NYCHSFL Playoff Storylines + Standout Prospects

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you are unfamiliar with the seeding/matchups, all the brackets for the NYCHSFL playoffs are attached by image at the bottom of the article. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a quick overview of Catholic League playoffs that start this week - lots of intriguing storylines here with tons of upperclassmen bound to have a big impact in their last playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Chaminade v Farrell - who will prove to be the true Contender?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you said before the season this would be one of the most exciting matchups come playoff time, many people wouldn't take it seriously - here we are late in the season, and of all the first-round matchups. Although it was Farrell Week 1, and Midseason Chaminade I saw both teams play and I have some thoughts below.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Chaminade</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chaminade's offense will do what they have done all year: rely on impressive OL play and run the ball effectively with University of Rochester Commit [player_tooltip player_id='1105267' first='Tim' last='Murphy'] and Lehigh Lacrosse Commit [player_tooltip player_id='1236578' first='Peter' last='Gerbasi'] at RB. They have really solid talent at WR when they need to throw, and I am interested in seeing how they attack the Farrell Secondary to get away from their Front 7 and the strength of their defense. The offense has been solid, but it is the defense that has been exceptional through the season. SAF/LB William Handley may be one of the best Rover-type players in the league, and Syracuse Lacrosse Commit Louis D'Agostino is an undersized DE at 5'10. Still, he is a freak athlete and one of the best HS pass rushers I have ever seen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Monsignor Farrell</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Farrell has a wealth of offensive weapons - [player_tooltip player_id='805689' first='Nafis' last='Muhammad'], [player_tooltip player_id='805722' first='Kevin' last='Gumb'], and [player_tooltip player_id='402247' first='Will' last='Andrade'] make a talented, athletic trio in the backfield. At the WR position, [player_tooltip player_id='1278754' first='Braxton' last='Moye'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1506670' first='Alex' last='Ustun'] have been standouts + the midseason return of [player_tooltip player_id='277164' first='Gianni' last='Pasqualone'] gives them a really good group at wide receiver. If Farrell can keep [player_tooltip player_id='805695' first='Ryan' last='Walsh'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1283757' first='Bryce' last='Moye'] upright against one of the most dangerous front 7s in New York and get those guys the ball, they have a clear path to victory as those guys make up a the better group of athletes in this game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Key Matchup</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They won't actually see each other on the field much but give me LB [player_tooltip player_id='1068356' first='Dean' last='Schmitt'] vs LB [player_tooltip player_id='805692' first='Gerard' last='Sheehan'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These two LBs are two of the best LBs in the NYCHSFL—there is no doubt they can both play at the next level. On multiple occasions this season, they are high-level producers who have made game-changing plays for their teams. They play a similar game that shows a lot of toughness and physical, violent tackling in space.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Prediction</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I am not in the business of picking teams, but I will say that whichever team wins the time of possession will probably take the game and be gifted with a tough matchup against Iona Prep off a bye week. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What is the Gap Between Iona &amp; the Field?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The only unbeaten team in the AAA league plays while the next best teams both suffered multiple league losses. Iona is not just the #1 seed but the clear favorite to take it all due to their regular season performance. If Iona was fully healthy, I think they would be even bigger favorites - I am unaware of what guys will be available coming back. Still, when I saw them play Hayes, they were out, I believe, more than four significant starts to fairly notable injuries. To answer the question - I think the gap is bigger than people think; Iona's ability to win in the trenches is what has set them apart; their playmakers are a very consistent - [player_tooltip player_id='1624499' first='Joe' last='Wolf'], Eric Pirello, AJ Zimmerman, and [player_tooltip player_id='1333952' first='Kadin' last='Huling'] can all make plays and they feature a couple of high-upside playmakers in [player_tooltip player_id='1001144' first='Crew' last='Davis'] &amp; [player_tooltip player_id='735876' first='Julian' last='Guzman'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Guzman