(J.V. football after championship victory / CHSFL)
This Week in Sports
On Saturday, December 13, the track & field team made its winter debut with a sterling performance at the CHSAA Relay Carnival, which was held at the 168th St. Armory. Val Ferraro ’18 captured the first medal of the season, as well as the first medal of his own, with a 5th place performance in the frosh 55m High hurdles. The freshman foursome of Michael Crorkin ’18, Val Ferraro ‘18, Zion Lewis ’18, and Raphael Oettl ’18 took first place in the freshman DMR, while the sophomore 4x800, composed of Jonathan Kaufmann ’17, Matt Mirto ’17, Andrew Camilleri ’17, and Ted Colter ’17, took fourth place. Perhaps the most noteworthy achievement of the day was the race run by the varsity 4x400, whose members Frank Clarke ’15, Charlie Lambert ’15, Andrew Kiarie-Mumbi ’17, and Oliver Moe ’15 set a new school record and currently boasts the top time in the country. Closing out the day were two other great performances. First, the varsity DMR of Christian Tiong-Smith ’16, Andrew Kiarie-Mumbi ‘17, Tom Clark ’16, and Ben Karam ’16 took first place, and then the varsity long jump relay of Charlie Lambert ‘15 and Brandon Efap ’15 set a new school record. This was a great team performance early on, and their successes bode well for the rest of the season.
For their perfomance, the varsity 4x400 has been nominated by usa.milesplit.com as having one of the top national indoor boys performers this week. Xavier is currently in the lead, but anything can change, so please spread the word and vote early—and often! Voting ends tonight at 9:00PM EST, so get in on the action while you have the chance!
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Last week, the varsity and J.V. bowlers competed in their respective divisional championship matches. On December 10, varsity unfortunately lost to Cardinal Spellman, which meant that they were to compete against Fordham Prep on the 15th to decide who would take third place in the division. In this match, the Knights defeated the Rams 2-0, ending their season with a third place plaque. Later on in the year, Mike “The Hammer” Martell ’15 will return to the lanes as a Son of Xavier once more to defend his New York State individual title. We’ll be sure to provide an update once it happens.
J.V. bowling, meanwhile, faced off against Archbishop Stepinac in their divisional championship match. They crushed the Crusaders by an average of 219 pins to take the championship and confirm their place at the top of the division. As such, they have advanced to the city championships, which they will compete in in early January, shortly after they return from Christmas Break. They have been urged by head coach Chris McCabe to practice hard in their time off, so that when they return, they will have a shot at becoming best in the city.
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Though the J.V. Football Knights won the CHSFL-AA championship several weeks ago, on Saturday, November 22, we would remiss if we did not mention their victory. They bested Kellenberg Memorial 32-12 to take the championship. Though the score might appear to be a bit noncompetitive, the game was a lot closer than it seemed, at least according to defensive back Rahmel Beal ’17. “Kellenberg was a good team to play for the championship,” said Rahmel. “They made us earn our victory.”
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Varsity basketball only played one game last week, which was a 56-49 loss to Southside H.S. They are still winless, at 0-3, but it should be noted that they have faced tough competition early on in the season. As mentioned in last week’s sports review, the team will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina next week to compete in the McGuire Classic.
J.V. basketball is currently 2-3. After winning their first two games of the regular season, they have lost their last three. The team has suffered from a number of injuries in recent weeks, but the overall morale is still high. Rory Kinsella ’17, Joe Morelli ’17, Ifeanyichukwu Emeh ’17, Sean Barnett ’17, and Terence Navin ’17 have performed strongly as of late.
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Since we last checked in with varsity hockey, the team has put together back-to-back wins, first defeating Mount St. Michael 8-1 and then St. Edmund’s 5-4. Against Mount, goalie Joe Pisano ’18 notched his first varsity win and eight individual knights scored. Against St. Edmund’s, the Knights came back from losing 5-1 in the second period, spearheaded by senior captain Tyler D’Agostino’s three assists. The Skating Knights have now evened their record out at 3-3.
