11-22-08 CHSFL Class AAA Final 48-35 L

Senior Kevin O’Malley found the end zone against Iona Prep.

BY JONATHAN WALTER

It was a big day for Jeffery Mack and the top-seeded Iona Prep Gaels as they defeated No. 2 St. Anthony’s, 48-35, in the CHSFL Class AAA championship on a cold and windy Saturday evening at the Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale.

Mack rushed for 396 yards and scored all seven of Iona Prep’s touchdowns. The Gaels ended their season a perfect 12-0, beating St. Anthony’s (9-3) for the second time this season and ending St. Anthony’s seven-year championship run.

The Gaels started out strong, scoring on their first possession of the game. After getting the ball at their 20-yard line, Mack burst through the pile and with his great speed, outran the Friars defensive backs for a 50-yard run all the way into the end zone.

The Friars offense on the other hand, looked nothing like the impressive unit that dominated all season. After catching a short pass from quarterback Brendan Schroeder, Nicholas Mercurio fumbled the ball and Gaels defenders fell on top of it. Iona Prep capitalized upon the Friars’ error, and with the help of a 16-yard run from Mack, took a quick 14-0 lead.

Nicholas Ferrara put the Friars on the board with time running down in the first quarter and with the howling wind at his back. He nailed a 37-yard field goal.

But that didn’t change the game plan of Iona Prep. The Gaels continued to hand the ball off to Mack, who ran for 55 yards on the next drive. Mack’s 6-yard score, his third of the game, made it 21-3.

The Friars made things interesting going into halftime. On an 8-minute, 18-play drive starting at their own 25, the Friars ate up the second quarter and scored on an 8-yard Kevin O’Malley touchdown. The Friars scored again after linebacker John Burk intercepted a pass from Iona Prep quarterback Tyrae Woodson-Samuels.

A 31-yard run from Nicholas Flynn pulled the Friars to 21-16 going into halftime.

An eighth straight title was not meant to be. The Gaels ran away with it in the second half. Mack added two more long touchdown runs, including a 71-yarder, to increase the lead to 19 points.

The Friars rallied late and scored 19 points in the fourth quarter, including a 78-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Flynn, but would fall short.

SCORING
TEAMS………………..1…..2…..3…..4 — FINAL
St. Anthony’s…………3….13…..0….19 — 35
Iona Prep……………14…..7….14….13 — 48
IP – Mack 50 run (Carthy kick)
IP – Mack 16 run (Carthy kick)
SA – FG Ferrara 37
IP – Mack 6 run (Carthy kick)
SA — O’Malley 8 run (run failed)
SA – Flynn 3 run (Ferrara kick)
IP – Mack 47 run (kick failed)
IP – Mack 71 run (Mack run)
IP – Mack 19 run (kick failed)
SA – Flynn 78 kickoff return (run failed)
SA – Martin 4 pass from Schroeder (pass failed)
IP – Mack 38 run (Carthy kick)
SA – Mercurio 48 run (Ferrara kick)

Football Preview: Iona Prep

The Friars play for their eighth straight CHSFL title.

BY JASON MOLINET

Once again, St. Anthony’s is playing for the CHSFL Class AAA title. The season ends Saturday one way or another. This situation feels similar to a year ago when the Friars faced off against the one team that tripped them up during the regular season.

Last season St. Anthony’s avenged a crushing Week 3 loss to Mount St. Michael with a memorable come-from-behind victory over the Mountaineers in the final. One year later and the Friars are hoping to work the same magic against Iona Prep, which downed St. Anthony’s 41-21 on Oct. 25.

There is one big difference between this season and last. St. Anthony’s was at full strength by the time it reached Hofstra. When the No. 2 Friars (9-2) face off against top-seeded Iona Prep (11-0) at 4 p.m. Saturday at Mitchel Athletic Complex, it will be without the team’s top two offensive stars. (The game will be broadcast live over the Internet by http://sports.espn.go.com/stations/1050espnradio/)

No Atiq Lucas or Tom Schreiber (each sidelined with broken legs) has robbed an offense of its fire. And while the Friars have proven to be remarkably deep and resiliant, the losses have been felt.

