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.

Football Preview: St. Francis Prep

It’s playoff time for the Friars.

BY JASON MOLINET

It’s the game within the game. Two of the most respected coaches anywhere — and the two winningest coaches in CHSFL history — square off Friday night under the lights in South Huntington.

Vinnie O’Connor brings St. Francis Prep and his 317 career victories to Cy Donnelly Field to take on host St. Anthony’s and coach Rich Reichert. Reichert, 56, is 178-46-3 in 22 seasons at St. Anthony’s, good for a .795 winning percentage. O’Connor is still going strong in this, his 55th season at the helm of the Queens school.

This CHSFL Class AAA quarterfinal has added flavor. The game, at 7 p.m. Friday, may be about players popping pads, but O’Connor and Reichert are masters of the game plan. And no sport depends more on sound strategy than football.

St. Anthony’s (7-2 overall, 6-1 CHSFL) seemed to regain its edge on offense in last week’s 42-27 win over Mount St. Michael. But the defense is suffering from a late-season meltdown. After giving up all of 47 points in the first four games, the Friars have surrendered 129 points (26 per game) over the final five weeks.

One thing you can count on is for the Friars to play with purpose. St. Anthony’s is the seven-time defending league champ.

St. Francis Prep opened the season as the last of 12 teams in the Class AAA division. But after a 4-4 season, the Terriers earned the No. 7 seed in the CHSFL Class AAA playoffs, ahead of such regulars as Farrell and Holy Trinity.

The Terriers have lost three of their last four, including last week’s 47-7 thrashing at the hands of top-seeded Iona Prep. Running backs Tristan Akong and Robert Dougherty can be dangerous. Each has breakaway ability.

Just ask Holy Trinity, which got burned on a kickoff return and long touchdown run by Dougherty in Week 4.

There’s no doubt the Friars will be able to move the ball against St. Francis. And if the defense can revert to its early-season form, then St. Anthony’s should have no trouble.

But you can’t dismiss the Terriers outright. That’s because a true giant of the game patrols the opposite sideline. O’Connor’s presence alone demands respect.

CHSFL Playoff Seeds

BY JASON MOLINET

The CHSFL football playoffs seeds are out with quarterfinal opponents set. The coaches meet Monday night to finalize dates and game times.

As expected, St. Anthony’s earned the second seed. The Friars will host No. 7 St. Francis Prep at 7 p.m. Friday at Cy Donnelly Field in South Huntington. These teams didn’t meet during the regular season.

In the mean time, here are the CHSFL matchups:

Class AAA
No. 8 Mount St. Michael (3-6) at No. 1 Iona Prep (9-0)
No. 7 St. Francis Prep (4-4) at No. 2 St. Anthony’s (7-2)
No. 6 Chaminade (5-4) at No. 3 Holy Cross (5-4)
No. 5 St. Joseph by the Sea (5-3) at No. 4 Xaverian (5-3)

Class AA
No. 8 Kellenberg (6-3) at No. 1 Stepinac (4-5)
No. 7 St. Peter’s (6-3) at No. 2 Holy Trinity (4-5)
No. 6 Xavier (7-1) at No. 3 Farrell (2-7)
No. 5 St. John the Baptist (6-3) at No. 4 Fordham Prep (3-6)

11-1-08 @Mount St. Michael 28-14 W

St. Anthony’s beat Mount St. Michael, 28-14, in a CHSFL freshmen football game at Mount St. Michael.

11-1-08 Mount St. Michael 28-14 W

St. Anthony’s beat Mount St. Michael, 28-14, in a CHSFL JV football game.

11-1-08 MOUNT ST. MICHAEL 42-27 W

Junior Nicholas Flynn scored three touchdowns.

BY JONATHAN WALTER

The St. Anthony’s football team won its final regular season game at home against the Mount St. Michael Mountaineers, 42-27, in a CHSFL matchup Saturday night. Junior Nicholas Flynn rushed for 54 yards and three touchdowns as the Friars bounced back from a tough loss against Iona Prep.

The Friars (7-2 overall, 6-1 CHSFL) scored six rushing touchdowns, including a 65-yard run from Nicholas Mercurio that gave them a two-touchdown lead in the third quarter. The Friars will likely be the No. 2 seed and host quarterfinal and semifinal playoff games.

Running a variety of option plays, Mount St. Michael had the Friars defense off balance for most of the first half. The Mountaineers were going score for score with the Friars until Mountaineers quarterback Max Otano was sacked on fourth down with time winding down in the first half.

The Friars caught onto the Mountaineers’ option scheme in the third quarter. And after holding the Mountaineers rushing attack to just 20 yards on their first possession, Mercurio came through with his big run to make it 28-14.

