Category: Playoffs

THE FINAL CHAPTER OF THE REDEMPTION STORY HAS BEEN WRITTEN!!!…FROM WORST TO FIRST!!! Congratulations to Head Coach Chris Stevens and his top-seeded Xavier Knights on winning the program’s first NYCHSFL crown since 2015 behind a dramatic 29-22 victory over #2 Mount St. Michael Academy, in the AA-2 title contest!! The owners of a 1-8 record a season ago, the gentlemen in the Maroon & Blue booked their reservation to the penthouse when in the last :25 seconds of the 4th quarter, it was senior QB/2B, Shane Zaletosky, breaking a 22-22 deadlock when he called his own number on a 2-yard plunge across the goal line for his third rushing touchdown of the day (division-leading 15th of the year)…   The game-winning short distance trek by the Manhattan resident was set up by one of, if not the biggest special teams plays of the year, as Gavin Gallagher had a 58-yard kick-off

Article by Matt Diano #1 St. Anthony’s (9-1) vs. #2 Iona Prep (9-2) When: Saturday November 19th, 2022 @5pm Where: Mitchel Athletic Complex (1 Charles Lindbergh Blvd, Uniondale, NY 11553) Previous Meeting: 48-42 St. Anthony’s on October 1st (Week #4)   How St. Anthony’s Got Here: Propelled by what might be their greatest assortment of offensive talent in the storied history of the Friar program, the 14x NYCHSFL AAA titlists out of South Huntington have been treating the home audience to an absolute spectacle rivaled by nothing, including the Rockettes….A balanced attack that is nearly impossible to slow down, in two postseason outings thus far, the Black & Gold machine has amassed 98 points and collected 1,098 yards of total yardage….A tale of two different ways to “skin a cat”, in STA’s quarterfinal victory (57-42 over Christ the King), it was the passing game (369 yards/5TDs in the air vs.

Article by Matt Diano #1 Holy Trinity (8-1) vs. #2 Moore Catholic (9-2) When: Saturday November 19th, 2022 @2pm Where: Mitchel Athletic Complex (1 Charles Lindbergh Blvd, Uniondale, NY 11553) Previous Meeting: 21-14 Holy Trinity on October 16th (Week #6)   How Holy Trinity Got Here: Receiving the bye into the semifinal round after earning the top line on the AA-1 bracket, the Titans looked the part of a defending NYCHSFL champion in both sides of the ball in their 28-7 victory over the Rams of Fordham Prep…The owners of both the #1 offense and the top-rated defense in the division, the Hicksville based program was able to score on both ends of the line, thanks in large part to the contributions of junior QB, Rocco Rainone, sophomore RB/LB, Devon Gonzalez, and junior WR/DB, Jayden Simpson….Responsible for all four of their team’s touchdowns in one capacity or another, Rainone registered

Article by Matt Diano #1 Xavier (6-2) vs. #2 Mount St. Michael Academy (6-4) When: Saturday November 19th, 2022 @11am Where: Mitchel Athletic Complex (1 Charles Lindbergh Blvd, Uniondale, NY 11553) Previous Meeting: “First Meeting of 2022”   How Xavier Got Here: In their lone appearance of the 2022 AA-2 playoffs, the Chris Stevens-mentored Knights did what they do best; they pounded the ball on the ground to the tune of a cumulative sum of 422 yards and SIX touchdowns in their 48-7 semifinal victory over fourth-seeded Kennedy Catholic…As has been true every step (or should we say, yard, of the way), the bedrock of the land attack was waged by the three-headed beast known by the names—Shane Zaletofsky, Gavin Gallagher, and Mehdi Merah, who rushed for respective totals of 156 (16 carries), 151 (5 attempts), and 78 (8 hand-offs) yards….Zaletoskly led all scorers with three touchdowns, while Gallagher struck

