CHSFL predictions, Week 9

By MARC RAIMONDI and JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Xavier @ St. Joseph by the Sea (Sunday, 1:45 p.m.)

Staszewski: If you have the job of taking stats for this game, make sure you get plenty of sleep and bring plenty of ink. There won’t be too many passes thrown here and each team likes to run multiple backs in unique run-heavy offenses. This one comes down to defense and Xavier’s has been one of the best in the city regardless of the division with four consecutive second-half shutouts while Sea’s has struggled. The Knights formula continues – close early than pull away late. Pick: Xavier

Raimondi: I’ve been consistent throughout these predictions, picking ‘AAA’ teams to beat ‘AA’ teams. I’m going to move away from that here. Xavier is extremely tough to defend on the ground and Sea hasn’t done a great job of stopping teams this season. Plus, the Knights get back star Brent Scardapane this week. He was off to an all-city caliber season before a concussion sidelined him in Week 4 against St. Francis Prep. With him and the emergence of sophomore Trey Solomon, Xavier is going to be a problem and the defense has been incredible in the second half, as Staszewski pointed out. Pick: Xavier

 
     
 


New York

By ESPNNewYork.com staff

With the CHSFL playoffs beginning this weekend, we polled our staff of high school writers to get their takes on which teams they see emerging victorious. Matt Ehalt, Amara Grautski, Chris Hunt and Rob Abruzzese give their takes on how the CHSFL "AA" playoffs will breakdown.

AA BRACKET
No.1 Fordham Prep vs. No. 8 St. John the Baptist
No. 2 Holy Trinity vs. No. 7 St. Peter’s
No. 3 Kellenberg vs. No. 6 Cardinal Hayes
No. 4 St. Joseph by-the-Sea vs. No. 5 Xavier

WHO IS THE TEAM TO BEAT?

Ehalt: Fordham Prep: The Rams are reeling and aren’t as good as they were perceived to be but they might be a little too much for the rest of this bracket.

Abruzzese: Xavier: The Knights went undefeated in league play displaying a strong offense and defense. It’s hard to see anybody stopping them and that includes No. 1 Fordham Prep.

Grautski: Fordham Prep: has knocked out other top competitors Holy Trinity and Kellenberg during the regular season, and its offense is averaging about 40 points per game.

Hunt: Xavier: It can say the one thing that no other team in AA can: It hasn’t lost a conference game. The Knights can really prove themselves against if they match up with Fordham Prep in the semifinal.

WHICH TEAM IS THE SLEEPER?

Ehalt: Xavier: Xavier went 7-1 this year with its only loss coming out of conference in its season-opening game. There’s no reason that it can’t run the table and pull this off like Stepinac last year.

Abruzzese: Holy Trinity: The Titans weren’t very impressive this season, but they pulled it together at the end to pick up a pair of big wins. This could be a sign that they finally got their act together. If so, they could surprise some teams in the playoffs.

Grautski: Kellenberg: Kellenberg defeated second-ranked Holy Cross during the regular season and only lost to Fordham Prep, 29-28. The 2-point conversion by Fordham Prep made the difference in the fourth quarter. Kellenberg’s only been shut out once this year

Hunt: Holy Trinity: Holy Trinity waxed St. Joseph by the Sea and then won a close game against a speedy Mount St. Michael last week. That’s the kind of win that catapulted a team through the playoffs.

WHICH TEAM COULD GET UPSET EARLY?

Ehalt: St. Joseph by-the-Sea: St. Joseph was the worst team in the AAA and they have a bad quarterfinal matchup against Xavier. They could be one-and-done in this thing.

Abruzzese: Fordham Prep: The Rams faced some tough teams this season and didn’t look good against any of them. They are also going into the playoffs with a 4-game losing streak. They likely will make past the first round, but a semifinals exit is just as likely.

Grautski: Holy Trinity: Holy Trinity lost to sleeper pick Kellenberg, 40-28, during the regular season, in a game when Kellenberg's quarterback wasn’t at his best. Kellenberg could defeat Holy Trinity again in the second round of the playoffs.

Hunt: Xavier: If Xavier is the team to beat then it also makes them the biggest candidate for an upset, especially if my bracket plays out. Holy Trinity has two wins this season.

WHAT’S THE TITLE GAME?

Ehalt: No. 5 Xavier over No. 1 Fordham Prep: Xavier has played the best of any of these teams and will beat its rival in a big game on Thanksgiving.

