CHSFL predictions, Week 4
Xavier @ Cardinal Hayes (Friday, 7:30 p.m.)
Butler: A year ago in this meeting at Maritime College, Xavier crushed Cardinal Hayes, 86-42. Somehow I think coach C.J. O’Neil will remind the Cardinals of that loss leading up to Friday’s rematch in The Bronx. Xavier isn’t the same team that ran roughshod over Hayes and the Cardinals aren’t the same team that took that beating. Look for Hayes to get some revenge while remain undefeated. Pick: Cardinal Hayes
Staszewski: The Knights put one in the win column in impressive fashion last week, beating St. John the Baptist, 26-0. Chris Mattina and John Wilson had big days on the ground. Xavier’s running offense, when going well, could really keep the explosive Hayes playmakers like Kwamayne Davis and Jeremiah Kobena off the field. It is that explosiveness though that will be the difference. Xavier can’t win if this becomes a shootout. Pick: Cardinal Hayes
Kobena, Hayes runs over Xavier, 26-13
Syracuse-bound speedster's 62-yard touchdown the difference for undefeated Cardinals
Anyone in the Catholic High School Football League wondering why Syracuse coach Doug Marrone came to The Bronx and offered Cardinal Hayes senior Jeremiah Kobena a scholarship just needs to check out the tape of Friday night’s game against Xavier.
Fast forward to the fourth quarter with 8:16 left and the Cardinals trailing by one. That’s when Kobena takes a simple pass over the middle from quarterback Kwamayne Davis, turns up field and channels his inner Usain Bolt, exploding for a 62-yard touchdown to put Hayes up for good. “That was all him,” Davis said. “All I had to do was drop back, give Jeremiah the ball and watch him run. It’s great to just watch Jeremiah run.”
That was the signature moment in Cardinal Hayes’ 26-13 win over Xavier at Maritime College. It’s a victory that takes some of the sting out of last year’s 86-42 loss to the Knights on the same field. “Since the kickoff it was going through my mind,” Kobena said. “I really, really wanted to send Xavier that message. You don’t put up 86 [points] on us and get away with that. It’s always great to come back and get revenge on a team that basically smacked us in the face last year.”
Kobena’s burst up field came just three plays after Jonny Clark put Xavier (1-3, 1-2 CHSFL 'AA-A') in front 13-12 with a 5-yard touchdown run.
“Once they scored that touchdown I was fired up,” Kobena said. “I like to answer right back, that’s the type of team we are. When you punch us, we’re going to punch right back. We wanted to send that message to them that we’re not playing that game.” That message was received loud and clear on 3rd-and-7 from the Hayes 38. “He’s like the safety net,” Davis said. “When we’re not doing so good in the passing game, give it to Jeremiah and with his speed he can do great things. Tremendous athlete.”
Following an 8-6 loss to Cardinal Spellman in the Class A title game last year, Hayes coach CJ O’Neil and his staff decided it was time to change the offense. They went with a more wide-open spread, utilizing the team’s strengths, especially Kobena. “Jeremiah is a special athlete and he’s a great kid with a lot of character,” O’Neil said. “He’s going to go work for you tirelessly and God gifted him a little and he takes God’s gift and he’s doing the most he can with it.”
Last year, the Cardinals stunned Mount St. Michael, 39-34, in the 66th annual Turkey Bowl, the Cardinals first win against the Mountaineers since 1980. It was an emotional victory that carried over to this season. “That was like a sneak preview of what was going to happen this year,” Davis said.
After connecting with Kobena on what would prove to be the decisive touchdown, Davis added a 5-yard touchdown pass to Abraham Ocasio to cap a 12-play, 88-yard drive with 1:41 left in the fourth. Davis found Brian McAdoo in the end zone for the 2-point conversion to give Hayes (3-0) a 26-13 lead. Chad Frost had an interception on Xavier’s next play from scrimmage to seal the Cardinals’ win.
“When you score 86 points on a team you expect them to come back and try to kick you in the head,” Xavier coach Chris Stevens said. “I thought we played with them for a long time. We lost to a good team. We battled back once, we battled back twice. We needed to get a stop and we didn’t get it.”
Kobena put Hayes in front 6-0 with a 10-yard touchdown run with 9:30 left in the second quarter, but John Gearity responded with a 3-yard score and Chris Mattina added the extra point to put Xavier in front, 7-6, with 4:14 left in the second quarter.
Davis then orchestrated an 11-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 50-yard touchdown pass to Gallo Henson, one of several talented and athletic seniors who played on the varsity team as a sophomore. “We’ve been growing them on the farm,” O’Neil said. And now those players have matured and have lofty goals this season.
“This was a statement game,” Kobena said. “We are for real. We want to go undefeated.”
