On the cold Saturday night of November 19th, the breath of those in attendance at Mitchell Field wasn’t all that showed. It’s hard to ignore the fact that the nerves of every coach, trainer, and player stood out like a sore thumb in the buildup to the AAA league championship game between St. Anthony’s and the Gaels of Iona Prep.
Over the last two matchups between these teams, both sides had a win to their name. In last year’s playoff semifinal, Iona Prep pulled off an elite showcase of discipline on both sides of the ball to eliminate the Friars. The ranking that this win among others got them was soon challenged by a 48-42 loss to the Friars early this October. These two, one-score games, developed a narrative rivalry between the two sides, all to be settled with so much more at stake than ever before.
The stage: Mitchell Field; with wind chill temperatures as low as 29 degrees, it was obvious that mother nature was not looking to help either team on their journey to lifting silverware.
St. Anthonys’ received the ball from kickoff, but after a handful of flags, mishaps of runs and screens from both sides, three total drives saw neither scratch the red zone. Following a Jaeden Jenkins interception on a deep shot by Iona QB Ajani Sheppard, the Friars finally blew the game open. From his own 13 yard line, QB Dante Torres looked deep for KJ Duff, who reached right over an Iona DB and took it the rest of the 87 yards to the house.
On the next drive, the Gaels would answer with more sloppy play from both teams leading to a fumble recovery in the end zone for Iona. A blocked extra point would see the score reach 7-6 in favor of the Friars going into the second quarter.
Backed up into his own half on a 3rd and 15, Torres once again found just the right opening in the opposing defense, getting the ball right down to the 20 in the hands of Ian Strong. That drive would end with a short-yardage scramble into the end zone by Torres, followed by a successful two point conversion for KJ Duff, making it a two-score game.
From that point on, the Friars didn’t look back. The Gaels got another solid drive in, but pressure from the Friar defensive line forced a bad throw out of Sheppard right into the hands of Kenyon Miles for an interception. Three plays later, Dante Torres raced through every level of the Iona defense, and took it 76 yards to the house for one of the best plays by a Friar all year. Torres recalls, “I saw a bunch of open grass and I took off. I kept running and running and I thought the defense would collapse but I just kept going faster and faster and before I knew it I was in the end zone untouched.”
Following that play…
IP: Interception, Vinnie Spina (Sr., DB, #9)
SA: KJ Duff 30 Yard Touchdown (29-6)
IP: 7 Yard Touchdown (29-12), Blocked Extra Point
All the warmth that the night had to spare was going the Friar’s way, and it certainly helped in the second half. With a 17 point lead to hold onto, having blown such a lead to the Gaels in the regular season last year, Coach Minucci’s team just had to keep their heads down and keep on pounding.
The Friars would go on to do just that, as on the opening drive of the quarter, the Gaels just started to get their legs moving when they were halted by yet another Jaeden Jenkins interception. On the very first offensive play of the half, Torres found Strong on a 40-yard reception, putting the team in prime position for what would turn into a Frank Ruta touchdown, making it a 24 point lead.
This explosiveness did not cease for the Friars as over the next handful of drives, they managed….
IP: Turnover on Downs
SA: KJ Duff 30 Yard Touchdown
IP: PuntSA:
KJ Duff 10 Yard Touchdown
As the clock hit double zeros, the St. Anthony’s Friars were NYCHSFL Champions, haviAfterng routed the Gaels 50-18. Over a full year following that last harrowing defeat to Iona Prep, the boys finally followed through on what they promised to themselves. In all the years that both Joe Minucci and the St. Anthony’s seniors had been at the school, they never had a moment like this, and celebrated as such. After running to the coach who had been with them the whole way, Dante Torres recounts saying, “Congratulations Coach.”. He says, “That’s all I needed to say. The countless hours he has spent for this team is not only impressive but we feel honored to have such a great coach. A lot of people talk about the players, but we would be nowhere without the best head coach out there.”
In one of the most explosive offensive performances any Long Island sports fan might ever see, the league’s most dynamic players left spectators rubbing their eyes drive-after-drive all season, right up until the end.
Eamon Bevan is a Junior writer in his third year working for Scoreboard at St. Anthony’s High School. He is a member of the Varsity Soccer team and is involved in several clubs and ministries.