Abruzzese: No. 5 Xavier over No. 1 Fordham Prep: Xavier has the confidence as they were unbeaten in league play this year and they have the biggest offensive weapon in running back William Solomon. Fordham Prep hasn’t even come close to winning a big game this year either.

Grautski: No. 3 Kellenberg defeats No. 1 Fordham Prep: Fordham Prep is a great football team, but it isn’t invincible. Kellenberg will avenge its 1-point loss to knock Fordham Prep out in the final game.

Hunt: No. 5 Xavier over No. 1 Fordham Prep: This is a pick’em game. Fordham Prep is 3-5 but have played a tougher schedule than Xavier, which should feel like a team with something to prove.

  
     
   
     
 

CHSFL roundup: Sea runs past Xavier into 'AA' semis

By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

St. Joseph by the Sea felt like it was looking in the mirror when it came to Xavier. The Knights are well known for their single-wing offense in the Class AA-A division and Sea has made name for itself with a run-heavy double-wing attack.

“It’s not anything we haven’t seen before,” first-year Vikings coach Rich Clark said. “The way they play is similar to the way we play. Our kids were looking forward to stopping something similar to what we do.”

And that they did.

St. Joseph by the Sea handled Xavier, 33-7, in the CHSFL Class AA quarterfinals Sunday afternoon in Huguenot. It outrushed the Knights, 291-37, on the ground. John Diaz rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries. Justin Mangiacasle scored twice on the ground and Brandon Young amassed 70 yards rushing with a score. The Vikings had lost seven straight games since beating Christ the King in Week 1.

“I was glad to see the kids leave the field with a win, like you couldn’t believe,” Clark said. “A lot of people would have packed it in, but they didn’t.”

Senior Ryan Smith led the defense. He moved from defensive back to defensive end and had an interception, two sacks and forced a fumble. Mangiacasle made nine tackles and recovered a fumble. Sea (2-7) visits No. 1 Fordham Prep next weekend at Coffey Field at a time and date to be determined in the semifinals. Brent Scardapane had an 8-yard touchdown run for Xavier (7-2).

“For him to go from corner back to edge rusher in a week is impressive,” Clark said of Smith. “He was coming in like you couldn’t believe.”

 
     
 



St. Joseph's defeats Xavier in CHSFL AA playoff opener, 33-7

By STEPHEN HART

St. Joseph by-the-Sea gave Xavier a taste of its own medicine.

The Knights' single wing ground game -- with its multiple formations and bevy of backs -- has, in recent years, piled up the running yards against almost every opponent, and that includes some programs in the CHSFL's highest division.

But when Xavier, the regular-season AA champion, visited Sea for a CHSFL AA quarterfinal playoff contest Sunday, the Knights were limited to just 37 rushing yards. The Vikings' own bludgeoning attack, meanwhile, amassed 291 yards on the ground en route to an impressive 33-7 victory.

Sea, which hadn't won since its non-league season opener against Christ the King, will play at Fordham Prep in a AA semifinal next weekend at a time to be determined.

"They don't quit. They haven't quit all year," said Vikings coach Rich Clark of his squad, which went winless in the AAA but rebounded Sunday with their best performance of the year.

After fumbling near midfield on their first series, the Vikings (2-7 overall) set the tone for the afternoon with a 16-play, 80-yard drive featuring all runs. Three different backs carried the ball, commencing with Justin Mangiacasale's 5-yard TD carry 41 seconds into the second quarter.

The Knights then capitalized by recovering an ensuing onside kick and using only three plays to tie the game. On second-and-6 from the Sea 45, Brent Scardapane surprised the Vikings when he lofted a 37-yard pass to William Solomon down to the Sea 8, where Scardapane ran it in from on the next play.

But that would be the lone highlight for Xavier, which was limited to seven first downs and ran only 32 offensive plays for the contest to 73 for Sea.

"Playing Xavier is like looking in a mirror for us," said Clark. "They play power football and practice ball control. They do it a little differently than us but it's similar. Our defense has been practicing all year against our offense, so it was kind of familiar territory for them."

On the ensuing possession, Sea embarked on another mammoth march -- 15 plays (again, all runs) covering 65 yards -- keyed by Nick King's 4-yard carry on a fourth-and-1 at Sea's own 44 early in the drive. Senior John Diaz, who would compile 101 of his 123 rushing yards by halftime, ran it in from 4 yards out and King's second straight PAT kick would put the Vikes ahead to stay at 14-7 with 3:01 left in the first half.

