10-4-08 @Farrell 41-27 W

Friars quarterback Tom Schreiber tossed a pair of second-quarter touchdowns against Farrell. [FILE PHOTO]

Under the glare of light towers and a hostile crowd Saturday night in Staten Island, St. Anthony’s junior Tom Schreiber put all comparisons to his predecessor to rest. Already a renown lacrosse player, Schreiber showed he is a worthy successor to 2007 CHSFL offensive player of the year James Brady.

Schreiber engineered a 24-point second quarter as St. Anthony’s pulled away from rival Farrell, 41-27, in a CHSFL game. He completed 8 of 16 passes for 130 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Each time Schreiber answered a Farrell scoring drive with a touchdown pass of his own.

His 32-yard strike to Nick Mercurio tied things at 7.

After Farrell senior Anthony Evangelista, the program’s all-time leading receiver, hauled in a 7-yard scoring pass to go up 13-7, Schreiber responded. He hit Atiq Lucas for a 25-yard touchdown. Nick Ferrara’s point after kick put St. Anthony’s (4-1 overall, 3-0 CHSFL) ahead for good, 14-13.

James Brady’s legacy is hard to shake. In fact, Brady is starting at Georgetown. The two-year starter at quarterback was a special player who ran the offense with ease and showed true character and grit whenever the Friars needed it most.

Schreiber stepped into the vacuum left by Brady and never looked back.

But Farrell (1-4) had to deal with more than Schreiber. The Friars took a 21-13 edge when senior defensive back Ryan Fumai took an interception 65 yards for a touchdown. Maryland-bound Ferrara converted a pair of field goals and four extra points.

Lucas, who added a fourth quarter touchdown run, finished with 86 yards on six carries. One week after hauling in a touchdown against Xaverian, Tim Wine added 73 yards on 6 receptions.

St. Anthony’s coach Rich Reichert reportedly wasn’t happy with his team’s execution. But he’ll take the win anyway, the 175th of his career. Reichert, in his 22nd season, is 175-45-3 (.795 winning percentage). Just one coach in CHSFL history has 200 wins.

The victory also sets up a showdown for first place with another Staten Island power in St. Joseph by the Sea, currently ranked fifth in the state by NYSSWA, one spot ahead of the Friars. Sea (3-0, 2-0) faces Chaminade in Mineola on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. and then hosts the Friars next Saturday.

NOTE: No photos this week.

– JASON MOLINET

 
SCORING
TEAMS ……………………….1…..2…..3…..4 — FINAL
St. Anthony’s…………………0…24…..7…10 — 41
Farrell…………………………0…13……7.….7 — 27
F — Derbyshire 3 run (Evangelista kick)
SA – Mercurio 32 pass from Schreiber (Ferrara kick)
F – Evangelista 7 pass from Derbyshire (kick failed)
SA – Lucas 25 pass from Schreiber (Ferrera kick)
SA — Fumai 65 INT return (Ferrara kick)
SA – FG 27 Ferrara
F – Boshnack 48 pass from Derbyshire (Evangelista kick)
SA – Lucas 40 run (Ferrara kick)
SA — FG 24 Ferrara
SA – O’Malley 14 run (Signa kick)
F — Evangelista 27 pass from Derbyshire (Evangelista kick)

10-4-08 FARRELL 28-20 W

CHSFL freshmen football game against Farrell. St. Anthony’s won, 28-20.

Football Preview: Farrell

St. Anthony’s is rolling. And it’s a good thing: The Friars (3-1 overall, 2-0 CHSFL) will be road warriors over the next month, starting with back-to-back trips to Staten Island.

Good news for the Friars: Junior quarterback Tom Schreiber appears to be the real deal, at ease in the pocket, running and a crisp passer. He’s also made smart decisions so far. The running hasn’t overpowered, but it hasn’t been asked to either. It’s gotten the job done in short yardage situations.

The defense is strong up front, led by Rafiq Wallace and Robert Welsh. St. Anthony’s has been burned deep, but few teams have a better secondary.

Special teams play has also be exceptional, from the return game powered by Atiq Lucas to the kicking duties manned by Maryland-bound Nick Ferrara.

It’s been a tough start to the season for Farrell (1-3, 0-2), coming off a 19-13 loss to Mount St. Michael. According to several reports, the entire Farrell backfield is in flux. Jonathan Derbyshire made his first start at quarterback last week, moving former starter Paul Barchitta to running back and former running back Marco Boshnack to wideout. Got that?

The big concern in this one is fact the Friars are playing on the road. The game is 7 p.m. Saturday in Staten Island at Alumni Stadum at DiTommaso Field, a field turf sports complex. Of course, turf might help the fleet Friars.

The Fariars are 23-12-2 all-time against Farrell and haven’t lost in the series since the 2000 title game. Incidentally, Rich Reichert goes for career win No. 175.

– JASON MOLINET