9-28-08 XAVERIAN 38-14 W

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)