On Friday October 18th the St. Anthony’s Friars took on the Monsignor Farrell Lions for it’s 2019 Homecoming. Cy Donnelly field was at capacity with the Black and Gold FriarNation. The Friars were coming into the game in last place with a 1-5 record looking to turn around their season. The Lions have also struggled this season coming into play with a 2-4 record. Monsignor Farrell had one goal in mind which was to spoil the festive night.
This game was highlighted by a much anticipated matchup between Lion receiver Christian Tait and Friar cornerback Sr. Nick Alvarado. Tait stands at 6’3” and regarded as one of the league’s top receivers with great speed. Alvarado, just 5’8” has all the tools of a top cornerback with great speed and ability to make big plays on the ball.
The Friars entered the week dealing with the loss of quarterback Sr. Greg Randall who suffered a shoulder injury in the loss to Iona Prep. Coach Minucci called up JV quarterback So. Nick Honerkamp, who competed during the week with Jr. Connor McCreery to see who would get the starting nod. Running back Sr. Mario Escobar Jr. said, “Both players took a bunch of reps and they both looked really good so we were comfortable with whomever Coach Minucci would start.” Coach Minucci ultimately gave the start to McCreery a decision that would pay off big.
The Friars won the opening coin toss and elected to defer sending the defense onto the field. The defense wanted to continue its recent strong play and pressure the Lions to make mistakes. Farrell took the opening drive and marched downfield looking to grab the early lead when Friar safety Sr. Chris Bardak intercepted Lion QB Michael Marten’s pass in the endzone and returned it to the 40 yard line.
On the second Lion drive, the black and gold defense stood firm and forced a field goal attempt. Friar special teams came up big as Jr. Dante Antoine blocked the attempt, Alvarado scooped up the ball and raced down field to the 16 yard line. The offense failed to capitalize as Farrell came up with a big stop on a 3rd and 1 from the 9 yard line. SA missed the field goal attempt to keep the game scoreless.
The Lions took over trying to capitalize and gain momentum when Marten threw his second interception as Alvarado read the play and came up with the pick. The Friars offense was back in business and cashed in as Escobar Jr. would find the end zone giving the Friars a 7-0 lead. St. Anthony’s defense forced a turnover on downs giving the offense the ball near midfield. McCreery completed a 40 yard pass to receiver Sr. Jaden Jernigan. A few plays later, McCreery found the end zone on a quarterback run extending the Friar lead to 14-0. The Friar defense forced a punt and now the ball is back in McCreery’s hand. McCreery dropped back and fired a 40 yard touchdown pass to receiver Sr. Aidan Danenza who reached over the smaller cornerback to make an amazing catch putting SA up 21-0.
Monsignor Farrell made adjustments at halftime as their defense dominated the Friars and shut them down offensively. Farrell changed quarterbacks and their offense came alive. They finally broke through with two minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter scoring on a 4 yard touchdown run slicing the Friar lead to 21-7.
The Black and Gold were determined not to let this game slip away. On a 3rd and 10 at their own 39 yard line, McCreery found Escobar Jr. wide open down the sideline for a 61 yard touchdown pass putting the Friars up 28-7.
Farrell quarterback Chris Anarumo dropped back looking for his favorite target Christian Tait however the pass was intercepted by Alvarado. Alvarado would return this one to house giving the Friars a 35-7 lead. Alvarado stated “When I got the ball I knew I was not getting stopped and I was getting that touchdown. We had a great game as a team and I am very proud of my teammates for putting on a show in front of all these fans.” Monsignor Farrell would tack on a late touchdown making the final score 35-14.
Coach Minucci said, “This was a great team win. It came at the perfect time, coming off several losses so to get this win was huge.” Coach also praised the starting quarterback saying “McCreery was excellent tonight, in his first varsity start he looked like a seasoned veteran. We look forward to seeing him play the way he did tonight for the rest of the season.”
The Friars improve to 2-5 with one game remaining in the regular season. The final game will take place on Saturday October 26th at home against St. Francis Prep. Come out to support the Friars as they look to continue their strong play and gear up for the playoffs.
Alex Rocco is a senior at St. Anthony’s High School, writing for his fourth year with the Friar Scoreboard. He plans to study Sports Communications in college and pursue a career in Sports Media. He is also a member of NHS, SALT, Friar Faithful, Special Needs Ministry and Franciscan Youth Ministry.
