This Week in Sports
By Michael P. Batten '10
On Saturday, freshman football dominated Cardinal Hayes, winning 21-6. This is the team’s fourth straight win since beginning the season with a tough loss to St. Anthony’s. Pat Dunne ’18 and Nick Valentino ’18 ran a crushing offense, and James Halbert ’18 deserves special recognition for his performance. Normally a linebacker, James switched over to defensive tackle against Hayes and played a great game. Assistant coach Mr. William Maloney ’01 has been impressed with the team’s high level of play, most recently against Cardinal Hayes. “It’s always humbling to play Hayes,” said Mr. Maloney. “They’re athletic and well-coached. By pointing out our weaknesses, they’ve given us exactly what we need this weekend in our game against St. Francis Prep. I’m very proud of our offense, as we’ve finally started marching down the field with true precision.” In a five-way tie for 2nd place in the CHSFL, the team is 4-1 with three games left to play in the season.
Varsity football lost to the Monsignor Farrell Lions, perhaps the team’s toughest competition thus far, 21-42. The Knights began the game with a promising start, a 53-yard drive for a touchdown after a Farrell lost fumble, but they were unable to counter three straight touchdowns by the Lions in the second quarter. Nevertheless, there were encouraging flashes of great offense, perhaps best exemplified by Mike Chiarovano ‘16’s 20 rushes for 121 yards. In addition, the spirit on the sidelines was upbeat and resilient, and according to head coach Mr. Chris Stevens ‘83, “considering our competition, a step in the right direction.” The team is 1-4, and will play next against Holy Trinity on Saturday.
J.V. football lost to Farrell 20-14. Joe Morelli ’17 rushed for both Xavier touchdowns. Despite the loss, the team played a strong game on both sides of the gridiron, though special mention should be given to the defense, whose members shut Farrell down in the second half. Sporting a 3-2 record, the Knights have three games left to play in the regular season.
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Several Runners Represent Xavier at All Hallows
Most cross-country runners had the three-day weekend off from competition. A select few upperclassmen, however, participated in the All Hallows Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park on Friday. Anthony Tesoriero ’16 led the team with a 22nd place performance, while Liam Creegan ’16, Xander Berg ’16, and James Kwitny ’16 were not far behind. The rest of the team will resume competition this this weekend.
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Frosh Swimmers Dive Into Regular Season
The freshmen swimmers made their first splash into competition last Saturday, losing to the Chaminade Flyers 80.5-55.5. Despite their loss, head coach Mr. Dennis Murphy said that the team “swam well considering that it was the first meet of the season.” James Fietcher ’18 took first place in the 100-yard individual medley (IM) and second in the 50-yard butterfly, and Timothy Cusack-McPartlin ’18 came second in both the 50-yard freestyle and the 50-yard backstroke.
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Soccer Kicks it Up a Notch
Varsity soccer began the week with a 4-2 win over Regis. Najee Hall '15, Andrew Kiarie-Mumbi '15, and Andro Garcia-Economides '16 (making his This Week in Sports debut) all scored. In the team's next game, Najee Hall scored the lone Xavier goal in a 3-1 loss to Fordham Prep. Finally, on Wednesday, the varsity Knights lost 0-1 in a make-up contest to Molloy. The team is 6-5-3 with a single regular season game remaining.
The J.V. soccer team lost both games it played this week, first 0-4 to Regis and then 1-3 to Fordham Prep. Gianni Contrera ’17 and Kevin Lopez ’17 worked in tandem for the score against Fordham. Despite the two losses, the team morale is better than ever. Looking back at the Fordham game, Pat Hille ‘17 said, “Despite the loss, we played a really spirited game, and perhaps the best we’ve played all season.” The team now has a 9-6 record with one game left in the regular season.
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Bowlers Continue a Strong Season
Varsity bowling has a 7-5 record after four games. Most recently, the varsity keglers lost to Fordham Prep 0-3 but then bounced back with a 3-0 shutout of St. Raymond. Captain Mike Martell ’15 has the highest scratch game and highest series in the league so far.
After a rocky start, J.V. bowling has picked up steam, besting Fordham Prep 2-1 and St. Raymond 3-0 in their two most recent games. The team is now 6-6. Michael Spencer ’17 and Nicholas Kane ’17 lead the team in scoring.
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Fall Ball Takes Curtain Call
Fall baseball ended its season with a nice 9-6 win over Regis. Baseball will return for all levels—frosh, J.V., and varsity—in the spring.
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As always, visit Xavier Athletics for the most detailed, up-to-date information, and stay tuned for the next edition of This Week in Sports.
Schedule:
Saturday, 10/18: Var. Football v. Holy Trinity: 1:30pm @ Holy Trinity
Frosh Football v. St. Francis Prep: 10:00am @ Marine Park
Var. & J.V. Cross-Country @ Nassau Coaches Invitational: 11:00am @ Bethpage State Park
Frosh Cross-Country @ Fordham Prep Frosh Relays: 9:00am @ Van Cortlandt Park
Sunday, 10/19: J.V. Football v. Holy Trinity: 1:30pm @ Trinity
Monday, 10/20: Var. & J.V. Bowling: 4:00pm position match @ Homefield Bowl
Wednesday, 10/22: Var. & J.V. Bowling v. Mount St. Michael: 4:00pm @ Homefield Bowl
(Var. and J.V. soccer playoff schedules are to be determined.)