Category: Awards

Thomas Lent (Sr.); FB/LB – Xavier Knights Stuck in the midst of a four-year drought in their annual Turkey Bowl rivalry with the Rams of Fordham Prep; the Knights knew that if they were to change their fortune; it was going to require a BIG BANG… Fortunately for Xavier; they don’t grow/come much bigger in a NYCHSFL offensive backfield than the 6’2, 235-pounder out of the Big Apple [Lent]… Utilized primarily as a tight end during the course of his swan song campaign; Lent would transition to the RB/FB spot during an abbreviated postseason (loss to Moore Catholic in the AA-1 quarters) run; and he delivered in each of his two appearances in this capacity… On the heels of a 107-yard/3TD rushing (17 attempts) performance in the already cited postseason loss to the Mavericks; the blocker turned locomotive proved to be even finer in his encore outing, as he’d shatter

Dean Coscia (Sr.); LB/FB – St. Joseph’s by the Sea Vikings Giving us feelings of nostalgia and conjuring up images of weekends spent watching the likes of Dan Morgan and Luke Kuechly, Coscia displayed gazelle-like fluidity in his ability to move sideline-to-sideline in pursuit of the ball-carrier!!! Having never accrued more than nine tackles during a single outing in his two-year varsity career heading into the AA-1 semifinal contest versus the Rams of Fordham Prep, the 5’7, 200-pounder succeeded in not only breaking his personal record; he shattered it to smithereens to the tune of 18 stops in captaining the Vikings to 21-16 dub that avenged one of only two losses this season (FP shutout them out, 13-0, in week #4)… Literally going frame by frame in watching the game film; we sincerely could count on one hand the few and far-between moments in which the #15 jersey DID NOT

Marco Aruta (Sr.); QB – St. Peter’s Eagles Like a cold-blooded assassin, the senior stud in the #3 jersey enacted his revenge in ousting defending AA-1 champs, St. John the Baptist, from the conversation last Saturday afternoon!! Limited to just 23 yards (12 carries) on the ground when the two squads clashed in last season’s NYCHSFL semifinals; and then held to 9 yards on two carries during a week #9 match-up, the 5’11, 190-pound Staten Islander [Aruta] will forever be known as “Vesuvius”, because that boy erupted for 244 yards of total production in spearheading the Blue & Gold to an electrifying 49-36 victory on home soil in a Metro Catholic quarterfinal pitting the #2 and #7 seeds against one another!! Already quite acquainted with fame and prosperity heading into last weekend, the 2023 All-Catholic selection/HM All-State had been so good during the past two years that to top himself

Xavier Bala (So.); RB – St. Anthony’s Friars Regarded by many pundits as an individual with the potential to be the finest Friar tailback since Matt Hahn (graduated in 2003 and took his talents to Penn State University), the 6’0, 210-pounder [Bala] was a rare call-up to the varsity as a freshman in 2023; but it has been his sophomore season where his budding stardom has especially begun to become evident… Already holding scholarship offers from the likes of Syracuse, Rutgers, Buffalo, Stony Brook, and Bowling Green, the super sophomore out of Baldwin has a VERY realistic chance of reaching the 1,000 milestone this winter should the Black & Gold enjoy an extended postseason run… His seasonal stat line reading as 653 yards and five touchdowns on 126 attempts (5.2/per), Bala is going to carry significant momentum within him into the Triple-A postseason as he is fresh off of a

Marcello Viscoso (Sr.); LB – Fordham Prep Rams An irreplaceable cog in the machine that powers the Rams defense, the senior ‘backer is in the midst of a banner senior campaign that has routinely witnessed him collect averages of close to 10 stops per appearance… In Fordham Prep’s 20-7 victory over Xaverian last Friday night, the scholar-athlete extraordinaire (sporting a 3.96 grade point average) would enjoy one of the finest performances of his varsity career, as he’d collect a team-best 11 tackles, while also adding a sack!! Hailed by the FP coaching staff as the ultimate run-stopper, when you watch his game film, you cannot help but notice the ease in which he naturally glides to the play; and when he arrives, he detonates with heavy-impact contact!! Priding himself on being that disruptive presence from the MIKE position, it is no coincidence that under his leadership, the Rams have allowed