Stepinac Beaten by Iona Prep, 42-14, as a Difficult Season Continues
After sustaining a 9-3 record last season and competing in the Catholic High School Football League (CHSFL) AAA Championship game, Stepinac High School has a 2-5 overall record this year after losing to Iona Prep, 42-14 on Saturday, Oct. 20, in New Rochelle.
This football season has been the most difficult season that Stepinac has endured in many years. Two years ago, Stepinac was undefeated at 12-0, while winning the CHSFL AA Championship. The Crusaders remarkable 12-0 season in 2010 was the best record ever accomplished by Stepinac since the start of football at the school in 1951.
Presently, Stepinac (2-5, 2-4 CHSFL AAA) has an ultra important game against Monsignor Farrell High School (2-5, 2-4) next Saturday, at home. Stepinac, which maintained a number 2 seed last season in the playoffs, needs to beat Farrell to possibly gain a fifth or sixth seed this year.
“We could finish anywhere from fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth this season. We would like to stay away from playing St. Anthony’s, Chaminade or Iona (in the first round),” said Crusaders Head Coach Mike O’Donnell. “If we win next week and a couple of other things happen we could possibly get the fifth seed and play St. Joseph’s again,” explained O’Donnell.
The top four teams in the AAA this season are Chaminade, Iona Prep (6-1, 5-1 AAA), St. Anthony’s (5-2, 5-1) and St. Joseph’s by-the-sea, (6-1, 5-1). O’Donnell’s Crusaders beat an undefeated St. Joseph’s team, 17-14, on October 13, at St. Joe’s, to give the Vikings their only loss thus far this season.
However, after watching a superior Gaels team master Stepinac, 42-14, O’Donnell’s assessment is indisputable in so much as,” staying away” from playing the Gaels. “Iona is a very talented team. They are a better football team than we are (this year) and my hat is off to them, they did a great job today,” acknowledged O’Donnell.
Iona has beaten, who some estimate is the number one team in the league, St. Anthony’s High School, 30-28 and lost by only three points, 34-31, to Chaminade. Furthermore, against Stepinac, Iona resembled a team that could win it all this year. “We are just worried about Fordham next week. There is no concern about the playoffs right now,” commented Gaels Head Coach Victor Quirolo.
Iona was leading 21-0 at halftime. Then at 7:10 in the third quarter Gaels running-back Shaq Townsend ran 59 yards from scrimmage for a touchdown to make the score 28-0.
Then a persistent problem occurred once again that has plagued Stepinac all season. Hoffer had his punt blocked and Iona recovered on their 30-yard line. Townsend moved the ball 16 yards, before Gaels quarterback Mario Biaggi scouted across the goal line, making the score a lopsided, 35-0.
Biaggi completed 8 of 11 passes for 92 yards and carried the ball 19 times for 80 yards and a touchdown. Townsend ran for 150 yards on 21 carries with two touchdowns. “We had a great week of practice and our offensive line knew the keys to the run-game,” said Townsend.
Stepinac did not score until running-back Ryan Burnett crossed the goal line at 10:06 of the fourth quarter for the first of his two touchdowns in the game. Burnett carried the ball 26 times for 142 yards in the game.
Despite the Crusaders 2-5 record, quarterback Danny Hoffer leads the league in passing-yards with 988 yards. Hoffer was 13 for 25 for 151 yards passing with one interception in the game.
The Crusaders will more than likely achieve a sixth or seventh seed, if they beat Farrell, on Saturday, Oct. 27, at Stepinac, at 2 p.m. However, the fifth seed is still a possibility, especially with Stepinac beating the undefeated St. Joseph’s.
The Future is Bright for Stepinac Football
The Stepinac Junior Varsity team is undefeated with a record of 7-0, so far in 2012. The Stepinac JV, led by eighth-year Head Coach Joe Venice, crushed Chaminade High School, 27-6, on Saturday, at Stepinac.
The Junior Varsity has also beaten other top teams this season including St. Anthony’s High School, by the same score 27-6, while opening their season beating Monroe Woodbury High School 23-12.
The young Crusaders closest game thus far this season came against Holy Trinity High School, at Holy Trinity, on October 13. The Crusaders undefeated season was threatened, but they beat the Titans, 27-24.
“These players have just been playing together as a family and they really buy into everything that we are telling them to do this season. We are proud of them,” complimented Venice, who graduated from Stepinac in 2004 and is also presently a teacher at the school.
Some of this year’s junior varsity players that bring promise to the Stepinac varsity in the future include, sophomore quarterback Brandon Coleman, who has started for two years, running-back Tyquan Ennis, sophomore linemen Kyle Gwin, Chris Jordan and Dwayne Scott and sophomore wide receiver Giancarlo Furio.
“They are so excited on the varsity. They (varsity coaches) are watching these young players develop into good players and good student/athletes,” stated Venice.
