9-28-08 XAVERIAN 38-14 W
September 28, 2008 · Print This Article
Friars special teamer Benjamin Aloi scores on a 70-yard kickoff return. [PHOTO BY JAMES ESCHER]
BY JASON MOLINET
No sooner had the ball been kicked into play than it found the hands of junior up man Benjamin Aloi. The St. Anthony’s special teamer did what anyone would with 11 opposing players closing in.
He ran.
Aloi broke free down the left sideline before being corralled at the Xaverian 27-yard line. His 40-yard return set up the Friars’ first possession of the game nicely. And it underscored just how potent the St. Anthony’s return game has become this season.
Aloi may not be a marquee name. But his contributions were as significant as anyone’s in Sunday’s 38-14 win over Xaverian in a CHSFL football game before a homecoming crowd of 3,000 at Cy Donnelly Field in South Huntington.
Not only did St. Anthony’s capitalize on the prime field position Aloi gave the offense to open the game — Chris Carberry would eventually score on a 1-yard run — but Aloi struck again just before halftime. He grabbed another squib kick and raced 70 yards for a touchdown. Nick Ferrara added the extra point for a commanding 28-7 lead.
The kickoff return for a score was the third in as many weeks for the Friars. Atiq Lucas provided the first two. Which is why the Xaverian coaching staff opted not to kick in his direction. It didn’t matter.
And Lucas still made his presence felt with two catches for 40 yards and a 3-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
Once again, junior quarterback Tom Schreiber made all the right moves. He completed 11 of 19 passes for 248 yards, highlighted by a 41-yard touchdown strike to Tim Wine in a 14-point first quarter.
Xaverian senior quarterback Najee Tyler, a Division I recruit with all the size and tools, beat the Friars deep at times. He ran for a 2-yard score and tossed a 62-yard touchdown. The Friars also intercepted Tyler twice. In the end, he was not enough.
But the Friars (3-1 overall, 2-0 CHSFL) do have trouble ahead in the form of four straight road games. Back-to-back trips to Staten Island await. Traditional rival Farrell is up next at 7 p.m. Saturday night.
Nothing has thrown these Friars for a loss yet. Not the postponement of homecoming. (The game was moved from Friday to Sunday because of weather). Not the strong-armed Tyler. And certainly not Xaverian’s attempt to negate the Friars’ special teams.
Just ask Benjamin Aloi, the Friars’ unheralded star on homecoming Sunday.
SCORE
TEAM……………1…..2…..3…..4 — FINAL
Xaverian………..0….14…..0…..0 — 14
St. Anthony’s….14….17…..0…..7 — 38
SA — Carberry 1 run (Ferrara kick)
SA – Wine 41 pass from Schreiber (Ferrara kick)
SA – Mercurio 1 run (Ferrara kick)
X — Tyler 2 run (Petrie kick)
SA – Aloi 70 kickoff (Ferrara kick)
X — Mistretta 62 pass from Tyler (Petrie kick)
SA – FG 37 Ferrara
SA – Lucas 3 run (Ferrara kick)
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Newsday most rank St Anthony’s as # 1 in Long Island otherwise their ranking is a joke run by PUBLIC SCHOOL….
benjamin? aloi
i do have to admit that St.Anthony’s football team is a very good team. I understand why they won this game. Xaverian’s defense was weak.but could that be base on the size of St. Anthony’s team? I go to alot of High School football games St Anthony’s team is the only team that I have seen change their men after every play maybe not every play but quite often.
What would it be like if they didn’t recruit and their players played the entire game like most of Xaverian team did . I compared Xaverian to St. Anthony”s team( #1 TEAM ) and feel they’re pretty good since St.Anthony couldn’t shut them out. But a win is a win.
Xaverian in my book I really feel you did great considering it was only one of you (team) and 11/2 of them (team). St Anthony
YOUR OVERRATED
st a’s does not recruit
You can’t fault the St. Anthony’s coaching staff for choosing to make use of its depth. Last I checked Xaverian also had 50 players on the roster.