Mount St. Michael (3-6, 3-4) showed it still had some life in the fourth quarter as Otana threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Tarik Hawkins, closing to 35-21.

The Friars answered right back as Flynn scored his third rushing score of the night from 16 yards out. The Mountaineers would score one more time on a 1-yard Gary Acquah run. But the drama of the last two seasons – when the teams met in the CHSFL Class AAA championship game — wasn’t there.

These programs are headed in different directions. Mount will likely miss the AAA playoffs while the Friars begin the push for their eighth straight title.

SCORING
TEAMS………………..1…..2…..3…..4 — FINAL
Mount St. Michael……7…..7…..0….13 — 27
St. Anthony’s………..14…..7….14…..7 — 42
SA – Schreiber 21 run (Ferrara kick)
MSM – Otano 65 run (Samuels kick)
SA — Flynn 10 run (Ferarra kick)
MSM – Acquah 6 run (Samuels kick)
SA – Flynn 5 run (Ferrara kick)
SA — Mercurio 65 (Ferrara kick)
SA – O’Malley 39 (Ferrara kick)
MSM – Tarik 16 from Otano (Samuels kick)
SA – Flynn 16 run (Ferrara kick)
MSM – Acquah 1 run (kick failed)

Football Preview: Mount St. Michael

How will the Friars respond against Mount?

BY JASON MOLINET

This is the week where coaches earn their pay. They have the challenge of refocusing the St. Anthony’s football team after a loss to unbeaten Iona Prep that was stunning in its completeness. It was just the second defeat at the hands of a CHSFL foe since the start of the 2001 season.

You can forgive the players for any hangover. Four straight weeks on the road, capped by a tough-to-stomach loss, would give any teenager pause.

The coaches have no such luxury. Rival Mount St. Michael awaits in the regular-season finale at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Cy Donnelley Field in South Huntington. It’s been a mostly disappointing season for the Mountaineers after facing the Friars in back-to-back CHSFL Class AAA championship games.

Unless St. Francis Prep can knock off Iona Prep this weekend, St. Anthony’s (6-2 overall, 5-1 CHSFL) is locked into the No. 2 seed. But that matters little. The Friars will have home field advantage in its quarterfinal and semifinal games. And the title game is at Mitchel Athletic Complex, another edge considering the Friars won’t have to leave Long Island again this season after road trips to Philadelphia, Staten Island and Westchester.

Likely quarterfinal opponents are St. Francis Prep or Stepinac. Stepinac can earn the No. 7 seed if it beats Xaverian on the road, a more realistic proposition than St. Francis Prep upsetting first-place Iona Prep.

But St. Anthony’s must take care of business. The Mountaineers (3-5, 3-3) have lost to Holy Trinity and Xaverian and beaten St. Francis Prep and Farrell. The offense has been stuck in neutral all season long — just the thing for a St. Anthony’s defense that couldn’t stop Iona Prep in the rain last Saturday.

Tom Schreiber will have to get the passing game back on track after two flat performances. And offensive coordinator Fred Gallagher must find that replacement for Atiq Lucas (broken leg) to pair with the versatile Nick Mercurio.

Those issues were obvious against Iona Prep. Luckily for the Friars, these Mountaineers haven’t put up much of a fight this season. It’s the perfect game for what ails St. Anthony’s. Just in time for the playoffs.

CHSFL Class AAA Standings

AAA - AA
Team (Preseason Rank)	League			Overall		PF	PA
	W	L	PWPTS	W	L
Iona Prep (6)	6	0	136.67	8	0	262	147
St. Anthony’s (1)	5	1	126.67	6	2	260	151
Holy Cross (10)	4	2	113.34	4	4	143	124
Chaminade (2)	3	3	111.67	5	3	163	160
Xaverian (8)	3	3	110.00	4	3	184	146
St. Joseph by the Sea (4)	4	2	108.34	5	2	214	131
St. Francis Prep (12)	3	3	100.01	4	3	146	146
Stepinac (9)	3	3	100.01	4	4	190	171
Mt. St. Michael’s (7)	3	3	94.99	3	5	94	136
Holy Trinity (5)	1	5	91.67	3	5	151	191
Fordham (11)	1	5	85.01	3	5	138	186
Monsignor Farrell (3)	0	6	81.67	1	7	141	177

10-25-08 @Iona Prep 21-3 W

St. Anthony’s beat host Iona Prep, 21-3, in a CHSFL JV football game.

10-25-08 IONA PREP 42-14 W

St. Anthony’s beat Iona Prep, 42-14, in a CHSFL freshmen football game.

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