11-4-08 NSCHSAA Final: Holy Trinity 3-0 W

Captains Caitlin Connelly (10) and Megan Fitzpatrick hold the championship plaque.

BY JASON MOLINET

No sooner had St. Anthony’s athletic director Don Buckley handed out the MVP plaque to junior Caitlin Connelly, she turned and walked toward the bench and fell into the arms of coach Donna Newman. Coach and player shared a long embrace as the fans around the St. Dominic gym went wild.

No one was bigger than Connelly as top-seeded St. Anthony’s earned a 25-15, 25-23, 25-13 win over No. 2 Holy Trinity to capture the Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA championship in girls volleyball on Tuesday night. Connelly was a force serving, hitting and on defense. She led the way with 15 kills.

“She is her own worst critic,’’ Newman said. “She wants to be 10 times better. She’s a real leader and a complete player.’’

St. Anthony’s (15-1) advances to the eight-team state CHSAA Class AA girls volleyball tournament at St. Mary’s in upstate Lancaster. Day 1 is pool play. The top two finishers in each bracket advance to Sunday’s semifinals.

Holy Trinity (13-3), the only team to beat the Friars this season, will be in Buffalo as well. The Titans are in the opposite pool, so the teams could meet again in the semifinals or title match on Sunday.

“I would like a chance to see them again,’’ Newman said. The teams met in the 2005 state final.

Everyone was preparing for a war in the league final. When the teams met on Oct. 16, the Titans earned a hard-fought victory in five games. It was the match of the year in the Catholic league.

Not so the third time. The Friars, playing in the final for the sixth straight season, jumped in front 13-6 in the first game and cruised to a 25-15 victory.

But the war was won in the second game. Holy Trinity pressed the Friars throughout. St. Anthony’s saw its lead cut to 22-22 with a block by the Titans’ taller front line. At that point, the entire tenor of the night teetered on the outcome.

The Friars closed out strong. Connelly’s kill made it 24-22. And with Mariel Metailos serving, Holy Trinity returned a long volley for the final point.

The third game was all St. Anthony’s. The Friars roared in front 9-3 and never looked back. As Connelly spiked the ball off a Holy Trinity rival and the ball bounced away for the final point of the match, the crowd on hand rushed the floor.

“This is incredible,’’ said Connelly, who was named tournament MVP on top of being named league MVP.

Metalios, one of three sophomores in the lineup, finished with 49 assists. Caroline Scalamandre had 12 kills. Megan Fitzpatrick recorded 8 kills. And Michele Impellizeri added 10 blocks and 8 kills.

The Friars have won 15 of 17 games since falling to Holy Trinity 19 days ago. Most importantly, St. Anthony’s won its sixth league title since 1991 and second in three years.

10-16-08 Holy Trinity 3-2 L

St. Anthony’s lost to Holy Trinity, 22-25, 25-13, 22-25, 25-19, 17-25, in a Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA girls volleyball match.

10-15-08 HOLY TRINITY 1-1 T

Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA girls soccer game against Holy Trinity. St. Anthony’s played to 1-1 tie.

10-2-08 HOLY TRINITY 7-0 W

Junior forward Nick Masotto notched the hat trick, senior midfielder Greg Mallia tallied a pair of scores and junior defender Anthony Arena recorded two assists in the victory.

Junior midfielder Joe Lyons and junior Orlando Castanada also contributed a goal each as senior midfielders Kieth Jecewiz and Mike Valencia dished out one assist apiece, along with junior defender Tyler Botte and senior defender Anthony Uliano.

Scoring
Team…………………….1….2 – Final
HT……………………….0….0 – 0
St. A……………………..5….2 – 7
GOALS – St. A: Masotto 3, Mallia 2, Lyons, Castanada. Saves – HT: Rose 13; St. A: Naples 1, Hayes 1, Wiess 1.

10-2-08 Holy Trinity 3-1 W

St. Anthony’s beat Holy Trinity, 25-14, 25-15, 20-25, 25-20, in a Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA girls volleyball match.

Photo Gallery: Holy Trinity football 9-19-08

9-20-08 @Holy Trinity 30-12 L

St. Anthony’s falls 30-12 to Holy Trinity in a CHSFL freshmen football game at Cantiague Park in Hicksville.

9-20-08 HOLY TRINITY 29-7 W

The St. Anthony’s defense collapses around Holy Trinity quarterback Mike Porcenat.

BY JASON MOLINET

The play of the day was quickly followed by the save of the day.

As St. Anthony’s junior varsity quarterback Charlie Raffa rolled right with one minute left in the opening half Saturday morning at Cy Donnelly Field in South Huntington, he hesitated to throw the ball. His intended target hadn’t turned around yet. So Raffa kept rolling and waiting until Holy Trinity safety Greg Avdige was nearly on top of him.

Only then did Raffa attempt to throw toward the end zone. But the athletic Avdige was close enough to leap and swat at the ball. He not only knocked it off its path, but came down with the football and began running the opposite way.

“I was pretty upset,” Raffa said.

Now it was a footrace. Avdige had just one St. Anthony’s player to outpace. Sophomore running back Victor Belgiorno never gave up and finally hauled Avdige down at the Friars’ 40-yard line.

St. Anthony’s pulled away in the second half to beat rival Holy Trinity, 29-7, in a junior varsity football game as Raffa did the damage with a pair of 1-yard scoring runs. But so much of the game could have turned on one play.

