Category: Awards

Article by Matt Diano Week #6 (October 14th-16th, 2022) Matthew Dieguez (Sr.); QB – Chaminade Flyers There is just something very special and miraculous about the heroics we see put forth by seniors each and every year when Mid-to-late October rolls around…It is almost as if they see the end of the road over the horizon and thus become inspired to elevate from “mortal” to “super human”… For the 6’2, 190-pound field general and/or team captain [Dieguez] there are not words invented yet in the English language that could accurately and sufficiently describe the out-of-this-world performance he exhibited last Saturday on “Senior Day” in the Flyers’ 43-12 triumph over their visitors from Middle Village, Christ the King! Throwing for only six touchdowns during the entirety of a junior campaign where he platooned with an incumbent signal caller [Thomas Steuber], the Westbury resident in the #5 jersey would need only 2.5

Article by Matt Diano Week #5 (October 8th-9th, 2022)   Ajani Sheppard (Sr.); QB – Iona Prep Gaels Legendary academician/foremost expert on management/leadership, Peter Drucker, defined the term as ” lifting of a man’s vision to higher sights, the raising of a man’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a man’s personality beyond its normal limitations.” For the 6’3, 230-pound, reigning Metro Catholic and New York State Offensive Player of the Year [Sheppard], no one can or ever will argue that during the past year-and-a-half as the ringer leader of a vaunted Gael offense, he has been the vision of consistency and spectacularism…. However, never was the breadth of his abilities as a comprehensive leader/role model more on display than this past Saturday afternoon as part of IP’s 42-35 triumph on the road over their previously unbeaten rivals, Archbishop Stepinac, in a clash of what could potentially have

Article by Matt Diano Week #3 (September 23rd-24th, 2022)   Devin Page (Sr.); QB – Kellenberg Memorial Firebirds Years before the 6’4, 195-pound, senior field general out of Valley Stream [Page] was even born, fictional professional football coach, Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman) said that the separation between winners and losers was the ability “get back on the horse after you’d been kicked in the teeth.” Thankfully for the Firebirds, the now 4-0 program has their own version of a “Shane Falco” whose character and dedication to team is second to none…Because for the majority of their road showdown with Cardinal Hayes, they found themselves plagued with adversity! A “Replacement” during the 2021 season, the future University of Pennsylvania student-athlete stepped up to fill the cleats of incumbent starter, Ethan Greenwood, and went on to earn All-Catholic distinction behind a campaign that witnessed him accumulate 1,575 yards (1,221 in the air;

Article by Matt Diano Week #2 (September 16th-18th, 2022)   John Michalski (Sr.); QB – Moore Catholic Mavericks Always questions of “when” and/or “how often” the 6’2, 205-pounder hailing from the Garden State will grace us with his presence on the POTW list, the future Sacred Heart University Pioneer has now made it three straight seasons that he garnered this esteemed honor…And for the second straight occasion [previously in the 2021 A-1 Quarterfinals], his highlight reel came at the expense of a very determined squad from Xavier… Less than a year removed from tormenting the Knights to the tune of a 300-yard passing, 80-yard rushing, 5-touchdown effort in the previously cited Metro Catholic playoffs last fall, the returning All-Catholic/2nd Team All-Stater was back to terrorize his foes from Manhattan this past Saturday afternoon, as he was the ringleader in a Mavs’ 28-17 victory on home soil that kept the ‘21

Article by Matt Diano Week #1 (September 9th-10th, 2022) Kameron Wheeler (Sr.); WR – Mt. St. Michael Acad. Mountaineers Named as a Metro Catholic Player of the Week for the first-time in his career as a Mountaineer, the 6’4, 180-pound senior wide receiver may have fallen slightly short of equaling the career-highs (6 receptions, 65-yards) he set last season versus Holy Cross, but there is no debating that Friday, September 9th, 2022 marked his finest showing as a student-athlete at the Mount!! Demonstrating that ability to embrace the big moment and rise when his team needed a catalyst, it was the Manhattan resident answering the call is MSMA’s 27-21 victory over the Gaels of Kennedy Catholic… Hauling in a pair of grabs that totaled nearly half (30 of 62) of the yardage accumulated by the Mountaineers during their game-winning drive, it was Wheeler on the back end of a perfectly

Article by Matt Diano Week #0 (September 2nd-3rd, 2022) Mattias Lighten (Jr.); WR/CB – Moore Catholic Mavericks A returning All-Catholic selection on offense at WR following a sophomore campaign that witnessed him haul in 37 balls for 655 yards and 4 touchdowns, Lighten if off to the kind of fast start that has us thinking that shattering his previous bests is not a question of “if” it will happen, but rather “how quickly” he is able to surpass his impressive stat line from a season ago! Pitted against an Eagle defense that features one of the top defensive backs in the AA-1 division this season [Elijah Campbell], Lighten would record the fourth 100+-yard receiving game of his career (accomplished the feat three times last year), as he was on the back end of four of teammate/fellow 2021 All-Catholic selection, John Michalski’s (6-for-10 passing; 145 yards, 2 TD tosses) six completions,