(Frank Masella '16 going for the tackle)
This Week in Sports
Varsity football concluded the regular season with a 56-0 win over St. Francis Prep. Zach Cilmi ’16 began the game by returning the St. Francis kickoff for a touchdown and the team relentlessly capitalized from there. Xavier's defense limited St. Francis to only 54 yards on offense, and five individual Knights scored touchdowns, both on offense and defense. Furthermore, with a 42-0 lead at halftime, all players were able to contribute to the winning effort. According to Anthony Pugliese ’16, “For us, it was a perfect game. We fired on all cylinders." For leading Xavier to its first shutout of the season, junior Frank Masella '16 was nominated for the CHSFL Player of the Week Award. Head coach Mr. Christopher Stevens '83 believes that the team has improved tremendously over the past few games, commenting that Xavier has produced consistently on both offense and defense. In the first round of the AA playoffs this Saturday, Xavier, ranked 2nd in league play, will match up against the 7th-ranked Kellenberg. The game offers a great opportunity for Xavier to continue to improve and succeed.
J.V. football also defeated St. Francis Prep with a 30-0 shutout. As the highest seeded team in the AA Division, the team will play St. Joseph-by-the-Sea in the first round of the playoffs, and according to Rory Kinsella ’17, the team’s main objective is “to make sure that we get off to a good start in the playoffs and that we have everything we need to succeed.”
Freshman football conquered Archbishop Stepinac 22-8 in the team's final game of the season. According to Greg Rigas ’18, “The team’s motto this week was 'to finish.' And finish they did, ending the season, as they had most games, with a definitive effort and a resolute victory. After the win, assistant coach Mr. William Maloney '01 reflected further on this adage, saying, “The team finished their tackles, their blocks, and their season on a dominant note.” He also cited the play of Anthony “Moose” Musiello ’18 and the entire offensive line for opening giant holes for their running backs during the game. The team finished the season with a 6-2 record overall and has firmly established itself as a true contender in the CHSFL. Congratulations on a tremendously successful season!
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Frosh and Soph Cross-Country Take Third in Intersectionals
The freshmen and sophomore runners on the cross-country team competed on Saturday in the Frosh/Soph CHSAA Intersectional Championships. The freshman A-Team began the day with a third place performance in a very competitive field. Raphael Oettl ’18became the third Xavier freshman to win the race in the last five years and is now second behind John Rice ’15 for the all-time best Xavier time. Aidan Donahue ’18 became the third Knight this year to break the nine-minute barrier, and Alex Vitarelli ’18 and Dylan Brosnan ’18 both broke the ten-minute mark for the first time. The B-Team ran next and also took third place, where John Kehoe ’18 also broke ten minutes. The C-Team finished the day with a third place performance. Most runners set personal bests, including Phil Ruddy ’18, who made a dominant return to the Van Cortlandt Course, Kienan Lafferty ’18 and Maximilian Rohrbacher ’18.
The sophomores also ran particularly well. Giancarlo Cipri ’17 took first place in the sophomore A-Race, and Will McCann ’17, Donovan Brady ’17, and James Lunny ’17 followed suit with great PRs. The sophomore A-team came in third place behind Long Island stalwarts Chaminade and St. Anthony’s, which confirms the team's status as the best in New York City. Al Musto ’17 led the third-place B-Team, and Pat Dormer ’17 and Alex Cantave ’18 bested their previous bests by more than a minute apiece.
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Frosh Swimming Snags First Win of the Season
Freshman swimming defeated Archbishop Molloy 79-50. This was the team’s first win this season. Both Timothy Cusack-McPartlin ’18 and James Fiechter ‘18 had standout performances. Timothy took first in the 100-yard IM and the 50-yard backstroke, James took first in the 50-yard freestyle and 50-yard backstroke, and both contributed to the winning 200-yard freestyle relay. Commenting on the Xavier victory, freshman swimmer Mark Cheng ’18 said, “It felt good to get a win under our belts, especially against a team like Molloy.” The team has two meets remaining in the season, first against Xaverian and finally in the CHSAA Championships.
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Varsity Soccer Loses in Semifinals and Reflects on Season
Varsity soccer's season ended in the semifinals of the CHSAA AA playoffs with a tough 5-1 loss to undefeated Fordham Prep, who had been undefeated all season. Despite the loss, many of the players, including Jesse Hunter ’15, were able to look past the final result, that it by no means defined how their season. “We truly were a band of brothers,” said Jesse, “and even though we lost, we had a great run and we achieved so much as a cohesive unit.” Henry Reid ’16, meanwhile, has one more year to represent the Knights and is excited for the prospects of next season. Henry said, “This was one of the best years we've had as a team, and we’re young, so we’re really excited to play next year.”
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Xavier Bowling Leaves Opponents with 7/10 Split
Varsity and J.V. bowling continued their respective hot streaks in last week's games. On November 3, varsity and J.V. beat Cardinal Hayes 3-0, each taking wood. On November 5, varsity bested Iona Prep 2-1 and J.V. narrowly lost 1-2. Varsity bowling is only three points behind Iona for the league lead, and J.V. is now in 6th place.
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(photo on left: Adelphi University Athletics)
Student Athlete Alumni Spotlightt
Eddie Sullivan '11 is a major contributor for the Adelphi University basketball team, whose season begins on November 15 against Bloomsburg University. Eddie played three years of varsity basketball at Xavier, and at Adelphi, he has seen consistent action since freshman year. He started 20 of the 21 games he played in last season, where he averaged 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in Division II basketball. Entering his final year of play, Eddie looks to improve his play from last season and serve as a true team leader. For more information on Eddie and the Adelphi Panthers as the season begins, visit Adelphi University Basketball. Good luck!
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As always, visit Xavier Athletics for the most complete, up-to-date information,and stay tuned for the next edition of This Week in Sports. :
Upcoming Schedule:
Saturday, 11/8: Var. & J.V. Cross-Country @ CHSAA Championships – 12:00pm @ Van Cortlandt Park
Var. Football v. Kellenberg – 7:30pm @ SUNY Maritime
J.V. Football v. St. Joseph by-the-Sea – 10:00am @ Aviator Field
Frosh Swimming v. Xaverian – 9:30am @ Chaminade
Monday, 10/10: Var. Hockey v. Monsignor Farrell – 5:30pm @ Bayonne HS