is the X-Factor, Davis has taken the Catholic League by storm a little bit after a strong sophomore season, but Iona proved it can win behind Davis carrying the load or being used heavily as a decoy and way to create for other guys - but the performance of the Maryland Baseball commit will be very key late in the season. Their offensive line could be one of the best and most experienced in the catholic league this year. They do many changing positions left and right, but combinations of [player_tooltip player_id='286675' first='Rowan' last='Byrne'], [player_tooltip player_id='505382' first='Jayden' last='Nicolau'], [player_tooltip player_id='402255' first='Carlos' last='Malespin'], [player_tooltip player_id='1235804' first='Anthony' last='D'Abbraccio'], and [player_tooltip player_id='735875' first='Anthony' last='Dinapoli'] have gotten them far. When I saw them play Hayes, there was an injury with one of those guys, but I don't recall who it was - regardless, even any grouping of 4 from that group is impressive. Defensively, Mamadee Sangary may be the best defender in the 2027 class in New York, and [player_tooltip player_id='600090' first='Dalton' last='Lozin'] is a strong interior defensive lineman who really contributes to stopping the run. [player_tooltip player_id='452167' first='Matt' last='Davitt'] and [player_tooltip player_id='243060' first='Geoffrey' last='Galloway'] round out a secondary led by [player_tooltip player_id='505380' first='Terron' last='Johnson']. And at LB, Matthew Plunkett was a really good-looking player vs Hayes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Bottom 1/2 of the AAA Bracket </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">#3 Hayes vs. #6 Kellenberg</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last years Champions Cardinal Hayes had an up-and-down regular season. Still, they have arguably the highest upside of any team in the bracket - [player_tooltip player_id='606298' first='Rich' last='Belin'] can make something out of nothing on any play and although the run game has not been as effective this year Hayes could easily ride their defense far in this bracket. Household catholic league names at this point in the 2025 group - [player_tooltip player_id='434415' first='Blake' last='Belin'], [player_tooltip player_id='434414' first='Kahmari' last='Valentine'], [player_tooltip player_id='648866' first='Ayden' last='Smartt'], [player_tooltip player_id='1235840' first='Tyrone' last='Smith'], and [player_tooltip player_id='820094' first='Souley' last='Diallo'] are all amongst the top of their positions in the league. Offensively the playmakers around Belin will need to continue to step up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kellenberg has some talent - and their return game is impressive. They have talent at skill positions with [player_tooltip player_id='806593' first='Christian' last='DaCosta'], [player_tooltip player_id='735857' first='Brendan' last='Galla'], and [player_tooltip player_id='735858' first='Jack' last='Geoghan'] - if one of their QBs can get hot I wouldn't count them out. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">#2 St. Anthony's vs. #7 Archbishop Stepinac</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Momentum is real, and Stepinac is coming off its first win of the season. If they can run the ball like last week, they could absolutely stay in the game. They have the skill and talent, so a good day in the return game could really make a difference. A difference maker for them will be Ka'Mauri Guinyard who has been playing really well recently at the OLB position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Anthony's is a very intriguing team this year - with [player_tooltip player_id='1205418' first='Gary' last='Merrill'] and [player_tooltip player_id='425629' first='Xavier' last='Bala'] in the backfield you have to sell out to stop the run against them - but [player_tooltip player_id='612739' first='Will' last='Hart'], James Taylor Jr, and [player_tooltip player_id='1223002' first='Johnny' last='Russo'] are a very athletic trio of WRs that can hurt you - it is the St. Anthony's defense that has been very up and down this year and struggled to stop the run against their most recent AAA opponents - [player_tooltip player_id='1208765' first='Kevin' last='Moore'] is probably the best defensive player in this game and can make some game-changing plays if targeted. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">AA1 Bracket looks like a LOT of Fun</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No Bye weeks in AA1, so we go rapid fire here</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">#8 Holy Trinity vs. #1 St. Joseph-by-the-Sea</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Holy Trinity may only have one win on the season. Still, they almost just beat St. Joseph-by-the-Sea and St. Peter's (the top 2 seeds) and have an offense featuring [player_tooltip player_id='806359' first='Josiah' last='Patrick'], [player_tooltip player_id='505537' first='Chase' last='Cruz'], [player_tooltip player_id='505384' first='Jayden' last='Simpson'], and Enoch Thomas that can score with anyone in this division. