CHSFL predictions, Week 4

By MARC RAIMONDI and JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

No. 9 Xavier vs. St. Francis Prep (Saturday, 4:45 p.m. @ Aviator)

Staszewski: St. Francis Prep and quarterback Tom Cani rewarded my faith in them with a big victory over St. Peter’s last week. Xavier is a different animal. The Knights single wing offense is tough to prepare for and their athletes on defense will be able to stifle the Terriers attack. Xavier coach Chris Stevens challenged his defense, coming off two straight shutouts, to do that against SFP and Hayes. The Terriers certainly won’t put up a goose egg, but The Knights ‘D’ will do enough to win this one. Pick: Xavier

Raimondi: This might not be the Xavier of 2007 and 2008, but this group is arguably more athletic and there’s no argument that its defense is better than back then. Plus, coach Chris Stevens still has his single wing and that’s a handful for anyone to deal with – even though now everyone knows it’s coming. Stevens is 0-2 against legendary St. Francis Prep head man Vince O’Connor, someone he holds in the highest regard. The Knights coach will get his first victory over O’Connor this weekend. Pick: Xavier

 
     
   
     
   
     
 




CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL LEAGUE of METROPOLITAN NEW YORK

   

Player of the Week Nomination

 

Nominee: Brent Scardapane                                                 School: Xavier High School

Position: Running Back / Cornerback / Punter                    Opponent: St. Francis Prep.

Date of Game: 10/01/11  Ht. 5’11”  Wt. 175  Class: Jr.    Hometown: Chelsea , Manhattan

Details of nominees performance:
In a CHSFL AA-A Regular Season Game, Xavier defeated St. Francis Prep. 35-14 in convincing fashion to go 3-1 Overall and 3-0 in the CHSFL AA-A Division.  On offense, Brent Scardapane rushed for 268 yards on 19 carries scoring 3 touchdowns and two 2pt. conversation to account for 22 of Xavier’s 35 points.  He completed 1 pass for 23 yards, which kept a scoring drive alive.  He also had a fumble recovery to end a St. Francis Prep scoring drive on the Xavier 8 yard line.

Class Honors:
Brent has a 92+ average at Xavier and has achieved honor grades in 9 of 12 marking periods earning 2nd honors 6 times and 1st honors 3 times. 

League Honors:  
In his Freshman year, Brent was a captain and two way starter on Xavier’s Freshman Football team and he won the Best Offensive Player award for that team.  In his sophomore year, Brent played up on the varsity team returning kickoffs and punts.  In his Junior year, Brent won CHSFL Player of the Week honors vs. St. John the Baptist in a close 36-34 2 OT win, he was the 3rd leading scorer in the CHSFL with 20 touchdowns and 143 points, he was named Xavier team MVP for the 2010 season and he was chosen to the All Bronx/Manhattan team by both the New York Post and New York Daily News.

Other Sports & Honors
Brent has been a three season athlete playing Football, Basketball and Baseball in each of his three years at Xavier.  In his Freshman year, he was the MVP of the Freshman Basketball Team and he won the Golden Glove Award for the Freshman Baseball Team.

  
     
 

CHSFL roundup: Xavier beats SFP after death of assistant coach

By MARC RAIMONDI and JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

The Xavier players took the field Saturday afternoon with heavy hearts.

On Thursday, Knights strength and conditioning coach and JV assistant Bill Costa died just hours after telling varsity head coach Chris Stevens that he wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t make it to practice. The cause of death is not yet known.

Friday morning before school, football players from all levels – Costa’s son James coaches on the freshman team – gathered together in the school’s chapel and prayed. Stevens spoke about Costa’s significance to the program and guidance counselors were on hand for any player who wanted to talk.

“We’re gonna play real hard in his honor and we’ll support his family when the game is over,” Stevens said, reiterating the credo going into Saturday.

Xavier ended up putting together a vintage performance in a 35-14 victory over St. Francis Prep in CHSFL Class AA-A at Aviator Sports Complex. Brent Scardapane ran for 268 yards on 19 carries with three touchdown runs of 56, 45 and 23 yards. In all, Xavier (3-1, 3-0 ‘AA-A’) racked up 401 yards on the ground.

Trey Solomon had 82 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown and Danny Donahue hit Connor Sweet for a 15-yard pass. On defense, James Wolfer had two big interceptions. It was Stevens’ first win over legendary St. Francis Prep coach Vince O’Connor in three tries.

Tom Cani was 9-of-22 passing with a 66-yard touchdown toss to Ramel Joseph and Kadir Wisdom ran for a 1-yard score.

“I did not expect to be able to physical them the way we did,” Stevens said.

The wake for Bill Costa is scheduled for Monday and the funeral for Tuesday. It’ll be another emotional week for Xavier heading into a huge clash Saturday with Cardinal Hayes.

“It was a real big win for us and we thank Coach Bill for looking down on us,” Stevens said.