! Garnering his first MVP honors between the four

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TURKEY BOWLS ‘25 MVPs

XAVIER: Elijah Stewart (Sr.; RB/DB) Just days removed from being a legitimate MVP candidate on both sides of the ball following an 82-yard/2 TD running, team-best 11 tackles effort in propelling the Knights to their first AA-1 league title since 2015 (28-7 over St. Joe’s by the Sea); the 5’10, 170-pounder hailing from Brooklyn finally “received his flowers” on Thanksgiving as part of Xavier’s dramatic 22-21 victory in the 102nd edition of their historic rivalry against Fordham Prep! Last Thursday being the final occasion in which Stewart would wear the Xavier football jersey; like a true captain, the two-year senior starter emptied the proverbial gas tank to the tune of amassing 73 yards rushing on 10 carries (1TD) on offense, while simultaneously being among the squad’s top tacklers with 7 total stops (to go along with a pass break-up) on “D”!! His signature moment occurring during the non-stop, back-and-forth nature

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2025 NYCHSFL Salute to the MVPS

AA-2: Xaverian Clippers OFFENSE: Terrance Watson (Sr.; QB) Suiting up as a Clipper for the final time in his scholastic career; the 6’0, 220-pound field general made certain that his name will forever be immortalized on the Shore Road based campus!! Serving as the conductor and/or architect of a successful Double-A-2 repeat bid from Xaverian; the senior leader with #5 on his back would unofficially amass an almost perfectly balanced 209 yards and two touchdowns of offensive production during his last hurrah!   Connecting on 7-of-9 passing for 104 yards, while rushing for a believed career-best of 105 on 11 carries (not including knee downs in the midst of victory formation); the Brooklyn resident either directly or indirectly had a hand (or more literally an arm/leg) in all of Xaverian’s 21pts on Saturday morning, as they cruised to a 21-8 triumph over their rivals from Flushing, Holy Cross, to deny the

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Players of the Week – Semifinals

Richie Aiken (Jr.); RB/S – Xaverian Clippers 5’9, 155-pound, Richie Aiken is hard to stop under normal circumstances… But if the last two years have taught us anything; it is that when you put the Rockaway resident in a “win or go home”/playoff format; he transforms into a beast of a different breed!!!   Earning his first POTW nomination since being named as the Offensive Most Valuable Player of the AA-2 title game in November 2024; the junior tailback established one new career-high and was probably one additional carry away from rewriting his entire record book in vaulting the second-seeded Clippers back to the ‘ship for a consecutive straight fall courtesy of a 33-20 conquest against the Titans of Holy Trinity during the semifinal round! Taking three separate trips to the promised land on November 15th; Aiken set a new single-day best for touchdowns as he had previously accounted for two

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Players of the Week – Quarterfinals

Kenneth Brassfield-Dailey (Sr.); WR/PR – Holy Cross Knights Making his Player of the Week debut; the Senior out of Jamaica was the catalyst in helping the AA-2 top-seeded Knights cruise through to the semifinals behind a 42-0 shutout over St. Dominic’s!!! The word “boring” never to be found in his personal dictionary; the 5’11, 155-pounder would be directly responsible for scoring three touchdowns in two different manners to increase his TD total this season to eight!! Entering last weekend as the program leader in receiving yardage and TD hauls this fall; Brassfield-Dailey did nothing but further solidify his reputation as the consummate deep ball threat within a potent HC aerial attack… Both of his two receptions (for a sum of 58 yards) would generate scores for the Flushing based school, as he made grabs of 25 and 33 yards to raise his swan song stat line to: 19 catches for

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Players of the Week – Week 9

Vincenzo Copolla (Sr.); PK/DB – St. Peter’s Eagles Epitomizing the “Jack of All Trades” mantra; a season ago, all the 5’8, 145-pounder had to concern himself with was handling kicking duties (HM All-State)… Now one year later; the senior from Staten Island could use an extra head to fit all the proverbial hats he has been asked to wear for an Eagle cohort that is looking to get back to the AA-1 title game (lost in the 2024 finals) … His work as a specialist being an essential factor in St. Peter’s 33-13 victory over St. John the Baptist in a preview of this weekend’s quarterfinal match-up; the first-time POTW selection would personally account for a career single-day best of 9 points courtesy of a combined 5-for-6 afternoon (2-for-3 on FGs; 3-for-3 on PATs) with his booming leg… The provider of all points scored by the Blue & Gold during

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Players of the Week – Week 8

Sean Carnevale (Jr.); QB – Chaminade Flyers Mike Tyson once quipped “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”…. The Flyers junior field general [Carnevale] is definitely a “man with a plan” regardless of circumstances; as it was his poise and coolness under pressure that enabled Chaminade to muster a late rally that sent them to a 21-18 victory over Cardinal Hayes on the campus of Columbia University last Friday night! Watching as a Cardinals’ touchdown with just over 2:00 remaining in the 4th quarter put them in front, 18-14; the 6’0, 190-pounder hailing from Bayville knew that if he wanted to steal the dub, it was now or never!! HE CHOSE NOW, as on the ensuing drive, he’d go a perfect 5-for-5 in the air (60 yards), including a 6-yard dart over the middle to Nick Sweeney for the eventual game-winner in the last 38 ticks

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Players of the Week – Week 7

Lake Chiesi (Jr.); WR/CB – Fordham Prep Rams The recipient of the “Rising Star” Award in his rookie season on varsity as a sophomore in 2024; the 6’0, 185-pound Manhattanite was most definitely deserving of the “star” treatment following last Sunday’s 21-18 victory on the road over Holy Trinity! Radiating Deion Sanders, Charles Woodson, and/or Travis Hunter vibes in utterly dominating from his spots at WR and the defensive backfield; among all of this week’s POTW nominees; no one made as big a universal contribution as the #2 jersey! Responsible for collecting all three of the Fordham Prep’s touchdowns on Sunday afternoon; the multi-sport (also competes in Track & Field) honor student-athlete (3.7 GPA) would haul in four catches (3 for TDs) for a sum of 105 yards!!! His impact apparent from the get-go, Chiesi emphatically stamped FP’s opening drive when he caught a short screen pass and then raced

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Players of the Week – Week 6

Anthony D’Acunto (Jr.); QB – St. Peter’s Eagles Over the course of the previous six weeks; the NYCHSFL had been the stage for some utterly spectacular displays among the embarrassment of riches we boast at the quarterback position… But, very few, if any of those splendid demonstrations could “hold a candle” to what we witnessed at Coffee Field on the night of Friday, October 10th! Universally supreme with both arm and legs; the 6’0, 185-pound dual-threat standout from Staten Island [D’Acunto} rewrote every page of his individual record book in steering the Eagles to a 42-21 road win over Fordham Prep!! Generating a staggering 413 yards and four touchdowns of total offensive production; D’Acunto went off for 287 in the air, while chewing up an additional 126 (7 carries) as a runner! Hitting on 13-of-20 aerial attempts overall; the 11th grader came out of the gates firing; as on his

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