Junior Brendan Schroeder, who opened fall practice as the third quarterback, will make his second straight start. He’ll need to lean on senior running back Nick Mercurio, a threat running or catching the ball. And the offensive line will need a big game.

As St. Anthony’s plays for its eighth straight CHSFL title, there’s no doubt the coaching staff will cook up a winning game plan. The offense will score.

The real question is whether the defense can slow Iona Prep. The Gaels have piled up a division-high 372 points (Class AA team Xavier posted an insane 458).

When the teams met Week 8 in Westchester, the Gaels rushed for a remarkable 343 yards. Quarterback Tyrae Woodson-Samuels had 166 yards on 14 carries and two scores and completed 5 of 9 passes for 101 yards and another touchdown. The defense couldn’t contain the shifty quarterback.

Running back Jeff Mack finished off the Friars, running strong in the fourth quarter. Another threat St. Anthony’s has struggled to contain this season — and in a semifinal win a year ago — is wideout Chris Alfano.

All of which means the Friars need to execute at all three levels, from the defensive line to the linebackers to the secondary. The linebackers and safeties, in particular, will need to make all the right decisions. That means denying Woodson-Samuels running lanes; stringing him out. And for the safeties, aggressively supporting against the run.

It’s a tall order. But in the world of high school sports, all things are possible. And when it comes to the Friars, the possible becomes probable.

NOTE: This is the final game coverage for Friar Sports.com. We are ceasing publication.

11-16-08 CHSFL Class AAA Semifinal 37-15 W

Brendan Schreoder quarterbacked the Friars to victory.

BY JONATHAN WALTER

Rivalry games don’t get much bigger. St. Anthony’s had to deal with the loss of quarterback Tom Schreiber during the week and at the same time prepare for the biggest game of the season.

Call it a perfect storm of events. The second-seeded Friars weathered the storm, and behind a 24-point third quarter, beat No. 6 Chaminade, 37-15, in a CHSFL Class AAA semifinal on Sunday at Cy Donnelly Field in South Huntington. The Friars shined on defense, forcing Chaminade to punt five times, recording three interceptions and two fourth-down stops. The strong defensive play put the Friars in good field position all game long, and put the team in a position to win.

Now the Friars (9-2) are one win away from their eighth straight championship. They advance to the CHSFL AAA title game and will face No. 1 Iona Prep (11-0), which downed St. Anthony’s, 41-21, during the regular season. The game is a 4 p.m. Saturday at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale.

The Friars offense had trouble finishing drives early and turned to their reliable field goal kicker in Maryland-recruit Nicholas Ferrara. All he did was convert on field goals from 31 and 29 yards out. St. Anthony’s took a 6-0 edge into intermission.

Chaminade (6-5) wrested away momentum – and the lead — in the third quarter. Friars quarterback Brendan Schroeder, in his first game as the starter, was intercepted by linebacker Timothy Pond, setting up the Flyers at the St. Anthony’s 22-yard line. Quarterback Ryan Higgins put the Flyers on the board with a 7-yard strike to receiver Robert Lucas. The extra point gave the Flyers a short-lived 7-6 lead.

Kick returner Nick Flynn gave the Friars excellent field position with a 75-yard kickoff return fielded at the 1-yard line. However, the Friars offense still had trouble picking up the first downs. Ferrara pounded another field goal, this time from 23 yards out to put the Friars up 9-7.

Two interceptions netted the Friars 14 quick points. Friars linebacker Paul Alessandri intercepted a pass at the Chaminade 24. Schroeder wasted no time as he completed a 24-yard touchdown pass to receiver Pat Fiorvanti on the next play.

On Chaminade’s next possession, Higgins threw another interception right into the arms of cornerback Matt Metalios, who jumped receiver Michael Ehrhardt’s route. Metalios ran it back 26 yards for a touchdown. After Ferrara’s extra point, the Friars suddenly led 23-7.

The Friars offense finally got the big yards they were looking for. After getting the ball at the Flyers 42, they pounded the ball with their running backs. Kevin O’Malley finally broke away from a couple tackles and took the ball 33 yards into the end zone.

The Flyers scored once more in the fourth. Christopher Dooley came through with a 4-yard touchdown run for the Flyers, but it was too late. With time winding down, the Friars ran out a huge chunk of time on a drive where they ran the ball eight times and put the ball in the end zone on another O’Malley run to crush all hope of a comeback for Chaminade.