An interception of Scardapane by Ryan Smith on the next series gave Sea the ball at its own 41. Three plays later, Diaz converted a fourth-and-2 with a 10-yard run. Eventually, the Vikes moved the ball to the Xavier 7. An incomplete pass left Sea two seconds and one play. Instead of passing into the end zone or opting for a field-goal attempt, Clark leaned on his strength and Mangiacasale responded with a run behind left guard for a touchdown and 21-7 advantage at the intermission.

The Sea defense forced fumbles on Xavier's first two second-half series -- including a great strip/sack by Ryan of Scardapane recovered by Joe Sarno at the Xavier 48. This time, the Vikes need "only" 12 plays to strike paydirt, as Diaz ran it in from 3 yards out to stretch the Sea lead to 27-7 with 11:22 to go in the fourth quarter. A Brandon Young 1-yard TD run capped the scoring with 5:01 remaining.

"We just followed the game plan. The coaches didn't give up on us," Smith said. "For us seniors, we love playing football here. We don't want it to end."

  
     
 

INSIDE THE CHSFL: Only 'AAA' teams remain in 'AA' playoffs

By MARC RAIMONDI and JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

The CHSFL Class AA playoffs are looking a little more like the ‘AAA’ consolation prize tournament this week.

All four teams who play their regular-season games in the ‘AAA’ defeated ‘AA-A’ teams and three of the games were lopsided. The most glaring? St. Joseph by the Sea’s 33-7 rout of Xavier. Sea didn’t win a game against a ‘AAA’ opponent this year and Xavier didn’t lost one to a ‘AA’ team.

“In the years past there have been a couple of upsets, but maybe this year there is just a definite gap in the two divisions,” Holy Trinity coach Tony Mascia said.

It certainly seems that way. His team blew out St. Peter’s, 50-6, and Fordham Prep blitzed St. John the Baptist, 21-0. The only ‘AA-A’ team to keep it respectable in the quarterfinals was Cardinal Hayes, which fell to Kellenberg, 41-34. Trinity meets Kellenberg and Fordham takes on Sea in this weekend’s semifinals.

“I think the biggest thing is a lot of those teams have personnel and depth,” Hayes coach C.J. O’Neil said. “That’s what we lack. That’s why I’m never really looking to go up there. I know we lose a couple key kids and we are going to have a rough, rough go about it.”

If anything, it says a lot about how well the coaches ranked the teams in the preseason. Archbishop Stepinac, which is in the ‘AAA’ semifinals this weekend, won the ‘AA’ title last year as a ‘AA-A’ team. The Crusaders’ absence this year created a ton of parity in the league and it also clearly made the space widen between the two divisions.

“I think it’s definitely the physicality,” Mascia said. “There are a lot of large schools up there. There are large rosters. It’s definitely a different situation. It’s like everything else. You compete at that level week in a week out.”

Or it could have just been a weird week, which there have been many of this year. Fordham Prep coach Pete Gorynski called 2011 a “very strange year” marked by inconsistency. Perhaps this was just another chapter into that. His team’s Turkey Bowl game with Xavier could serve to prove or disprove the apparent incongruity between the two divisions.

“I know Thanksgiving Day is going to be a very difficult game for me,” Gornyski said. “If [Xavier coach Chris Stevens] beats me on Thanksgiving Day then that blows out that whole theory. I’m the top seed and he got eliminated first round. … You can flip a coin 10 times and even though the probability is 50/50 you can end up with 10 heads in a row, it could be one of those things were you had 10 coin flips and they all came up heads.”
Or, in this case, all ‘AAA.’

 
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
   
     
 



CHSFL rankings, Post Week 9

By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

The opening week of the postseason brought few surprises and few changes.

The biggest happening was St. Joseph by the Sea knocking Xavier out of the CHSFL Class AA playoffs and these rankings.

Kellenberg debuts at No. 10 after beating Cardinal Hayes. Next week things could get interesting with each of our top four teams in action against each other for the right to play for the Class AAA title. Will it be St. Anthony’s again? Or will Iona, Stepinac or Xaverian be hosting the trophy and earning the top spot in these rankings?

