On Friday, November 10th, St Anthony’s varsity football took on Iona Prep in the semi-finals at CY Donnelly Field. The Friars looked to advance to their first Championship game since 2013.
The Friars dominated Iona Prep, the reported “hottest team in the league,” 35-7.
The offense monopolized the game with a powerful rushing attack. The Friars combined for 235 yards on the ground. QB Greg Campisi had 18 carries for 101 yards and a TD. Junior Kyle Angus added 66 yards on 12 carries and senior RB Sean Bryan had an outstanding performance with 18 carries for 77 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Campisi clearly relies on his fellow players to open up passing lanes and set up what have been called his “miraculous scrambles” by Dylan Butler of News 12 Varsity. As Campisi explained, “Whenever I put the ball down, the entire defense sucks in, and it opens up holes in the defense that I can either throw to or run to.”
Two of Bryan’s TDs were tough goal line runs, but he was unwilling to take no for an answer. “It was just the goal line mentality. Not taking no for an answer. Going to go right through. It’s like someone trying to take your wallet. Not going to happen. That was my mentality going in,” said Bryan.
The Friars’ defense was great as well, holding Iona to only 7 points. When Iona did get a chance to touch the ball, they were smothered by the Friar defense; Forced fumbles and interceptions were a regular part of the semifinal matchup. The d-line forced a fumble on first down during an abysmal Iona second quarter, and this was one of Iona’s only opportunities to generate some offense for nearly fifteen minutes. Iona mishandled three onside kicks in a row, and never had a chance to get into the game.
St. Anthony’s defense has a lot of confidence going into the Championship game, and the last few games have a lot to do with it. Senior DL Grayson Cherubino said, “Our defense hasn’t given up more than 20 points since week two, the first time we played Stepinac. Our defense has developed great chemistry since our first game playing Stepinac and we are confident that we are going to get the job done this week.”
After losing to Stepinac early in the season, the Friars are ready for their revenge. QB Greg Campisi said that cleaning up some mistakes and playing their own game will put the Friars in good position Saturday night. “We need to tweak some of our game plan to adjust to our mistakes, but we’re a different, and better, team than we were in week one. As long as we play our game, we’ll be in a very good spot,” said Campisi. DL Cherubino explained the the Friars “need to limit big plays and keep their explosive offense in check. Our defensive line needs to put a lot of pressure on their quarterback and the secondary needs to make sure that Stepinac’s receivers don’t make too many big plays.”
St Anthony’s will take on Archbishop Stepinac in the finals on Saturday, November 18th at 6 p.m. at Mitchel Field in Uniondale. Be sure to come out and support your Friar Football team!
About The Author:
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Gabe Angieri Gabe is a junior at St. Anthony’s high school, writing for his second year with Friar Scoreboard. He is also a member of Friar Faithful, SALT, and NHS. |