Now St. Anthony’s is back where it belongs – in the title game.

Chick here for game photos courtesy of John Barone:

SCORING
TEAMS………………1…..2…..3…..4 — FINAL
Chaminade…………..0…..0…..7…..8 — 15
St. Anthony’s……….0…..6….24…..7 — 37
SA – FG 31 Ferrara
SA – FG 29 Ferrara
C – Lucas 7 pass from Higgins (Connelly kick)
SA – FG 23 Ferrara
SA — Fiorvanti 24 pass from Schroeder (Ferrara kick)
SA – Metalios 27 INT return (Ferrara kick)
SA — O’Malley 33 run (Ferrara kick)
C — Dooley 4 run (Dooley pass)
SA – O’Malley 1 run (Ferrara kick)

11-15-08 State Federation Championships

Veronica Leddy was the Friars’ top finisher.

State Federation girls cross country championships at Bowdoin Park, Wappingers Falls.

Girls 5000m Run
PLACE..NAME………………….TIME
88…..Veronica Leddy…………20:48.50
112….Olicia Williams…………21:24.00
132….Sloane Russ……………21:42.90
156….Victoria Ciotti……………21:59.90
169….Lauren Lavoro………….22:17.00
157….Erin Brady……………….22:40.80
234….Christina Machado……..24:10.20

11-15-08 State Federation Championships

St. Anthony’s boys runners.

2008 NYS Federation Championships

Bowdoin Park, Wappingers Falls, NY

Individual Meet Results

Boys 5000m Run Open
PLACE..NAME………………….TIME
49…..Kenneth Walshak………..17:49.30
58…..Todd Sather……………..18:01.90
95…..Patrick Murphy…………..18:28.80
112….Brandon Keany………….18:44.60
140….Thomas Flynn…………..19:07.10
149….David Kenney…………..19:21.10
166….Robert Cherkis…………20:03.10

Friars Sports.com Ceases Publishing

Friars Sports.com will cease publishing at the end of the fall season. Tough economic times, along with a lack of commitment from coaches, make this venture impossible to continue. We wish the entire St. Anthony’s community all the best in the future. Go Friars!

Schreiber Undergoes Surgery

St. Anthony’s junior quarterback Tom Schreiber underwent surgery to repair a spiral fracture of the fibula on Sunday at Winthrop University Hospital in Garden City. Schreiber was injured in the first quarter of Friday’s CHSFL Class AAA quarterfinal game against St. Francis Prep. We at Friar Sports.com wish him a speedy recovery.

11-9-08 State CHSAA Final 4-1 W

Mission accomplished.

BY JASON MOLINET

There wasn’t an overflow of emotion, just the simple satisfaction of a job well done. The St. Anthony’s boys soccer team wrapped up an unbeaten and historic season on Sunday with a dominating 4-1 victory over Queens power Molloy in the state CHSAA title game.

As the St. Anthony’s starters – by now on the bench – jogged onto the turf field at Adelphi in Garden City once the clock drained to zero, a few enterprising players grabbed the water bucket and emptied it on assistant coach Don Correo. There were broad smiles and hugs, but hardly the explosion of emotion you might expect.

Each player calmly accepted championship medallions and when the team plaque was handed out to longtime coach Gene Buonaiuto, the players coolly assembled around him and posed for pictures.

This season was hardly preordained – everyone had high hopes, but who knew? – yet the Friars took to the role of champion with a comfortable familiarity. This marks the second title in program history and the second in four years. The truth is this year will be long remembered.

“This is probably my best team,’’ said Buonaiuto, who improved to 290-92-29 in 24 seasons as coach. “They have the best record.’’

These Friars (21-0-1), ranked second in the nation by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, also have the most recognition. Every bit of it was earned.

“You don’t get any better than winning a state championship,’’ junior defender Tyler Botte said.

The game was won in the midfield and by unsung heroes such as Botte. Midfielders such as senior Keith Jecewiz controlled the tempo and pushed the ball around the field, making opponents chase and react. And on the few occasions a forward broke through, the defense went to work.

It was much the same against Molloy. Friars senior goalkeeper Alex Naples was hardly tested, although he did surrender his fifth goal of the year with 7:17 left and the Friars sitting on a 3-0 lead.

