Stepinac Beats Hayes, 20-12, to Capture CHSFL AAA Championship
The Stepinac High School Varsity Football Crusaders won their second consecutive Catholic High School Football League (CHSFL) AAA Championship by beating Cardinal Hayes High School, 20-12, in a thriller at Fordham University, on Saturday, Nov. 21.
“Unbelievable that a school like Stepinac could be the back-to-back Catholic High School Football League AAA Champions,” exclaimed Head Coach Mike O’Donnell. “Tonight’s game showed the level of play in our league, as Cardinal Hayes came to play and their coaching staff did a great job,” acknowledged O’Donnell.
Both defenses were superb in the game with the Cardinals defense holding the powerful Crusaders offense to 20 points and only two touchdowns, when they averaged nearly 40 points and 5.4 touchdowns a game this season.
The Stepinac defense held Cardinals star running back Justin Covington to 21 yards on 12 carries, after he gained nearly 300 yards against St. Anthony’s last week in the AAA Semifinals.
All three touchdowns scored in the game were a result of each team’s defense causing turnovers and their offenses capitalizing on those turnovers. Crusaders cornerback Terrell “T.J.” Morrison put Stepinac in control of the game with two quick interceptions in the first half.
Morrison’s first interception led to a three-yard touchdown run by Crusaders junior running back Antonio Giannico at 3:24 of the first quarter. Then Morrison intercepted Hayesmen QB Christian Anderson on the Crusaders 10-yard line with the Cardinals threatening to score. He ran the ball back 70 yards, which lead to a Liam Butler 25-yard field goal at the end of the first half. “That is why he has 10 college offers,” commented O’Donnell regarding his star cornerback.
“Somebody had to get the ball rolling and I was that somebody and my team played great around me. It was up to me to do my job,” said Morrison.
Nonetheless, it was Crusaders’ senior kicker Liam Butler’s eight points that would be the difference in the game. Butler converted two field goals and two extra points before going down with an injury in the fourth quarter. Stepinac is hopeful Butler will be ready for the Catholic High School New York State Championship Game on Saturday.
Stepinac will travel to upstate Grand Island, NY, to challenge St. Francis High School, the Champions of the Monsignor Martin Catholic High School Football League, in the Second Annual New York State Catholic High School Championship Game, on Saturday, Nov. 28, at 1 p.m.
Stepinac completed a perfect regular season and CHSFL postseason and are undefeated this year at 11-0. They lost last year’s NYS Championship Game to Canisius H.S. It remains to be seen if this year’s Stepinac team can do what last year’s team could not and bring home the NYS Championship!
