CHSFL rankings

Super sophomore Solomon exceeds expectations for Xavier

By MARC RAIMONDI

Brent Scardapane was out. The team on the other side of the field was Cardinal Hayes. It was Week 5 and the CHSFL’s ‘AA-A’ title was essentially on the line.

Trey Solomon, a sophomore, was forced into duty for Xavier as the team’s primary ball carrier.

“The first time I stepped on the field and I was starting at running back I was really nervous,” Solomon said. “I didn’t know what to expect.”

A few hours later, Solomon had piled up 235 yards and four touchdowns, all but matching Hayes star running back DeQuan June’s production. Oh and Xavier had pulled off a dramatic, 33-32 win Oct. 7 to essentially win the division title.

It was Solomon’s ball for the rest of the season with Scardapane returning just this past weekend in a CHSFL ‘AA’ quarterfinal loss to St. Joseph by the Sea. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound back totaled 900 yards on 114 carries and 14 touchdowns in 2011. Those numbers – and considerable support from Xavier alumni and his family – helped Solomon win last week’s NYPost.com Poll asking “Who is New York City’s top football running back?”

Solomon, a Flatbush, Brooklyn native, finished with 33,238 votes, good enough for 43.53 percent of the 76,358 votes tallied. Sheepshead Bay’s Ricardo Appleton was second with 29,272 (38.34%) and Monsignor Farrell’s Michael Viegas was a distant third with 4,413 (5.78%).

“I would look back at it sometimes and think, this Ricardo Appleton guy, he’s really moving,” Solomon said with a laugh. “My mom [Lisa] would come in and say the same thing, because she looks at it 24/7. … My mom said she stayed up until midnight doing it.”

Xavier coach Chris Stevens said that Solomon has already exceeded expectations. He was brought up to the varsity last year to play free safety and Stevens was impressed with his capabilities at that position. But it was never known that he would become the team’s primary runner. Solomon getting the ball just eight times Sunday in the loss to Sea, the coach said, was one of the reasons for the loss.

“He’s never failed to disappoint,” Stevens said.

Solomon doesn’t hope to in the future, either. He’s looking forward to the historic Turkey Bowl game with Fordham Prep on Thanksgiving Day and to the future as well. Seamus Kelly, Xavier’s star running back who graduated two years ago, is someone he looks up to and wants to emulate.

“I saw him take a botched snap from 8 yards in the end zone all the way back 108 yards for a touchdown,” Solomon said, incredulously.

He has two more years to duplicate such feats.

“A sophomore is the best back in the city?” Stevens said. “Well, I’m happy he’s playing for us.”

Xavier Nation Speaks...

It's Trey!

Although super soph Trey Solomon was trailing as the week-long New York Post poll to choose the city's top running back entered its final hours last night, Xavier Nation has once again risen to the challenge.

As of 5:30 PM Monday, Trey was trailing Ricardo Appleton of Sheepshead Bay High School with 39.04% of the vote to Ricardo's 39.42%. Then you folks got to work. When the poll closed at 11:59 PM, Trey was in the lead with 43.52% of the vote to Mr. Appleton's 38.34%.

Comments left on the Post website following the article were interesting to read. Ricardo's fans worked hard for him right up until the end— the other eight running backs in the poll were never a factor— but some, perhaps not understanding how percentages work, complained that the poll must be fixed because no matter how many times they voted, Ricardo's numbers continued to decline. That was all due to you, the 16th Street Faithful, so congratulations!

Especially gratifying was the involvement of Xavier's Sons from across the generations. Over on Facebook, football and rugby teammates Walt D'Agostino and Chris "Gage" Galligan, both from the Class of 1981, rallied the troops throughout the evening. (Indeed, Walt has been on the case from the start.) Said Gage at one point: "Never mind, Jacko— keep voting. We are doing well! This Trey kid will owe me an egg cream at Hinsch's if we defeat the Sheepshead Bayers."

Over on the New York Post website, I discovered these comments:

"MAROON & BLUE IN THE HOUSE!" — Rob Eder '86

"Trey Solomon is the best!" — Bob Howley '74

"William (Trey) Solomon! Sons of Xavier keep Marching! And in your case, running! Take no prisoners! Rock and Roll, Trey!" — Patrick Boland '87

"Xavier Knights run this town ;-)." — Randall Stone '93

There was another thread of comments there, but alas, they seem to have disappeared after the poll closed last night. John O'Farrell '83 was there lobbying fiercely for Mr. Solomon, along with some fellow alums whose names I did not write down when I had the chance. Sorry, men, but thank you for having Trey's back. Drop me a line so that I can give you a shout-out by name, okay?