But the game was all but over by then.

Senior midfielder Mike Valencia, two days after a two-assist effort in a semifinal win over Buffalo-Nichols, struck first against Molloy. He was taken down in the box just 4:03 into the title game and earned a penalty kick. Valencia went right and buried the ball in the back of the net for a 1-0 St. Anthony’s lead.

Senior Greg Mallia’s goal just before intermission made it 2-0. Sophomore Henry Tirado put in another goal off a rebound with 18 minutes left. Senior Chris Durant made it 4-1.

The bench might have been sky-high by that point, except for the fact that winning has been such an everyday feat for these Friars. Well, there’s nothing standing between these Friars and greatness now; no one else to conquer. Enjoy it.

11-8-08 State CHSAA Class AA Tournament

Caitlin Connelly helped the Friars go 6-0 in pool play.

The St. Anthony’s girls volleyball team went 6-0 in pool play to advance to the state CHSAA Class AA semifinal for the fifth straight season on Saturday at St. Mary’s in upstate Lancaster.

It was a total team effort. Caitlin Connelly led the way with 34 kills and 8 aces. Mariel Metalios registered 100 assists. Caroline Scalamandre made 21 kills and young Michele Imprellizeri added 26 blocks and 14 kills.

The Friars earned the top seed and will face Brooklyn-Queens CHSAA champ St. Francis Prep in a semifinal match at 10 a.m. Sunday. The Terriers went 2-4 in the opposite bracket and won a playoff to advance.

It’s all Buffalo in the other semi: St. Mary’s versus Sacred Heart. The final is 40 minutes after the conclusion of the semis.

Pursuit Of Perfection

Forwards rarely get this good a look at Alex Naples.

BY JASON MOLINET

Fuzzy childhood memories still carry Alex Naples today. He was just a toddler when Jeremy Pracher, his uncle on his mother’s side, played soccer for Bellport High School. Naples recalls being at many of the games.

It’s not just past recollections imprinted in Naples. Soccer is apparently embedded in his DNA too. That’s because his father, Michael Naples, was a goalkeeper on one of the first soccer teams at St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue.

All that soccer knowledge has been passed down. And it was on display Friday night when St. Anthony’s played one of the biggest boys soccer matches in program history. The 5-11, 170-pound Naples was in goal. The Friars downed Buffalo-Nichols, 4-0, in a state CHSAA semifinal at Adelphi.

Actually, Naples was never challenged by Nichols. The defense in front of him wouldn’t let anyone through. But he may be tested in the title game at 3 p.m. Sunday when the Friars face Molloy.

“He’s very athletic and fearless,’’ Friars coach Gene Buonaiuto said. “He’s actually made great saves in a lot of games. He’s only given up four goals this year.’’

Credit plenty of soccer experience at a young age. It began with advice and tips from his uncle and father. Naples graduated to sessions with trainers at the age of 12.

“I’ve learned a lot from [my uncle and father] growing up,’’ Naples said. “I was never the tallest goalie and that’s a big thing. So I needed to make up for it technically. So I tried to make up for it trying to be technically perfect. I’m athletic but I don’t fit the mold of a goalie.’’

But where Naples really came into his own was in the last year playing for Queens-based Met Oval, one of 64 teams in the fledgling U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy. In June, Naples was named All-Conference in the Northeast Division.

And with two seasons in goal for the Friars, the senior has several options to play at the next level. If Naples gets accepted early decision, then Penn is the likely destination. Naples wants to major in business. But Holy Cross, Northeastern and Adelphi are in the mix.

Naples chose St. Anthony’s over his home school district of Bellport, namely for the academics. So don’t be surprised if that’s the deciding factor in a university.

College can wait. Naples still has one game left in his St. Anthony’s career. And it’s been a wild run.

“We knew we had a good team,’’ Naples said. “We lost in the semis last year. Our main goal was to win the league outright this time. I’m not saying we expected it. But we had the talent and ability to do that.’’

That mission was accomplished with an impressive 3-2 win over defending champ Chaminade. Now if the Friars can clear one more hurdle, they can lay claim to being one of the best teams in the country – and program history.

That’s a memory that may never fade.

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