The Friars took their talent to an all too familiar field at Iona Prep on October 1st, where they sought to redeem their elimination from last year’s playoffs on the very same turf.
Following last week’s 35-23 away win over Monsignor Farrell, St. Anthony’s was shaping up into the force to be reckoned with that many pundits around Long Island claimed they would be well before the season started. Going into this weekend, they were 2-1, pumped up after their stumble against St. Joe’s, and itching for another challenge just like it.
Enter Iona Prep; led by their nationally acclaimed defense, they took down St. Anthony’s last November as the final team standing from Long Island in the AAA Playoffs. The Friars boasted the best passing offense in the division last season, but the Gaels secondary, led by a generational high school prospect in the 4-star, #2 defensive back in the nation Ellis Robinson lV had other things to say about that.
With that game well in the past and Robinson gone to IMG Academy in Florida, a rematch was set for the stormy evening of October 1st as the Friars continued to boast the best pass offense on Long Island, with their eyes locked on the rainy New Rochelle turf of Iona Prep.
It was set to be a matchup for the ages and a statement for either team no matter the cost, but one aspect of the day definitely loomed large over the course of the game, weather. As St. Anthony’s opened play with their kickoff, it was a steady 54 degrees with winds around 15 mph. Both teams were anything but nervous going into the game, but it was either adjust or bust for both sides.
St. Anthony’s opened the game on the back foot and came to terms with that in the worst possible way, as it only took three plays and two minutes for the Gaels to March down the field and open the scoring with a 2 yard rushing touchdown.
QB Dante Torres continued this shaky trend with a 3-and-out, but after a stand in the short game by the Friars, they quickly got the ball back, ready to correct mistakes.
Almost in an instant, a sensational drive on the ground opened the friars’ scoring, with feature-back Darius Morant getting eight carries and marching downfield to the goal line to be capped off by a Torres sneak for 6. However, after letting up a couple more big plays through the air, the Friars saw themselves down 14-7 at the end of the first.
With a sense of foreboding and three minutes into the next quarter, Torres found Ian Strong in the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown to respond, tying the game. In less than a minute, Iona quarterback Ajani Sheppard threw a 40 yard dot into the end zone to take back a 7-point cushion, again poking that ever-growing wound showing in the Friars’ secondary.
After another great drive on the ground from Morant and Torres as a dual threat, the Friars kept going back to what’s been working, as Rutgers commit, Ian Strong, picked up his second touchdown of the second quarter. Not long after an Iona punt, Torres threaded a pass for a 60 yard gain from his own 28 to Strong downfield, cementing that as a potent combination that would not get old for the Gaels passing defense.
On the same drive, Torres continued to terrorize the Iona secondary, darting one over the middle to star receiver KJ Duff for his third passing touchdown on the night. Unfortunately for the Friars, Iona’s own #1 had something to add, with Ethan Acevedo turning a 17 yard catch into a 72 yard touchdown to spoil any chance of a St. Anthony’s lead going into the half.
Apart from an Iona interception in their own end zone to end the half, the fact that neither team could consistently make big defensive plays through the first half contributed to an offensive shootout with the teams tied at 28 coming back from half.
In possession of the ball to open the second half, a third sensational drive on the ground eventually got the Friars into position for Dante Torres to sneak in for his second rushing touchdown of the night. After a solid stand from the Friars to force a punt, they fumbled it over to DB/RB Zion Goddert of Iona, keeping the home team’s momentum exactly where it needed to be. Once more, the Friars secondary could not hold a big play for long; with a 4th down on the Friars’ 40 yard line, Iona decided to go for it on a 4th down, with Ajani Sheppard launching for a 51 yard touchdown for Ethan Acevedo’s third TD reception of the night.
Following an emotional rollercoaster of a 3rd quarter for Iona, they managed to claw the score back into a tie at 35 as the fourth quarter got underway. Not even 30 seconds in though, Dante Torres threw for 30 yards into the end zone for another connection with Ian Strong, getting the Friars back up seven, up 42-35.
With 6 minutes left in the quarter, Iona Prep running back Colin O’Garrow took the rock 38 yards to the goal line. After a high snap sent them back 15 yards and a block in the back, even more, Ajani Sheppard was unfazed by the mounting St. Anthony’s pressure, cutting out a 25 yard TD pass to level the scoring with 4:23 to go.
However, in what could potentially be a statement win for the Friars, Dante Torres connected with Timmy Longo to cement that possibility. A 12 yard dish turned into a 74-yard gain as Longo set up his QB to get his third sneak and 7th total touchdown of the night.
The Gaels were only down 6 on the final drive of the game with 3:31 left to go as they received the kick, and an opportunity to seal this game up with a score-and-extra point. After a plethora of scrambles from Sheppard and flags from both sides, the Gaels found themselves on the ten with 4 seconds left. Friars such as Joseph DeChiaro, Vincent Spina, and Preston Carey had made several big plays to prevent Iona from moving any further, and they’d need everything similar and more from their teammates if they hoped to stop the Gaels here. As the clock expired, the pocket collapsed and a scrambling Sheppard took off to his left before being swallowed up by a sea of white uniforms.
The game would end there, Friars 48, Gaels 42. Every person on the near sideline rushed the field to embrace their teammates for their pure and rugged resilience.
With the visiting Friars victorious in New Rochelle, they had snapped both Iona’s ten game home winning streak, last touched in 2019, and their 17-game win streak against any team from New York. St. Anthony’s had taken down the #1 team in the state and the nation’s 49th ranked team in their own backyard; the season wasn’t over, but every Friar in attendance and keeping up live couldn’t help to be proud to be a Friar.
FOLLOW THE TEAM ON INSAT @safriarfootball
Twitter @StAnthonysFB
Black and Gold Stats: (per Newsday)
Dante Torres: 28/30, 530 PASS YDS, 4 TDS, 30 RUSH YDS, 3 TDS
Ian Strong: 13 Catches, 246 YDS, 3 TDS
_________
Also…
KJ Duff: 6 Catches, 77 YDS, 1 TD
Timmy Longo: 4 Catches, 94 YDS
Nick Matos: 2 Catches, 79 YDS
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.
