Category: Playoffs

MAKE IT FOUR BRASS RINGS IN A ROW FOR THE NYCHSFL REPRRESTATIVES!!! Iona’s Crew Davis (Offense) & Matthew Plunkett (Defense) Selected State Championship Game MVP’s by Matt Diano Congratulations to the Gaels of Iona Prep on claiming their second NYCHSAA State Crown in the past four years on Saturday morning behind a 42-26 triumph in hostile territory over the Canisius Crusaders in a clash of the #1 and #7 ranked teams in the Evil Empire (per MaxPreps)… Labeling them as a “2nd half” team in our state title contest preview; for the second weekend in a row (utilized a 25-0 run between the 3rd and 4th quarters en route to a 43-22 upending of St. Anthony’s in the league finals), it was the Maroon & Gold taking control of a barn-burner during the final 24 minutes of regulation to hoist that precious hardware on Stransky Field (campus of CHS)… A

Iona Prep-Metro (10-2) vs. Canisius-Monsignor Martin (9-2) When: Saturday November 30th, 2024 @11:00 AM Where: Stransky Field on the campus of Canisius HS (2885 Clinton St, West Seneca, NY 14224) Watch (Online): WNY Athletics (Youtube) Players to Watch (Iona Prep) *Julian Guzman (Jr; QB)—With the winds swirling and wreaking havoc on the passing game last Saturday; the Maryland bound baseball player was not asked to do much with his arm (5-for-8; 77 yards); but did contribute mightily to the NYCHSFL title win by breaking for a 53-yard TD run (8 carries 86 yards in total)…He raised his stat line this fall to 158-for-244 passing (2,173 yards; 17 touchdowns); complemented by 536 yards and seven additional scores on the ground (65 carries) *Crew Davis (Jr.; RB/WB)—The “Showstopper” and star of the Triple-A title game, Davis did what Davis does….Accounting for 284 yards of total offense, the 205-pound junior All-Purpose back exploded

Article by Matt Diano Forget the Brady Brunch…In New Rochelle, the “Spags Bunch” has DAVIS, DAVIS, DAVIS, DAVIS!! On an afternoon where the PAT/2-point conversion (1-for-7) was the only element of the game not executed with perfection by Iona Prep (10-2), it would be the top-seeded Gaels utilizing a dominant second half effort to complete a season sweep of the #2 Friars of St. Anthony’s (8-4), 43-22, in the NYCHSFL Triple-A title contest at the Mitchel Athletic Complex!! The triumph by the Maroon and Gold juggernaut (ranked 1st in NYS by MaxPreps), which snapped a two-year drought (loss 50-18 to STA in 2022; 30-29 last season to Cardinal Hayes) in Metro Catholic finale, marked the eight overall crown that has been delivered to Wilmot Road since 1964!!! IP enjoying a narrow 18-15 edge with approximately 6:49 remaining in the 3rd quarter, whatever flavor Gatorade the highly-touted Junior RB, Crew Davis,

Article by Matt Diano What A Difference a Year Makes…What a Difference Five Weeks Makes!!! The last time that the second-seeded Clippers of Xaverian traveled to the Mitchel Athletic Complex in late-November to play in a Metro Catholic title contest, they found themselves taking the hike back to Brooklyn as a defeated and/or beaten group following a 34-3 loss in the 2023 AA-2 finale to Mount St. Michael Academy… When they last squared off with their rivals from Queens, Holy Cross, they fell 20-13 during a week #7 melee… The skeletons/demons associated with each of these shortcomings were exercised/silenced earlier today as the Kevin Fountaine guided program claimed the school’s third overall NYCHSFL title (first since winning the “A” hardware in 2015) when they upended the top-seeded Knights, 14-6!! Relying on splendid collective efforts from their defensive and special teams units, the Clippers did a remarkable job in learning from