From Jim Callery '71 via e-mail came this one-line command: "...clean the cache, vote, clean the cache, vote... "

From Greg "Lurch" Landers '68, also via e-mail: "Okay. Trey's over 41%. If I vote any more times I'll have to move from California to Chicago."

I think we'll ALL have to move to Chicago after this one, Lurch, but that's okay— I hear that Tommy Schmidt '69, good Democrat that he is, has extended an open invitation to all of us to stay at his house.

Congratulations to Trey Solomon (and his teammates and coaches) on an auspicious start to a promising gridiron career at 16th Street!

Congratulations to Ricardo Appleton of Sheepshead Bay on a great season and to his fans for a fierce effort on his behalf. Xavier Nation has been involved in a number of these polls run by The New York Post, the late, great Five Boro Sports website, Fox TV and other media outlets in recent years, and we never lose, but I can't remember anyone giving us a run for our money like Ricardo and his supporters.

And finally, well done, Xavier Nation! Again. You can rest easy knowing that Coach Chris Stevens will not be appearing at your home in the dead of night after all, whistle around his neck and (many) orange cones in hand. As I said at the start of this poll last week, there's no one better than you guys when it comes to rallying around the Maroon and Blue, regardless of what the effort calls for.

And while this exercise in ballot-stuffing might all seem a bit silly, it was especially fun to see decades of Xavier Kaydets, Bruins and Knights rally around Trey and his teammates. This is a tough week for the 16th Street Kids and this small triumph, achieved by generations of Xavier gridironmen working together, is good way to begin these last two weeks of what has been a great season.

Sunday's playoff loss was a bitter one— there's just no way around it— but that doesn't change the fact that Chris Stevens' Knights were undefeated in the CHSFL's regular season and they are the AA-A Division champions. If they defeat this weekend's opponent in the consolation bowl game and vanquish the Ancient Enemy on Thanksgiving morning, the 16th Street Kids will finish 9-2. That will be the most wins for a Xavier team since 2007 and the second-most wins for any Xavier team ever. There is still much to play for this season.

See you out there.

Stand by...
Tom O'Hara '69




	Super sophomore Solomon exceeds expectations for Xavier By MARC RAIMONDI Brent Scardapane was out. The team on the other side of the field was Cardinal Hayes. It was Week 5 and the CHSFL’s ‘AA-A’ title was essentially on the line. Trey Solomon, a sophomore, was forced into duty for Xavier as the team’s primary ball carrier. “The first time I stepped on the field and I was starting at running back I was really nervous,” Solomon said. “I didn’t know what to expect.” A few hours later, Solomon had piled up 235 yards and four touchdowns, all but matching Hayes star running back DeQuan June’s production. Oh and Xavier had pulled off a dramatic, 33-32 win Oct. 7 to essentially win the division title. It was Solomon’s ball for the rest of the season with Scardapane returning just this past weekend in a CHSFL ‘AA’ quarterfinal loss to St. Joseph by the Sea. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound back totaled 900 yards on 114 carries and 14 touchdowns in 2011. Those numbers – and considerable support from Xavier alumni and his family – helped Solomon win last week’s NYPost.com Poll asking “Who is New York City’s top football running back?” Solomon, a Flatbush, Brooklyn native, finished with 33,238 votes, good enough for 43.53 percent of the 76,358 votes tallied. Sheepshead Bay’s Ricardo Appleton was second with 29,272 (38.34%) and Monsignor Farrell’s Michael Viegas was a distant third with 4,413 (5.78%). “I would look back at it sometimes and think, this Ricardo Appleton guy, he’s really moving,” Solomon said with a laugh. “My mom [Lisa] would come in and say the same thing, because she looks at it 24/7. … My mom said she stayed up until midnight doing it.” Xavier coach Chris Stevens said that Solomon has already exceeded expectations. He was brought up to the varsity last year to play free safety and Stevens was impressed with his capabilities at that position. But it was never known that he would become the team’s primary runner. Solomon getting the ball just eight times Sunday in the loss to Sea, the coach said, was one of the reasons for the loss. “He’s never failed to disappoint,” Stevens said. Solomon doesn’t hope to in the future, either. He’s looking forward to the historic Turkey Bowl game with Fordham Prep on Thanksgiving Day and to the future as well. Seamus Kelly, Xavier’s star running back who graduated two years ago, is someone he looks up to and wants to emulate. “I saw him take a botched snap from 8 yards in the end zone all the way back 108 yards for a touchdown,” Solomon said, incredulously. He has two more years to duplicate such feats. “A sophomore is the best back in the city?” Stevens said. “Well, I’m happy he’s playing for us.”