1. St. Anthony’s (8-0) (Last week: 1)

There are not many more good things we can say about the Friars defense. They were hard hitting and bent but don’t break in a 21-0 shutout of Mount St. Michael in the CHSFL Class AAA quarterfinals Saturday. The group is one of the main reasons St. Anthony’s is unbeaten. New quarterback Greg Galligan appears to have settled in and the Friars will now face Iona Prep for the second time in three weeks.

Next: No. 3 Iona Prep, Class AAA semifinals (Nov. 12, 8 p.m.)

2. Xaverian (7-2) (2)

It took a half, but the Clippers offense found its groove thanks to a touchdown pass by do-it-all star Tushaun Plummer against Farrell in the quarterfinals. Xaverian's defense and quarterback Zach Kearney continue to be great. The players know they are a game away from their goal of playing for a Class AAA title and don’t want to let that chance slip.

Next: @ No. 4 Stepinac, Class AAA semifinals (Nov. 12, 1 p.m.)

3. Iona Prep (6-3) (3)

Justin Combs filled in quite nicely for the injured Mario Biaggi scoring three touchdowns in a quarterfinal win over Chaminade. All of that wouldn’t have been possible without a monster day from good friend Shaquille Townsend, who carried the ball 28 times for 243 yards despite flu-like symptoms. The Gaels will try to get pay back for a one-point loss in their regular season finale against St. Anthony's this weekend.

Next: @ No. 1 St. Anthony’s, Class AAA semifinals (Nov. 12, 8 p.m.)

4. Archbishop Stepinac (7-2) (4)

Austin Taps said he didn’t feel like the forgotten man on offense, but Stepinac coach Mike O’Donnell felt the senior tight end hasn't been used enough. Taps responded with two touchdown grabs in a victory over Holy Cross. The Crusaders know they need to clean up the second-half mistakes with Xaverian coming to visit this week.

Next: No. 2 Xaverian, Class AAA semifinals (Nov. 12, 1 p.m.)

5. Chaminade (5-4) (5)

One of the CHSFL’s most storied programs was back among the league’s elite after a few down years. That’s something every player on the Flyers roster and every coach should be proud of. Chaminade narrowly beat Iona during the regular season, but fell a few points short of repeating the feat in a 24-20 loss in the quarterfinals.

Next: Season complete

6. Mount St. Michael (4-4) (6)

A quarterfinal loss to St. Anthony’s wasn’t exactly the way many pictured the Mount season ending just a few week ago. Bruce Parker Jr. filled in under center for the injured Najae Brown and Kenny Acquah was limited to playing defense because of a bad ankle. Now they can all heal up for an annual Turkey Bowl game with Hayes.

Next: Cardinal Hayes, Turkey Bowl (Nov. 24, 10:30 a.m.)

7. Farrell (4-5) (7)

The Lions were upset-minded for a half, tied 6-6 with Xaverian at the break. But it was not to be. The season was still a successful one as Farrell returned to the Class AAA playoffs under first-year head coach Jim Bradley. Doing so was a major goal for the team’s fine senior group.

Next: Season complete

8. Fordham Prep (4-5) (10)

The injury bug hit the Rams hard this season, but they are finally getting healthy as the playoffs have begun. Quarterback James McHale and John Trimble each threw touchdown passes in a win over St. John the Baptist in the Class AA quarterfinals. James Drago is rounding into a very capable running back.

Next: St. Joseph by the Sea, Class AA semifinals (Nov. 15, 12 p.m.)

9. Holy Cross (4-5) (9)

A season that started with so much promise ended abruptly for the Knights. Stepinac scored 28 points in the second quarter Sunday. Despite a fine second half from the Cross defense it was all the White Plains school needed for a Class AAA quarterfinal win. With plenty of sophomores on the roster the future for the Knights is bright

Next: Season complete

10. Kellenberg (3-6) (NR)

The Firebirds are making their first appearance in these rankings in 2011 and what better time than the postseason? A huge game from tough as nails quarterback Matt McDaniels earned them a back-and-forth win over Cardinal Hayes in the Class AA quarterfinals. A date with Long Island rival Holy Trinity awaits.

Next: @ Holy Trinity, Class AA semifinals (Nov. 14, 1 p.m.)

New: Kellenberg (3-6)

Dropped out: Xavier (7-2)

On the bubble: Holy Trinity (3-6), St. Joseph by the Sea (2-7), Xavier (7-2), St. Francis Prep (5-4) and Bishop Ford (5-4)