On one play the fortunes of two teams swung back and forth two times over. St. Anthony’s began it at the Holy Trinity 7, already ahead 8-0 and destined to tack on another score. But one extraordinary effort denied the Friars. And if Avdige could have gone the distance he would have sent both teams into halftime tied.

That didn’t happen either. Not only did Avdige not score, the Titans were unable to capitalize. Time stopped the Titans at the St. Anthony’s 26. The Titans wouldn’t finally reach the end zone until four minutes remained in the game.

“That was the play of the day, preventing Holy Trinity from scoring,” surmised one of the zebra-striped officials.

No doubt. After struggling to find their way in the opening half, the Friars put together a nice 65-yard scoring drive on their first possession of the third quarter. Sophomore Joseph Locascio capped the series with a 31-yard scoring burst up the middle for a 14-0 edge.

St. Anthony’s defensive back Eddie Finnocchialo ended the next Holy Trinity drive with an interception. The St. Anthony’s coaching staff immediately decided to go for the knockout punch.

Raffa executed it with a 60-yard strike to sophomore wideout Brian Kensil down to the Titans’ 4. Raffa’s keeper over the goal line two plays later essentially put the game away with 2:30 left in the third.

SCORE
TEAM………………1…..2…..3…..4 — FINAL
Holy Trinity……….0…..0……0…..7 — 7
St. Anthony’s…….0…..8….14…..7 — 29
SA – Belgiorno 14 run (Lee run)
SA – Locascio 31 run (kick failed)
SA – Raffa 1 run (Belgiorno run)
SA — Raffa 1 run (Whalley kick)
HT — Olson 5 pass from Porcenat (NA kick)

Football Preview: Holy Trinity

There are no off nights in the CHSFL and Friday is no exception when Holy Trinity travels to South Huntington to take on seven-time defending champ St. Anthony’s. The game is 7 p.m. But you better get there early if you want a seat.

Holy Trinity is 2-0 and featured back Anthony Brunetti is one of the toughest runners in the state. He’s a workhorse who has gone over 100 yards in both games this season. His presence alone makes the Titans a threat to beat St. Anthony’s. But the Titans will neeed to control the ball and the clock to win.

The Friars (1-1) are coming off an impressive 52-14 win over New Jersey power Delbarton. Tom Schreiber picked apart the secondary and a stable of backs ground it out. But it was the defense, one week after giving up just 7 points in a loss to St. Joseph’s Prep (Penn.), that really shined.

Despite graduating the league’s offensive and defensive players of the year, there are no noticeable holes in the Friars.

St. Anthony’s leads the all-time series with the Titans 24-8 dating to 1974 and has won the last 14 meetings. Holy Trinity last beat the Friars, 28-13, in 1992, part of a 3-6 season for St. Anthony’s. The Friars ran back the opening kickoff a year ago and never looked back in a 34-14 win in Hicksville.

MEDIA NOTE: The game will be broadcast live over the internet by ESPN 1050 Radio. Once again, that’s a live WEBCAST on www.1050ESPNRadio.com. The MSG crew will also be on hand. The game will be televised Sunday at 11 a.m. And don’t forget to log on to Friar Sports.com for your postgame wrap.

– JASON MOLINET

Here’s The Kicker

Nicholas Ferrara faces his hometown team this Friday.


BY JASON MOLINET

How did Nicholas Ferrara end up as one of the premier high school kickers anywhere? By raising his hand.

Ferrara has played football and soccer since he was 4. At some point his Hicksville youth league football coach asked a straightforward question.

‘“Who wants to be a kicker?’’’ Ferrara recalled. “No one raised their hand. Then he asked, ‘Who plays soccer?’ I raised my hand. And it went from there.’’

Ferrara has grown into the role nicely. The 6-1, 200-pound senior is a Rivals.com two star prospect and would probably be getting even more attention had he not ended the recruiting process just when it was heating up in June. Ferrara orally committed to Maryland, where he’ll be expected to compete for the placekicker job and eventually punt as well.

Ferrara started the summer making the rounds from one kicker camp to another: Tennessee, South Carolina, Penn State and Rutgers. Once he chose the Terrapins, Ferrara cancelled trips to Cal, Syracuse and Michigan, where an offer was reportedly waiting if he only travelled to Ann Arbor. But Ferrara, who made unofficial visits to the College Park, Md. Campus in the spring, was sold.

“They had my major and everything I needed,’’ said Ferrara, who plans to major business marketing. “I love the school.’’

Life was good – for about a week.

Then Ferrara rolled his right ankle while running July 5. He fractured his ankle. Yet the injury didn’t require surgery, just intensive physical therapy. Ferrara wasn’t even medically cleared for the season opener against St. Joseph Prep in Philadelphia. It was just as well. The game was played in a downpour, the remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna.

St. Anthony’s lost 7-6 on a missed extra point.

“I mean it was frustrating enough being a senior on the team. We’re role models,’’ Ferrara said. “But it’s woulda, coulda, shoulda. Jesse Signa did everything he could. It was a hurricane — literally. I don’t know if I could do more.’’

Ferrara did plenty in Saturday’s blowout win over New Jersey power Delbarton. He was 7-for-7 on extra points and nailed a 37-yard field goal. He also punted and helped the Friars was the field position battle with his trademark powerhouse kickoffs. At the South Carolina camp, Ferrara averaged 82 yards on kickoffs.

His greatest personal challenge comes this Friday. Ferrara grew up in Hicksville; still lives minutes from Holy Trinity. Now he’ll get a chance to beat the Titans. Raise your hand if you appreciate the irony.

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