	*Xavier Nation Speaks...* It's Trey! Although super soph Trey Solomon was trailing as the week-long New York Post poll to choose the city's top running back entered its final hours last night, Xavier Nation has once again risen to the challenge. As of 5:30 PM Monday, Trey was trailing Ricardo Appleton of Sheepshead Bay High School with 39.04% of the vote to Ricardo's 39.42%. Then you folks got to work. When the poll closed at 11:59 PM, Trey was in the lead with 43.52% of the vote to Mr. Appleton's 38.34%. Comments left on the Post website following the article were interesting to read. Ricardo's fans worked hard for him right up until the end— the other eight running backs in the poll were never a factor— but some, perhaps not understanding how percentages work, complained that the poll must be fixed because no matter how many times they voted, Ricardo's numbers continued to decline. That was all due to you, the 16th Street Faithful, so congratulations! Especially gratifying was the involvement of Xavier's Sons from across the generations. Over on Facebook, football and rugby teammates Walt D'Agostino and Chris "Gage" Galligan, both from the Class of 1981, rallied the troops throughout the evening. (Indeed, Walt has been on the case from the start.) Said Gage at one point: "Never mind, Jacko— keep voting. We are doing well! This Trey kid will owe me an egg cream at Hinsch's if we defeat the Sheepshead Bayers." Over on the New York Post website, I discovered these comments: "MAROON & BLUE IN THE HOUSE!" — Rob Eder '86 "Trey Solomon is the best!" — Bob Howley '74 "William (Trey) Solomon! Sons of Xavier keep Marching! And in your case, running! Take no prisoners! Rock and Roll, Trey!" — Patrick Boland '87 "Xavier Knights run this town ;-)." — Randall Stone '93 There was another thread of comments there, but alas, they seem to have disappeared after the poll closed last night. John O'Farrell '83 was there lobbying fiercely for Mr. Solomon, along with some fellow alums whose names I did not write down when I had the chance. Sorry, men, but thank you for having Trey's back. Drop me a line so that I can give you a shout-out by name, okay? From Jim Callery '71 via e-mail came this one-line command: "...clean the cache, vote, clean the cache, vote... " From Greg "Lurch" Landers '68, also via e-mail: "Okay. Trey's over 41%. If I vote any more times I'll have to move from California to Chicago." I think we'll ALL have to move to Chicago after this one, Lurch, but that's okay— I hear that Tommy Schmidt '69, good Democrat that he is, has extended an open invitation to all of us to stay at his house. Congratulations to Trey Solomon (and his teammates and coaches) on an auspicious start to a promising gridiron career at 16th Street! Congratulations to Ricardo Appleton of Sheepshead Bay on a great season and to his fans for a fierce effort on his behalf. Xavier Nation has been involved in a number of these polls run by The New York Post, the late, great Five Boro Sports website, Fox TV and other media outlets in recent years, and we never lose, but I can't remember anyone giving us a run for our money like Ricardo and his supporters. And finally, well done, Xavier Nation! Again. You can rest easy knowing that Coach Chris Stevens will not be appearing at your home in the dead of night after all, whistle around his neck and (many) orange cones in hand. As I said at the start of this poll last week, there's no one better than you guys when it comes to rallying around the Maroon and Blue, regardless of what the effort calls for. And while this exercise in ballot-stuffing might all seem a bit silly, it was especially fun to see decades of Xavier Kaydets, Bruins and Knights rally around Trey and his teammates. This is a tough week for the 16th Street Kids and this small triumph, achieved by generations of Xavier gridironmen working together, is good way to begin these last two weeks of what has been a great season. Sunday's playoff loss was a bitter one— there's just no way around it— but that doesn't change the fact that Chris Stevens' Knights were undefeated in the CHSFL's regular season and they are the AA-A Division champions. If they defeat this weekend's opponent in the consolation bowl game and vanquish the Ancient Enemy on Thanksgiving morning, the 16th Street Kids will finish 9-2. That will be the most wins for a Xavier team since 2007 and the second-most wins for any Xavier team ever. There is still much to play for this season. See you out there. Stand by... Tom O'Hara '69