Awards – Page 7 – NYCHSFL

Week 1 CHSFL Players of the Week

September 16, 2021

By Matt Diano: Chad Case (Jr.); LB – Holy Trinity Titans Speaking of virtuosic stoppers on “D”, the 5’8, 180-pound dynamo from Baldwin competed with such tenacity and firepower during week #1 that those in attendance must have thought he had been shot out of a cannon.. Going above and beyond in the HT 27-0 goose-egging of Monsignor Martin (Buffalo) league member, St. Joseph’s Collegiate, Case logged a double-digit (10) effort in tackles and cemented his POTW status behind a supplemental highlight package that included, but was not limited to, 1 TFL, 1 sack, and a fumble recovery… With Case delivering the pain on behalf of a Holy Trinity defense that pitched their first shutout since 2018 (49-0 against St. Dominic’s on 10/28), it is no wonder why Titan third-year head coach/Class of ‘97 graduate, Kahmal Roy, was overjoyed when the young hammer elected to be a Titan! Concentrated and/or

NYC Spring Series Week 4 Players of the Week

May 12, 2021

By Matt Diano: Troy Telesford (Jr.); LB – Moore Catholic Mavericks After scintillating performances on the offensive side of the ball during the first two weeks of the 2021 season (courtesy of John Michalski and Michael Peraino), it was the defense’s turn to take center stage in the Mavericks’ spring sendoff…And boy did they get their money’s worth and then some out of the 6’2, 225-pound junior linebacker [Telesford]…So accurately described in a tweet from Defensive Coordinator, Nate Ryan, as a “sideline to sideline killer”, the Brooklyn boy may have been playing on the school’s new red turf, but “black & blue” seemed to be his mantra for the day after delivering one bone-chilling hit after another in Moore’s 29-12 victory over St. Peter’s on May 8th…Hearing his name and #1 jersey called so often that at times it must have given off the impression that he had been cloned,

NYC Spring Series Week 3 Players of the Week

May 5, 2021

By Matt Diano: Aidan Hanley-Piri (Jr.); QB – Cardinal Spellman Pilots Someone please give Aidan Hanley-Piri a pair of aviator sunglasses and a Blue Angels jacket. The past Sunday, people tuned in expecting to watch football; instead, the 6’2, 200-pound junior field general treated them to an air show en route to propelling the Pilots to their first victory of the spring, 40-28, over visiting Nazareth Regional…Working his way back into prime game condition after being hampered by an ankle injury suffered during week #1, the gentleman in the #2 jersey shattered not only established new personal bests, but also shattered quite a few school records with 48-minute display of aerial brilliance…Connecting on 23 of 31 throws, he hurled for a remarkable 315 yards, and SIX touchdowns to have a direct hand in all of Spellman’s scoring plays…And trust us when we say that pitted against a gritty Kingsmen foe

NYC Spring Series Week 2 Players of the Week

April 28, 2021

By Matt Diano: Elijah Fuentes (Sr.); DL – Cardinal Hayes Cardinals A year ago, Coach CJ O’Neil’s Cardinals were mere moments away from hoisting a Catholic League State title before a Canisius touchdown pass (and 2pt conversion) with no time remaining on the clock ripped their hearts out…The memories of that loss are now serving as the inspiration behind what very much appears to be the best defensive unit the school has boasted in quite some time…Surrendering just 32 points total during the first two weeks of the 2021 spring (after allowing an average of 22+ in 2019) en route to victories over Monsignor Farrell & St. Peter’s, the defending NYCHSFL Triple-A champs are looking unbeatable at the halfway point of their abridged season…Acting as the heartbeat for these “pillars of pain” is the Syracuse University bound defensive lineman out of the Bronx [Fuentes]…Regarded as one of the top-10 in-state

NYC Spring Series Week 1 Players of the Week

April 21, 2021

Joshua Bagwell (Sr.); QB – Holy Cross Knights Looking at the NYC week #1 schedule, it would not have been surprising to hear most pundits predict that that a senior signal caller would put on a show and unequivocally be rewarded with POTW honors in the battle of Queens between Holy Cross and Christ the King…However, what many of these insiders are now humbly forced to confess (myself included) is that while we were correct on the position, we missed on the individual…With all of the attention focused squarely on seeing what 247 Sports #1 rated NYS QB/2x All-Catholic/2019 1st-Team All-Stater, Noah Bodden, would do as an opening act in 2021, instead it was his counterpart [Bagwell] that owned the night en route to leading the Knights to the decisive 34-12 triumph last Friday…Completing nine of 14 throws for a sum of 111 yards, the 5’10, 150-pounder out of Springfield