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Article by Matt Diano #1 Xavier (5-2) vs. #4 Kennedy Catholic (3-6) When: Saturday November 12th, 2022 @7:30pm Where: Aviator Sports Complex (3159 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11234) Previous Meeting: 26-6 Xavier on September 23rd (Week #3)   Synopsis: The storybook basement to penthouse tale this season for the Knights of Xavier, in one year’s time, the program has transformed from a 1-8 record to finding themselves on the top line of the AA-2 playoff landscape… As they look to take that another step towards their first NYCHSFL finals appearance since 2018, they do so with the confidence and knowledge that thus far they have been successful in steamrolling all double-A-2 nemeses thus far, including a 26-6 victory during week #3 over this very same Gael cohort that will be determined to deny them of a fourth trip to ‘ship weekend since 2012 (runners-up in ‘12 & ‘18; Champs in

Article by Matt Diano #1 Holy Trinity (7-1) vs. #5 Fordham Prep (4-5) When: Saturday November 12th, 2022 @1pm Where: Holy Trinity HS Campus (98 Cherry Ln, Hicksville, NY 11801) Previous Meeting: 39-0 Holy Trinity on October 1st (Week #4)   Synopsis: Their 19-game winning streak ended the last time they stepped foot on the gridiron, the 2021 NYCHSFL AA-2 champs out of Hicksville [Holy Trinity] return to the field for the first time in two weeks following a double bye in week 8 and the quarterfinal round… The owners of both the most prolific offense and the stoutest defense in AA-1 this fall, to many, the Titans advancement to title weekend has been viewed as something of a formality, as the program has gone the better part of the past two years untested by their peers…In fact, to put into perspective how dominant the “Green Wave” has been in

Article by Matt Diano #1 St. Anthony’s (8-1) vs. #4 Chaminade (5-4) When: Saturday November 12th, 2022 @7pm—–NOTE: Date Change Where: Cy Donnelly Field on the St. Anthony’s Campus (275 Wolf Hill Rd, Melville, NY 11747) Previous Meeting: 35-10 St. Anthony’s on September 9th (Week #1)   Synopsis: After yet another absolutely explosive showing in their quarterfinal victory (57-42 over Christ the King), if you are Friars’ Head Coach, Joe Minucci, and staff, you have to be asking herself, “Can anybody stop our offense in 2022?”….Establishing a new season-best in the points’ column in the playoff triumph over the Royals, the top-seeds out of Suffolk were able to accumulate 531 yards of total production, with five different student-athletes combining to register seven touchdowns to deliver the opening-round dub…Senior, QB, Dante Torres, was darn-near perfect in the game, completing 19 of 20 attempts in the air for 369 yards and 5

Article by Matt Diano   #2 Moore Catholic (7-2) vs. #7 St. Francis Prep (3-5) When: Sunday November 6th, 2022 @1pm Where: Moore Catholic HS (100 Merrill Ave, Staten Island, NY 10314) Previous Meeting: 32-10 Moore Catholic on October 22nd (Week #7)   Synopsis:   A rematch of a contest that we saw quite recently (week #7), when the Mavs and Terriers last went to battle, it was the returning AA-1 runners-up out of Staten Island chewing up major territory in all aspects of the game, as they totaled 553 yards (365 on the ground) of total offense and scored on five occasions (4 on the ground) to cruise to the victory….  Pivotal to this explosion of offensive firepower were All-State QB, John Michalski (11-for-13 in the air for 178 yards 1 TD toss; 13 carries for 156 yards with his legs), and sophomore tailback, RJ Pacheco, who accounted for ¾

Article by Matt Diano #1 St. Anthony’s (7-1) vs. #8 Christ the King (1-8) When: Friday November 4th, 2022 @7pm Where: Cy Donnelly Field on St. Anthony’s Campus (275 Wolf Hill Rd, Melville, NY 11747) Previous Meeting: 44-12 St. Anthony’s on October 21st (Week #7)   Synopsis: Looking to return to the title game for the first time since 2017 and win the school’s first crown since 2013, the first step in the journey for the top-seeded Friars will be a date with a Royals’ squad that handled convincingly when Long Island battled Queens in week #7!!!!  Undefeated this season against fellow Empire State competition (lone loss was to NJ powerhouse, St. Joe’s Regional-Montvale), the Joe Minucci mentored cohort has been explosive on offense from beginning to end thus far this fall, as they enter the home confines of Donnelly Field on Friday averaging 38.5 points per game!!!   When these