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Impressive Sophomore QB [player_tooltip player_id='909959' first='Christian' last='Carter'] has helped the offense be a little more balanced but the story is the St. Joseph-by-the-Sea which has only allowed 106 points this year, although 31 of those came last week against Holy Trinity - John Munson, Hunter Racioppo, Joseph Moran, Marco Domante all have 3+ Sacks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">#4 Fordham Prep vs. #5 St Francis Prep</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fun QB matchup with [player_tooltip player_id='820134' first='Jonathan' last='Bailey'] (FP) taking on [player_tooltip player_id='1624593' first='Jack' last='Leary'] (SFP) - [player_tooltip player_id='1506358' first='Rocco' last='Petronella'] (SFP) has been a big-time standout at WR as has Matt Herlick for Fordham Prep.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Josiah Kueviakoe has 7 sacks and 14 TFLs and is the leading tackler in the NYCSHFL and NY according to MaxPreps - and Fordham Prep has a very intriguing DL prospect, [player_tooltip player_id='820101' first='Patrick' last='Keeley'], at 6'4 235, who has a few sacks and some good Sr Tape. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">#3 Moore Catholic vs. #6 Xavier</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Can't argue that Moore Catholic has the most individual talent of any team in the AA and they played a lot of AAA teams during the regular season- depth is the concern but players like Gerald Green, Yandel Pelaez, and Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1354559' first='Josiah' last='Jones'] can be game changers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These teams met in the regular season, and Moore Catholic won by a good margin - Xavier does have a talented RB group led by [player_tooltip player_id='1406258' first='Jerry' last='Kuharski'] that can make some things happen and [player_tooltip player_id='1283608' first='Jackson' last='Lent'] is one of the top TE prospects in the state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">#2 St. Peter's vs. #7 St. John the Baptist</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year's AA champs, St. John the Baptist, beat St. Peter's to make the final, but this year, they had a disappointing season, finishing the regular season with a loss to St. Peter's. I wouldn't sleep on them, though; they have some quality talent defensively with [player_tooltip player_id='451507' first='Luka' last='Skoda'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1206379' first='Jovan' last='Bonilla'] at LB - and the offense showed some life with [player_tooltip player_id='1333888' first='Maurice' last='Scott'] at QB last week against St. Peter's and their offensive line is filled with good size and fundamentals on tape - most of their OL are ranked guys on PRZ so they have the talent to make a run. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Peter's running game is exceptional - [player_tooltip player_id='1213000' first='Jeremiah' last='Williams'] has been super productive again this season and although I am not sure the status of [player_tooltip player_id='1205421' first='Marco' last='Aruta'] who has played every week but very sparingly last week Ryan Vallely was very good last week at QB and has had some solid games throughout this year. Gregory Ajose-Martinez, Cosmo D'amelio, and [player_tooltip player_id='820159' first='Brody' last='Turnbull'] have turned in some big time performances this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">AA2 Quick Hits</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Holy Cross looks like the team to beat here - a lot of these teams lack stat information or completed HUDL pages so limited analysis here. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I like some of the Mt. St. Michael Academy prospects [player_tooltip player_id='806591' first='Amar' last='Pirovic'], [player_tooltip player_id='820145' first='Kadane' last='Joseph'], [player_tooltip player_id='1506349' first='Jace' last='Stephenson'], and [player_tooltip player_id='505864' first='Jaire' last='Edwards']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Xaverian's [player_tooltip player_id='1283566' first='Jaiden' last='Cadotte'] is a really good-looking prospect</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">NYCHSFL AAA Bracket</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1552193,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Screenshot-2024-11-07-at-7.40.44 PM.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1552193" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">NYCHSFL AA1 Bracket</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1552195,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Screenshot-2024-11-07-at-7.41.13 PM.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1552195" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">NYCHSFL AA2 Bracket</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1552196,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Screenshot-2024-11-07-at-7.41.31 PM.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1552196" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->