This Week in Sports
By Michael P. Batten
The cross-country championship season is long and arduous. At the very least, Xavier runners will compete in a minimum of two championships races, and for many several more. The Xavier runners began their championship season on Saturday at the NYCHSAA Sectional Championships, at which the team confirmed its elite status as one of the top teams in the state.
The Knights began the day with a victory in the Freshmen A Championship Race. When the top seven frosh last ran the Van Cortlandt 2500-meter course, the only team they lost to was Fordham Prep. This time around, the strength and determination of the Xavier runners could not be denied, as the A-Team came in first place, beating its closest competitor, Fordham Prep, 36-43. As a result of the race, Raphael Oettl ’18 now holds the second-best Xavier time ever ran for the course, Michael Crorkin ’18 eclipsed the elusive 9-minute barrier, and Aidan Donahue ’18, Jerardo Perez ’18, and Brian McIntyre ’18 each dropped monster PRs.
The Freshmen B race went next, and once again, the freshmen runners set themselves up as an indelible force for years to come. Though the team came in second to Fordham Prep, nearly all runners hit PRs, with Dylan Brosnan ’18, Alexander Vitarelli ’18, and Rob Farage ‘18 leading the way with strong personal bests.
The J.V. runners took first place in the J.V. race, scoring a very low 22 points, with 12 Knights in the top 25. Each of the top seven J.V. runners broke 15 minutes for the notoriously hilly 2.5 mile course. Among the seven, Dante Perez ’15 and Christian Tiong-Smith ’16 both broke 15 for the first time.
At last year’s NYCHSAA Sectionals, Xavier varsity came in second place, losing to Fordham Prep by only one point, perhaps the smallest and most tragic of margins. According to head coach Mr. Patrick Dormer, the team had to prepare itself for a similar race this time around, and he was correct. Each member of the top seven ran a spirited race, but as a whole, they were unable to prevail against Fordham Prep, losing 33-32 to the Rams. Nevertheless, John Rice ’15 ran a gutsy race for second place, Christian Raslowsky ’16 cemented his place in Xavier lore by running the second-best time in Xavier history for the course, and Louis Vazquez ’15 and Garrison Schwer ’15 both set PRs. Even with the loss, the team is ranked fourth in New York State by ArmoryTrack.com. They trail only Fayetteville-Manilus of Section 3 and CHSAA rivals St. Anthony’s and Fordham Prep.
The competition in the CHSAA is perhaps better than ever, and as the championship season continues, Xavier has a great opportunity to improve upon last week’s performance, and we are assured that all levels will make a strong showing.
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Varsity Soccer Advances to Playoff Semifinals, J.V. Eliminated in Spirited Effort
In thrilling fashion, varsity soccer won 4-3 against Christ the King on October 24 in the quarterfinals of the CHSAA playoffs. Against Christ the King, Xavier scored four goals in the first half, two by Andrew Kiarie-Mumbi ’16, one by Najee Hall ’15, and one by Andro Garcia-Economides ’16. Though Christ the King scored three tries of its own in the second half, the Knights still pulled off the victory. Xavier will play next in the semifinal round against Fordham Prep at St. John’s University on October 30, so come out and support the Knights!
The J.V. soccer team had a great season, playing excellently against many formidable opponents. Upon qualifying for the playoffs, the team expected to continue its strong performance and advance well into the postseason. Unfortunately, the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, losing to Molloy 4-0. According to head coach Mr. Paul Wendel, "Molloy is one of the strongest teams in our league. We played them tight through the half, though we missed some good opportunities to score, and we couldn’t match them in the second half.” Though most of the sophomore players will advance to the varsity level next season, including forwards Kevin Lopez ’16 and Richie Terranova ’16, the freshmen are excited for next year. Vinny D’Angelo ’18 said that, “our midfield currently has a lot of talented freshmen. If everything goes well, our midfield and defense will likely be strong. I’m personally looking forward to seeing how we do next year."
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Football Goes for the Sweep This Weekend
On Saturday at MCU Park, varsity football won 21-12 against Mount St. Michael, thus ending a three-game losing streak. Mike Chiarovano ’16 contributed to the majority of the team’s offense, when he rushed 23 times for 111 yards with two touchdowns. Brian Nolan ’16 said that the team’s biggest goal moving forward is to bring their offense and defensive together as a cohesive unit. “Some games, our offense is good but our defense is shaky, while on others we limit their opportunities but can’t seem to create our own. Against St. Francis Prep, we’re going to have to be at our best at both.”
J.V. football continued its strong season on Saturday with a dominant 38-8 win over Mount St. Michael. Asked to comment on the game, one player said, “I thought we executed well, we did a good job of opening up the field for our running backs, and we played a full four quarters, consistent throughout.” The team will likely qualify and be in good shape for the upcoming playoffs, but in order to ensure success, they need to stay focused. He continued, "Other teams have scored against us when we haven’t been focused. We always motivate each other and have a great team spirit, though, so I know when the time comes, we’ll do what we need to do.”
In the second-to-last game of the season, freshman football bested the Iona Prep Gaels 30-8. The team’s game was near-flawless, as they held their opponents scoreless up until the final minutes of the game. Jonathan Geruso ’18 was pleased by the Knights’ level of play. “We played Iona the same way we played St. Anthony’s – we gave our best and they gave their best.” With one game left in the season, the freshman players must wait until their J.V. season to play again. Though excited for next year, Jonathan could not help but reflect on the team’s accomplishments so far, saying “I wish freshmen had playoffs. That way, we could play the two teams we lost to again, St. Anthony’s and St. Francis Prep, and then beat them.”
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Bowlers Reach Halfway Mark
On Monday, Xavier bowling competed against Salesian. Varsity won 2-1 with wood, and J.V. won 3-0 with wood. Varsity is in second place in the CHSAA, closely trailing Iona Prep, J.V. is in seventh place. Both teams have been playing particularly well as of late, and as the season is just about halfway through, varsity and J.V. look to sustain a high level of play against their competitors.
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Please visit Xavier Athletics for the most complete, up-to-date information, and stay tuned for the next edition of This Week in Sports.
Schedule:
Thursday, 10/30: Var. Soccer v. Fordham Prep [Playoffs] – 5:00pm @ St. John’s University
Saturday, 11/1: Frosh & Soph Cross-Country @ CHSAA Frosh/Soph Champs – 8:00am @ VCP
Var. Football v. St. Francis Prep – 1:30pm @ MCU Park
J.V. Football v. St. Francis Prep – 12:00pm @ Marine Park
Frosh Football v. Archbishop Stepinac – 10:00am @ Marine Park
Monday, 11/3: Var. & J.V. Bowling v. Cardinal Hayes – 4:00pm @ Homefield Bowl
Wednesday, 11/5: Var. & J.V. Bowling in Position Match – 4:00pm @ Homefield Bowl