PRZNY Team Previews: Monsignor Farrell Lions

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Last Season (8-3)</h2>   <p>Last season Monsignor Farrell had a major bounce-back season and was in serious contention for a catholic league championship. They had impressive victories over St Anthony's, St John The Baptist, and Moore Catholic. </p>   <p>Monsignor Farrell's run ended after falling to Iona Prep 35-13 in the AAA semi-finals. But this was a big leap compared to 2022 when they finished 3-7 on the season. The Lions' offense featured an excellent ground attack, junior [player_tooltip player_id='805689' first='Nafis' last='Muhammad'] finished with over 1,000 yards on the ground in his first season after transferring from Tottenville. </p>   <p>The Lions were considered one of the city's top teams last year and they had one of the best defenses in New York. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Prospect </h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">The state's top tight end had a breakout offseason. He garnered the attention of double-digit division one programs. He ended up committing to Fordham and the Rams got a good one. At 6'6 and 240 pounds, he will be a big-time threat. He's shown this summer how dangerous he could be in jump ball scenarios. Pedereros is a matchup nightmare as a receiver, but he will also be a key blocker. He will help pave the way for a Farrell ground game with high expectations. Pedreros will also see time defensively this season. With his athleticism, Farrell will have him rushing the passer this year as well.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">X Factors </h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">After transferring in from Tottenville, Muhammad had a breakout season a year ago. He ran for 1,020 yards and 7 touchdowns including running for 276 against St Anthony's. He will be the workhorse in the Farrell backfield this upcoming season. He's undersized, but he has tremendous lower-body strength. He is pound for pound one of the strongest players on the team. Muhammad is so difficult to bring down and he is lined up to have an excellent senior campaign. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Andrade did a little bit of everything last season, and he was just a sophomore. He registered a rushing touchdown, kick return touchdown, and a pick-six last season. He impacts the game in all three phases which you don't always see in the AAA. Farrell will look to get him the ball in space this season, expect him to be a big threat in the return game as well. On defense, he brings a ton of energy. Andrade laid some hard hits last season and he'll be all over the field making tackles this fall. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Last season Gumb was the JV captain and he dominated during his sophomore year. The AAA at the JV level is never an easy division and Gumb was impeccable when carrying the ball. He displayed breakaway speed and pulled off a ton of big runs last season for Farrell. Last season, senior quarterback Christian Pinto ran the ball double-digit times per game, Gumb will look to get some of those touches. Gumb has the athleticism to be utilized on both sides o the ball this upcoming year </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">An electric wide receiver that could be in for a big senior year. With Christian Souffrin graduating, Rivera will be one of the most targeted players on this Farrell team. Rivera has incredible speed and he showed flashes as a junior. He collected a couple of long receptions and this year he will be a player that could be a true big play threat. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Breakout Player</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">One of the top 2027 prospects in New York City. As just a freshman, Ba put himself on the map by competing against some excellent older linemen in the AAA division and he did very well. He started playing defensive line midway through last season and he thrived. Ba is expected to be a crucial part of this Farrell defense when it comes to owning the middle. Ba has gotten stronger and more explosive this offseason, look for him to make a splash during his sophomore campaign with the Lions. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Names to know</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Name</td><td>Year</td><td>Position</td><td>Notes</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='805692' first='Gerard' last='Sheehan']</td><td>2025</td><td>LB</td><td>Starter last year, high energy, great tackler</td></tr><tr><td>Rocco Delgiorno</td><td>2025</td><td>DB</td><td>Hard-hitting safety, strong coverage skills</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='805695' first='Ryan' last='Walsh']</td><td>2025</td><td>QB</td><td>Great leader, good decision maker, high IQ</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1237200' first='Joseph' last='Giovanelli']</td><td>2025</td><td>LB</td><td>Inside linebacker, good tackler</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='805691' first='DJ' last='Morrissey']</td><td>2025</td><td>OLB</td><td>good contributor last year, potential breakout candidate </td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='738678' first='Brendan' last='Mullen']</td><td>2025</td><td>DB</td><td>returning contributor at DB, key INT vs St Anthony's, high IQ</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='805697' first='Nick' last='Pica']</td><td>2025</td><td>OL</td><td>Returning starter at OL, will play center, very athletic </td></tr><tr><td>William Aguirre</td><td>2025</td><td>OL</td><td>Will be a 3 year starter. Leader for the OL</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='277164' first='Gianni' last='Pasqualone']</td><td>2026</td><td>WR</td><td>Transfer from Tottenville, will be a deep threat at WR, </td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='805718' first='CJ' last='Palazzola'] </td><td>2026</td><td>DL</td><td>Played the majority of defensive snaps as a sophomore on Varsity, </td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1506670' first='Alex' last='Ustun']</td><td>2026</td><td>DB/WR</td><td>started at corner last year, will also provide depth at WR</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1278754' first='Braxton' last='Moye']</td><td>2028</td><td>WR</td><td>Excellent hands, explosive, high ceiling </td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1283757' first='Bryce' last='Moye']</td><td>2028</td><td>QB</td><td>Strong Arm, a ton of potential, dual threat</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Key losses/commitments </h2>   <p>DL Yasire Dejesus- Pace</p>   <p>DL- Louis Martinez- Lock Haven</p>   <p>QB- Christian Pinto- Wagner</p>   <p>DE- Seth Clarke- Transferred to the Hun School</p>   <p>WR- Nick Souffrin- New Haven </p>   <p>LB- Mikai Gamble- AIC</p>   <p></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2024 Schedule</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/MsgrFarrellFB/status/1750928326699405509 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2024 Outlook</h2>   <p>Head Coach: Rocco Del Priore</p>   <p>After being in the title hunt last year, Monsignor Farrell will look to contend once again for a AAA Championship. They have put together one of the hardest schedules in New York State this season. They have 3 tough non-conference games to open up the year. Rhode Island powerhouse Bishop Hendricken, on the road at Rye, and then one of Jersey's top teams Delbarton. It's all followed by the AAA schedule they play. Farrell returns talent on both sides of the ball and they are looking to get back to the AAA title game they reached in 2021. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3 Things going for the Lions</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='805689' first='Nafis' last='Muhammad'] returns after rushing for over 1,000 yards last season and has an experienced offensive line in front of him </p>   <p>Battle-tested: After September ends, they'll have 5 games under their belt against elite programs, this will help once November comes around.</p>   <p>A few freshmen and sophomores will have the opportunity to play varsity minutes alongside a large and talented senior class featuring 35 experienced players. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">1 Area of Concern</h2>   <p>Monsignor Farrell returns talent on defense but they lost four special players from the front seven. Those guys who were mentioned above made some game-changing plays and it will be a challenge to replace their production. </p>   <p></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Last Word</h2>   <p>The bottom line is that this Monsignor Farrell team has the tools to make a deep run in November. They have a tough and experienced group up front that can go toe to toe with teams in the trenches. [player_tooltip player_id='805689' first='Nafis' last='Muhammad'], one of the city's top running backs will be a force once again. This offense will feature more of a passing attack as well, speedster [player_tooltip player_id='805693' first='Tyler' last='Rivera'] and the state's top tight end [player_tooltip player_id='805688' first='Aiden' last='Pedreros'] form a terrific duo and are also accompanied by other weapons with multiple quarterbacks on the roster who can sling it. Farrell has depth on both sides of the field and they will be a tough out for any AAA team they face this year.</p>