#1 Holy Cross (6-5) vs.  #2 Xaverian (5-6) When: Saturday November 23rd, 2024 @11am Where: Mitchel Athletic Complex (1 Charles Lindbergh Blvd, Uniondale, NY 11553) Previous Meeting: 20-13 Holy Cross Victory on October 20th (Week #7) Watch (Online): Varsity Media (Youtube) Players to Watch (Holy Cross) *Madden Martinez (So.; QB)—An individual who has come on strong and is riding a four-game multi-TD throwing streak; the Bayside resident was at his best during the week #7 head-to-head against the Clippers as he tossed for bests of 278 yards and 3 scores on 17-of-26 passing!!….For the year, he is connecting on a 57.9% rate (99 of 171) with sums of 1,182 yards and 9 TD hurls…While not his first priority, he does have the ability to scramble, as proven by the 151 yards and 2 TDs he has collected on 17 keepers!….Currently leading AA-2 in both yardage and TD tosses!! *Antoine Williams

#1 St. Joseph’s by the Sea (10-2) vs.  #2 St. Peter’s Boys (10-2) When: Friday November 22nd, 2024 @6pm Where: Monsignor Farrell High School (2900 Amboy Rd, Staten Island, NY 10306) Previous Meeting: 22-19 St. Peter’s Victory on September 7th (Week #1) Watch (Online): LocalLive Players to Watch (St. Joe’s by The Sea) *Christian Carter (So; QB)—Had completed 86-of-138 pass attempts (62.3%) for 1,182 yards and 11 touchdowns; while adding an additional four scores on the ground during the regular season…Hit on 10 of 20 throws for 143 yards and 1 TD during the week #1 meeting! *Thomas DiGregorio (Sr.; RB/LB)—A workhorse in the backfield for the Vikings, the senior RB has already run for five touchdowns in the postseason (3 in the quarters; 2 in the semis) to increase his senior total to 14….Thru the quarterfinal round, he had a fall ‘24 stat line that read as follows: 1,178

THE CATS CONQUER THE COWS!!!….NEXT MAN UP!!!! When the 2023 season started, St. John the Baptist junior quarterback, Maxwell Bowers, was listed no higher than 2nd on the depth chart (likely 3rd)!!! Fast-forward several weeks and today, the 6’1, 180-pounder hailing from Brightwaters finds himself bestowed with unofficial GOAT status following a tremendous individual effort that witnessed him amass 3 total touchdowns (2 passing, 1 running) as part of the second-seeded Cougars 28-14 victory over #1 Moore Catholic in the AA-1 finale on the campus of Fordham University! The win by the West Islip based program marking the fourth straight opportunity where the Double-A-1 hardware is headed back to Long Island (Chaminade in 2019 & 2021, Holy Trinity in 2022), for the Mavericks of MC, it represented yet another promising campaign that ended on a sour note, as they have now dropped the title game in three straight attempts! Rallying

#1 Mount St. Michael Academy (7-2) vs. #2 Xaverian (6-4) When: Saturday November 18th, 2023 @11am Where: Jack Coffey Field on the Campus of Fordham University (441 E Fordham Rd, Bronx, NY 10458) Watch: Youtube (Varsity Media) Previous Meeting: Mount St. Michael, 14-13, on October 7th (Week #5) How They Got Here (MSMA): -Semifinals: 26-12 over #4 Kennedy Catholic How They Got Here (Xaverian): -Semifinals: 21-14 (OT) over #3 Holy Cross Postseason Heroes (MSMA): -Marc Pearson Jr. (QB): Completed 10 of 21 pass attempts for 187 yards and a pair of TD hurls in the semis; added 27 yards on 7 keepers as a ball-carrier -Carl Shaw (RB/DB): Equally impactful on both sides of the ball in the semis, he’d record 2/3s of the school’s touchdowns and add a 2pt conversion on offense, rushing for 72 yards (2TDs) on 13 hand-offs; Defensively was credited with a team-high 8 stops and