Category: Players of the Week

By Matt Diano: Seth Surrett (Sr.); RB/QB/FS – Kennedy Catholic Gaels And then there was one!!!!  Following a 21-7 victory last Saturday over defending “A” champion, Cardinal Spellman, the Gaels of Kennedy Catholic are now the last remaining unblemished team in their division. Led by their 5’10, 180-pound “Jack of All Trades” [Surrett] as he was described by Head Coach, Dom Tassone, the Gaels would break a 7-7 deadlock at the half by exploding for a pair of 4th quarter touchdowns en route to posting their first ever NYCHSFL victory over the rival Pilots….The 21 scored by the Somers based program were the first points surrendered this season by Spellman against a Catholic school opponent. The first POTW repeat selection of 2018, it was just three weeks ago that the Newburgh resident made his debut on this list following a 185-yard rushing, four TD affair in a victory over St.

DeShawn Lawton (Fr.); WR/KR – Moore Catholic Mavericks Just the third freshman to ever make the POTW list, anytime you find yourself in the company of former NYCHSFL great, Matt Valecce, or current Catholic football standard bearer, Justin Lacks (his teammate at Moore Catholic), you know that you are walking on a path to future greatness. Identified in the 2018 Double-A preview as a special talent whose level of play far exceeds his youthful age, Lawton is only two games into his varsity career and already he has emerged as the Mavericks’ top threat out wide, as supported by a stat sheet that lists him as having twice as many receptions (8), yards (170), and touchdowns (2) as his next closest peer on Merrill Avenue. Making six of his eight career grabs in the 34-32 victory on September 15th over Holy Cross, the 5’8, 155-pounder from across the bridge (Newark,

Before we turn the page to a full slate of exciting Week 2 games lets first look at the player’s who had impressive performances last weekend to kick the season off.  Here are the Week 1 NYCHSFL Players of the Week. By Matt Diano:     “A” Seth Surrett (Sr.); RB/DB/KR – Kennedy Catholic Gaels If there is one thing that we love about the opening weekend of every season, it is that it always brings with it the opportunity to see which of our new core of seniors have turned that proverbial corner and committed themselves to becoming team leaders in their final appearances wearing the school colors.  And for Gael senior, Seth Surrett, his swan song could not have gotten off to a better start, as he seemed to do a little bit of everything in helping Kennedy Catholic to a decisive 35-14 victory over St. Dominick’s under

Joseph Petti (Sr.); OT/DT – Fordham Prep Rams Donning the Ram colors for the final time in his scholastic football career, Petti closed out this chapter of his gridiron saga in much the same way all of the previous pages were written—by being a dominant force on both sides of the line of scrimmage in sending Fordham Prep to their second straight “W” in the Annual Turkey Bowl (celebrating its 94th anniversary last week), 28-0, over the rival Knights of Xavier. Known more for his work as the hole-plugging centerpiece (DT) of the FP defensive line, when it comes to protecting his quarterback, we find that Petti is pretty darn good on the offensive side of the ball as well….With the gentle giant watching his blind side, the Rams’ record-setting signal caller, Matt Valecce, would give those who have had the privilege of watching him under center the past four

Before we turn our attention to Championship Saturday let’s look back at some of the players who shined in getting their teams there. By Matt Diano: Ian Devine (Sr.); DE/DT – Fordham Prep Rams Described as “the anchor on the defensive side of the ball” in Fordham Prep’s 41-14 AA semifinal victory over St. Francis Prep, the 6’2, 260-pounder impacted the game in every way possible, serving as the Ram’s primary run-stopper (4 tackles), as well a relentless pass rusher on Terrier toss attempts…With the Pelham resident applying constant pressure from the edge, the FP defense limited St. Francis Prep to a 20 percent (3-for-15) completion percentage and a modest 54 yards while forcing them into a trio of interceptions…. Among these three interceptions, the most outstanding of the bunch would be posted by Devine himself when, with the #2 seeded Rams already leading 27-0 in the second quarter, he

By Matt Diano: Jayden Lambert (Jr.); RB/CB – Iona Prep Gaels There is no sweeter time to get revenge than in the postseason….Only a few weeks ago, the Gaels of Iona Prep were left with that bitter feeling in their stomachs when Monsignor Farrell rallied late in the game to steal the week #6 match-up by a mere point, 29-28…This past weekend, the two storied programs squared off again in the opening round of the triple-A playoffs and unlike the first meeting, there would be no back-and-forth drama, as the visitors from New Rochelle scored at the halfway point of the first quarter to take the 7-0 advantage and never looked back, exploding for 52 points in their 52-20 victory over the Lions. While the firepower and quick striking ability of the Gaels as a unit came as no surprise (they average nearly 40 points per game), the individual who

By Matt Diano: Jonathon Geruso (Sr.); RB – Xavier Knights Unlike Iona Prep, Xavier took the field during the last week of the regular season not knowing their exact fate.   Entwined in a four-team battle for only three postseason berths, the Knights took the field on October 28th knowing that if they did not win, it might mean a premature conclusion to their 2017 season….Making an already fairly dire situation worse was the fact that not only did they need a win to feel safe, they needed to earn that win over one of the top teams in the AA division, the Mountaineers of Mount St. Michael Academy (the 3rd place team heading into the contest). Well aware of the explosiveness of the MSMA ground attack, Coach Stevens and his staff would “dance with the lady who has brought them so much success over the years.”….Rather than try to engage

    By Matt Diano: Jack Rooney (Jr.); QB – St. Dominic’s Bayhawks If we have said it once, we had uttered it 100s of times, “the test of the true leader is when the chips are stacked against you, you still find a way to prevail”….For the Bayhawks and their junior signal caller, the situation was not looking particularly good last Saturday, as they trailed Nazareth Regional 6-0 late in the 4th quarter….In desperate need of a spark, the Oyster Bay based program would put their fate in the proverbial hands and the literal arm of the Syosset resident.  Coach Robert Ploth and his staff would be rewarded for the confidence they showed in their “Jack of All Trades” quarterback as Rooney would orchestrate the game-tying drive when he dropped back and hit senior, Robby Rossiter, on an 82-yard strike in the final 6:00 of regulation to even the

By Matt Diano: Liam McHale (Sr.); WR – Fordham Prep Rams Playing on a Ram offense that features two returning All-State players, it is often easy to get overlooked.   This is precisely what has happened in the case of the 6’6 Fordham Prep receiver, McHale…Without question, the #1 target on just about every other NYCHSFL team, while he may not get the respect he deserves in the publications, the Buchanan resident is having a monster senior campaign and may be very well be on his own All-State path following yet another steady and outstanding effort in his team’s 42-30 victory over Moore Catholic. The team leader last weekend with his seven grabs, McHale’s combination of size and athleticism continues to make him a match-up nightmare for most secondaries….Countless times on third down, his number would be called and he’d respond with a leaping catch over the middle to preserve the