11-16-08 CHSFL Class AAA Semifinal 37-15 W
November 16, 2008 · Print This Article
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)
Loading ...
Congrats Friars you all rock. You all played outstanding. Now practice hard so that Iona Prep knows just how serious you all are. All the way FRIARS. The Imperiale Family
SCHRODERS NUMBER 1 WAY TO GO MAN, GREAT GAME
Way to go boys .You made your friar family very proud .Were on our way back to the championship game where you belong .We believe in you and are extremely proud of this great program .
Hey Boys lets all get our heads in the games, we need more fan support for our team spread the word, lets have a huge turn out for the team, remember no matter what ” WE ARE FAMILY.” Go FRIARS
Way to go Cuz I always knew you had it in you! Tell your dad I said hello. GO FRIARS GO!
Nick Ferrara is top shelf - not only on the field but off the field as well. He’s a hard working, good natured, and respectful kid and it is heart warming to meet one of today’s youth who’s heart and soul is striving for the good rewards that life has to offer. My hat is off to this young man, and to his parents, for doing the right thing.
This kid is a professional, and should become one
listen jason. With all do respect i do not believe there should be an MVP. All the boys this year have played with heart and pride and singleing out a few individuals is not fair. But if you want to pick out a true unsung hero.. pick steve bart
pick my paulie for MVP
stop thinking about the MVP n think about winning this weekend…your all immature babies
Chuck, I understand why you are getting mad..but their is supposed to be only one true MVP…and that should be Cory Martin..he has the potential to be in newsday every week and be first team all LI.
Mr. Martin. Watch yoour gramer. It’s embarasing. You write …”getting mad..but their is supposed to be only on true MVP” “Their” is possesive and you should have writen “they’re.”
I’m getting mad at all the grammatical errors on here ! Maybe work on that and stop worrying so much about an MVP. It’s a TEAM sport.
You all played a great year, but this team unfortunately did not have the outstanding talent as the ‘05 team. Eanuzel could not be stopped on the run as Pannarelli (who played all year on a bad leg) opened up huge holes for him at fullback. Don’t forget about Burke who caught every ball thrown to him.
Dolce and Brown carried that defense and stopped Iona’s RB and Marra in the ship.
Hey “Gramer Police”, It’s “GRAMMAR”, and it’s “EMBARASSING” that you can’t spell that right either. And NO, it should NOT have been “they’re”…..that is a contraction and means they are…..it should have been “there”. wow, just wow. If you’re (note correct use) going to make fun of someone, get it right yourself first !
Jason:
I think it’s tragic that we could not better support the site. It’s very unfortunate that you must cease publication and would like to thank you for your efforts over the last two years. The site has been incredible and I’ve enjoyed the game recaps as well as the previews. Your site has been the single best source for info relating to our kids and team. I’m not sure what the politics or real issues are behind the demise of the site, but as parent, would like express my gratitude for job well done. You have certainly enhanced our experience with Friars Football. Anyone who reads this and shares my sentiment should also express their gratitude.
Dear Mr. Molinet,
I was so disappointed to see you will be ceasing publication. I have greatly enjoyed your coverage of Friars Football over the last few seasons. What a fabulous forum to highlight these outstanding student athletes. Everyone loves to see their name and their team in print. Thanks so much. It’s been fun. Sincerely, Kerry Brady
P.S. Good luck today, guys in your Date for Eight, Eight is Great, Our Fate is Eight. Go Friars!!!!
Thanks for the kind words. I’m just sad to see the final story be about a loss. Good luck Friars fans!
Jason Molinet
Jason, we are very sad to see Friarsfootball.com end. It was a great site and we have enjoyed it immensely. Going to miss the stories and the game reports. It kept us all in touch. Good Luck with whatever the future brings you. Friars Forever….
thank you jason !!
Thank You to the Seniors for four great years of amazing high school football. You have made us all so proud of the great student/athletes you have grown to become. Pride will always be with you. As friends you have come together to support each other on the field and off. You have learned some valuable life lessons and will be better men for it in the end. Stay focused on your goals and futures!! You have a great foundation to move into the next phase of your life!! Keep the Black and Gold close to your heart and always be there for each other and success and happiness will find you!!
Great Job to big bad Bubba “Gump” Welsh on his performance over the season. Way to hit that quarterback all year long!