I stand corrected (LOL)
Are you saying that St Anthony only played a 50 player roster tonight? Xaverian’s team played almost the whole game. that’s not St Anthony”s fault,no. But what kind of game would St Anthony have if they did the same? You have to admit Xaverian held their own considering how good St Anthony is suppose to be.
theres only 11 guys on the field at a time, and even if it was the same 11 the whole game the outcome still would have been the same based on what st. anthony’s does during the offseason and the week before the game.
Who’s Benjamin. Isn’t it just Ben Aloi.
Barreto, in the real world we deal in facts! There were plenty of “ifs” in your comments. If St Anthonys only had 50, if St Ants played 2 ways, if St Ants didnt recruit, if St Ants only shut them out!!
Spoken like a true wanna be. fact: ‘IF’ St Ants recruited because they are in the CHSL, would’nt all catholic schools be able to do the same? And if so, how does St. Ants do it so much better, and remain on top? Again any catholic school can carry as many players as possible, as well as any d-1 big school on the island, why dont they. Last I checked Sachem, Brentwood, and others are as big as St. Ants but they dont carry or compete as such! A large percentage of students who go to St Ant’s go knowing full well that they could be the big fish in the little pond in their districts! That is academically as well as athletically! Yet the choose to compete at a higher level and challenge themselves both ways.Stop the jealousy and have your child at St Ants to really compete at sports and school.
Xaverian was very big, and physical and I’m sure St. Ants will see them again this year. But dont feel bad for them, Brooklyn is quite large and I’m sure they can “recruit” from there in time(lol)!!
Hey Ben, Since you just ran back two kick-offs (one for a touch down), what are you going to do next? Go to Disney World!?!?!?!
t-wine is clutch
ben you got to tuck that ball man its all over the place
Tim Wine is not only a clutch player, but a great student in the classroom. I teach math at the school and Tim is one of my favorite students, although I am quite suspicious of his laughter during class to a very odd piece of machinery outside our classrooms window. Anyway I just want people to know that Tim has the whole package hes athletic, a great student, and rather handsome as well.
Many people think the Friars have an advantage playing their players one way. I believe this is not true. I have watched the Friars play, and know for a fact that they would be even better if they could play players both ways. If the lineman could play both ways, that would fix any weak points on the lines at all. Also the Friars would benefit from the skill players playing both ways such as Atiq Lucas, Chris Carberry, Nick Mercurio, and Matt Metalious.
Keep it clean guys.
i mean i dont play at all.. but how does my silky blonde locks look from the sideline huh huh huh YEA IT LOOKS GOOD..
YOU KNOW I BLEACHED IT THATS RIGHT..
GOOO 26 26 ALL DAY BABY two six
hmmm mrs panarelli misspelling her own name, thats odd
St. Anthony’s is more like a college program then a high school program. Just look at their $41 Million athletic center that will be opening. This just helps attract in their attraction of top notch athletes.
They have done this going back to the 1970’s basketball program.
Just wanted to say thank you to Jason for all his hard work, always great articles, and the kids enjoy it.
Being a mother of a friarette, we enjoy the football games. These young men play their hearts out, if one is down, they are all down. Not many of us who go there a flithy rich, we do it for the education. I am personally a product of both catholic and public schools and this was my personal choice for our daughter, St. Anthony’s rocks. We are one extremely large family who do support each other. GO FRIARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
St. Anthony’s is more like a college program then a high school program. Just look at their $41 Million athletic center that will be opening. This just helps attract in their attraction of top notch athletes.
- Which I heard from other alumni this complex has put the school in debt my friend. As an alum, I have been receiving requests for donations every 3 months. I don’t think the way the economy is right now that it’s a good idea to be behind the eight ball in payments. I did send in a donation however. None the less, a great athletic complex. Hope everything gets squared away.
Three pivotal games, all away, should show how good this team really is.
If they correct their penchant for penalties they should do well. If they win all three they should be #1 in NY and garner national ranking!