Category: Awards

Quarterfinals (November 3rd-5th, 2023) Israel Centeno-Johnson (Sr.); RB/KR/PR – Kennedy Catholic Gaels There is just something about playing opposite the Pilots of Cardinal Spellman High School that brings out the best in the 5’10, 150-pound fireball hailing from the Nutmeg State [Centeno-Johnson]…. Honored as a Metro Catholic Player of the Week for the second time in his three-year varsity career [both occasions coming following explosive efforts in victories over Spellman; previously week #2 of the 2022 season], the Kennedy Catholic senior was electric every time he had the pigskin in his hands, as he amassed a legendary 305 yards of total production and was directly responsible for three touchdowns in vaulting the “boys of Somers” to the 33-12 quarterfinal triumph this past Friday Night!!! Two of his three scores coming on back-to-back kickoff returns at the conclusion of the 1st half and/or commencement of the 2nd half, Centeno-Johnson raced 75+

Week #7 (October 20th-22nd, 2023) Jon Bartolomei (Sr.); QB/DB – St. Dominic’s Bayhawks Welcome back to the club, Bayhawks!!!   Earning their first Player of the Week honor since week #7 of the 2017 season (per our records) following a 27-6 conquest over Cardinal Spellman on the afternoon of Saturday October 21st, St. Dom’s Head Coach, Gian Villante, could not have asked for a more comprehensive and utterly outstanding effort than the one he received out his two-way starting senior stud [Bartolomei]!! Getting the job done on both sides of the ball to deliver the second victory of the fall to the Oyster Bay based program, the 5’7, 155-pound resident of Deer Park went from having accounted for just one touchdown in his previous four appearances (22-yard TD pass in a victory over Yonkers Force in week #0) to striking for THREE in a single afternoon, as he almost single-handedly defeated

Week #6 (October 13th-15th, 2023) Steven Dowdy Jr. (Jr.); WR – Iona Prep Gaels Already sitting in the driver’s seat be the Gaels’ triple-crown winner in the receiving categories, not to mention the current chart-topper in the entire NYCHSFL with 36 catches heading into week #6, the 11th grader out of the Bronx [Dowdy Jr.] did nothing but further add to the legacy he is establishing in 2023 by emerging with program-highs of 3 hauls for 63 yards, and a pair of TD catches in Iona Prep’s 46-35 victory over Cardinal Hayes on Saturday afternoon!  His immense body of work raising his seasonal totals to 39 snatches for 455 yards, the pair of previously cited TDs (giving him 5 on the year) marked the first multi-touchdown reception game of his varsity career!! Registering the first of his two touchdown-yielding grabs with host, IP, holding a 10-7 lead, Dowdy Jr. slipped

Week #5 (October 6th-8th, 2023) Kenneth Antoine (Sr.); RB – Cardinal Hayes Cardinals ONE SNAP!!!!   That is exactly how long it took the 6’0, 190-pound senior from Harlem to set the tone for the kind of afternoon it was going to be both individually and collectively for the Cardinal flock in their 34-0 dub against Holy Trinity on October 7th! Taking the hand-off on the opening play of the game on Saturday afternoon, Antoine struck for 80 his 151 total yards rushing (12 carries), going all the way to the promised land to give Hayes the immediate 6-0 edge!!! Later in the day, with the cushion having expanded to 22-0, the explosive #22 shirt would not be the one to punch it in, but he handled the banner part of the workload, as two long runs early in the third quarter advanced the pigskin inside the opposing red zone (HT

Chris DiGiacomo (Sr.); PK/P – Monsignor Farrell Specialists….The undercover, under-appreciated, unsung warriors behind any/every winning football team!   Rarely do they get the opportunity to bask in the spotlight (especially on the high school level); but when that moment does come to fruition, you know it was undoubtedly warranted!! And the Lions of Monsignor Farrell have one of the best in the Empire State in the person of their 5’9, 200-pound place-kicker/punter [DiGiacomo]… Named to the All-State squad (4th team) in 2022, the cannon-legged senior from Staten Island returned to his top form (after beginning the year 0-for-4 on FG attempts) during week #3, as he went a perfect 3-for-3 with the boot (2 FGs, 1 PAT) to account for more than half of Farrell’s 13 points in a 13-10 barn-burning dub over Moore Catholic in a collision for “Island bragging rights”!!!! Demonstrating the “clutch” gene that is God-given and cannot

Article by Matt Diano  Week #2 (September 14th-16th, 2023) D’Angelo Cabrera (Sr.); FS – Mount St. Michael Academy Mountaineers Proof that the football gods do indeed have a sense of humor; after naming 30 combined student-athletes as focal points in our Double-A game of the week preview, naturally if was an individual overlooked by us that ceremoniously stepped up and emerged as the utmost standout in Mount St. Michael Academy’s 27-13 vengeance victory last Saturday against Xavier in a rematch of the 2022 NYCHSFL AA-2 title contest!! Donning the #2 jersey on September 16th, but leaving no doubt that he was “numero uno” in terms of essential personnel, the 5’8, 150-pound senior from the Bronx [Cabrera] was invaluable in a universal/aggregate exercise courtesy of the entire Mountaineer “D” that held the rival Knights to their lowest scoring output this far in 2023!!! Embracing the adjustment in assignment/responsibility from ball-hawking centerfielder

Week #1 (September 8th-10th, 2023) Marco Aruta (Jr.); QB/RB – St. Peter’s Eagles THE EAGLES ARE FOR REAL!!!  After hailing the game as a match-up that would weed out “contenders” from “pretenders” in our GOTW preview, there is no “ifs”, “and”, or “buts” about the fact that the buzz on Clinton Avenue is legitimate as St. Peter’s defended the home soil last Saturday, knocking off the preseason #3 team in the AA-1 division, St. John the Baptist, 19-14!! Starting the season 2-0 for the first time since 2016, Eagles’ Head Coach, Mark DeCristoforo, showed no hesitation in identifying his junior jack-of-all trades [Aruta] as the main component in his program’s rise from the ranks of “disrespected” to “title sleepers” in a matter of weeks!! Most certainly an individual who would have been a worthy/deserving selection in week #0 when he accumulated 154 yards of total offense (91 on the ground;