LI/West Bowl Game Players of the Week

April 20, 2021

By Matt Diano: Maximus Mongelli (Sr.); WR/DB – Kellenberg Memorial Firebirds Last Friday marked the “last hurrah” for one of the most prolific families in Kellenberg and/or NYCHSFL history when the 6’0, 180-pound two-way player out of Port Washington [Mongelli] became the last of his four brothers to don the Blue & Gold for a final occasion in his school’s 35-25 road victory against St. John the Baptist…Dating back to the 2013 season, the quartet of “ginger gems” (Michael: 2013/2014, Marco: 2015/2016, Matthew: 2017/2018, Maximus: 2019/2021) racked up 150+ catches, over 3,000 yards of receiving output and were responsible for 35 touchdowns on behalf of the Firebirds…The latter three brethren combined to earn POTW honors four times (Max being the only 2x recipient; previously during the 2019 AA semifinals), with the last two leading KMHS to a pair of “AA” crowns in 2017 and 2018 (Matthew), as well as a

Spring Week 5 CHSFL Players of the Week

April 14, 2021

By Matt Diano: Jayden Jenkins (Sr.); RB – Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders As we rapidly approach the conclusion of our abbreviated spring season, it is to be expected that all of our student-athletes are undergoing the process of taking stock in what they have achieved during these six weeks of competition…For our seniors, this reflection often comes in a much deeper form as they ponder the thought that the “next time” is the “final time” they will ever put on that jersey and represent their high school…With these sentiments in mind, it Is natural to want to have that career-day down the stretch so as to leave a legacy that will echo in the hallways long after you have stopped walking them…For the 5’10, 175-pound Bronx resident [Jenkins], no matter what happens in this week, he can rest assured that his place in the proverbial circle is secure following a monster

Spring Week 4 CHSFL Players of the Week

April 7, 2021

By Matt Diano: Jaden Sinclair (Sr.); WR/DB/Specialist – Holy Trinity Titans This past Thursday, the 5’10, 165-pound senior triple-threat sure put the “special” in specialist in propelling the Titans into the win column behind a 40-14 road victory over defending NYCHSFL “A” champions, Kennedy Catholic…Accruing in excess of 200 yards of total output with the ball in the hands, Sinclair’s explosive track & field speed was indisputable, as evident by the countless kick and/or punt returns that he sprung for 20 or more yards…On two occasions, the 2019 All-Catholic honoree had his proverbial jets firing on so many cylinders that he successfully fielded the pigskin, cut wide, and then turned on the burners until he had reached the “land of milk, honey, and 6 points.”…The first of his pair of touchdown-yielding returns came in the 2nd quarter when he answered a Gael score (to tie the score at 7-7) by

Spring Week 3 CHSFL Players of the Week

March 30, 2021

By Matt Diano: Will Currid (Fr.); QB – Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders The mere knowledge of stepping into a tradition that has seen the previous four predecessors earn All-State recognition can be enough to rattle even the moist poised and gifted of prospects…Now imagine having to undertake this role as a FRESHMAN…This is precisely the situation that the 6’1, 165-pound field general out of Cross River [Currid] faced in a varsity debut loss in week #1 to St. Anthony’s. And while he performed quite admirably (10-for-15, 142 yards, 1 TD pass), you could tell from the game film that this young man had another gear in which he could go…The question of how long it would take for the former Harlem Jet to ascend was answered in expeditious fashion this past Saturday…THE FUTURE IS NOW THE PRESENT; The stud has arrived!! Demonstrating pinpoint accuracy from start to finish, the rookie signal

CHSFL Players of the Week Spring Edition #1

March 25, 2021

THE WAIT IS OVER….Following an extended absence from the hard-nosed, “leave it all on the field”, “play for the name on the front of the jersey” excellence that we have all come to expect and cherish from the student-athletes in the NYCHSFL, action finally resumed on the 12th of March this year…And while the landscape has been significantly altered (only eight teams are competing right now) due to on-going restrictions throughout the five boroughs, we speak for all Catholic football enthusiasts when we proclaim that we are appreciative that even a sample of the amazing young gentlemen representing us have been afforded this privilege of engaging in the sport they love! As is our tradition, the Catholic High School Football League Metropolitan New York remains firm in our commitment to always shine the proverbial spotlight on today’s starts/tomorrow’s living legends! Honored for exemplify individual performances during the opening two weekends

Category: Awards