J.V. hockey laced their skates only once this week, but it was well worth it. The Knights demolished the St. Peter’s Boys Eagles 8-1. In that game, both offense and defense were on point, and the team cannot wait for their next matchup.
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Similar to the J.V. team, freshman basketball has also lost their last three games after winning their first three games of the season. Their last loss to Monsignor McClancy was particularly tough, though nevertheless competitive, and freshman sensation Brian McIntyre ’18 thought that the Knights were in it to win it throughout the entire game. The team is confident that they can bounce back from their recent losses. “We’re much better than the record shows,” said Brian, “We’re a very good team.”
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The wrestling season is still young. Nevertheless, the wrestling team has already qualified for the league playoffs, which is a tremendous achievement by all accounts. On Thursday, December 18, the Knights will grapple against the St. Joseph-by-the-Sea Vikings to determine whether they will enter the playoffs ranked as the third or fourth seed. In addition, seven varsity wrestlers have been invited to compete in the invitational NYC Mayor’s Cup, while two will serve as alternates in case of injury. Individually, Dylan Ebanks ’17 is one of the top wrestlers in the CHSAA and is undefeated. The team will compete in a bevy of meets over Christmas break, so we’ll have more results for you in a few weeks.
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, 12/20: Track & Field – Loughlin Games, 2pm @ Armory
Var. Basketball v. Kennedy Catholic – 3:30pm @ Kennedy Catholic
J.V. Basketball v. Kennedy Catholic – 1:30pm @ Kennedy Catholic
Frosh Basketball v. Kennedy Catholic – 12:00pm @ Kennedy
Var. Wrestling – Mayor’s Cup @ Riverbank H.S.
Var. Swimming v. Fordham Prep – 12:00pm @ St. Francis College
J.V. Hockey v. St. David’s School – 11:30am @ Ice House, NJ
Sunday, 12/21: Track & Field – Ignatian Invitational, 11:00am @ Fordham University
Var. Basketball – Belmont Abbey Tournament @ Belmont Abbey College, NC
Monday, 12/22: J.V. Hockey v. Bayonne H.S. – 4:00pm @ Bayonne H.S.
Var. Basketball – Belmont Abbey Tournament @ Belmont Abbey College, NC
Tuesday, 12/23: Var. Basketball – Belmont Abbey Tournament @ Belmont Abbey College, NC
Thursday, 12/25: Merry Christmas!
Friday, 12/26: Track & Field – North Shore Invitational, 9am @ Armory
Saturday, 12/27: Var. Wrestling – Rahway Invitation @ Rahway H.S.
Track & Field – Grinch Games, 9am @ Fordham University
Sunday, 12/28: Var. Hockey v. St. Francis Prep – 4:30pm @ Abe Stark Rink
Monday, 12/29: Track & Field – Marine Corps Holiday Classic, 9am @ Armory
Tuesday, 12/30: Var. Basketball v. Fordham Prep – 3:00pm @ Fordham Prep
J.V. Basketball v. Fordham Prep – 1:30pm @ FP
Frosh Basketball v. Fordham Prep – 12:00pm @ FP
Thursday, 1/1: Happy New Year!
Saturday, 1/3: Track & Field – CHSAA Holiday Invitational; CHSAA Weight & Novice Championships, 8am @ Armory
Var. Basketball v. Monsignor McClancy – 3:00pm @ McClancy
J.V. Basketball v. Monsignor McClancy – 1:30pm @ McClancy
Var. Swimming v. St. Peter’s Boys @ College of Staten Island
Var. Wrestling – Ironman Invitational @ Monsignor Farrell
J.V. Hockey v. Archbishop Stepinac – 10:00am @ Bayonne H.S.
Sunday, 1/4: Var. Hockey v. St. Peter’s Boys – 7:00pm @ Staten Island Pavilion
Tuesday, 1/6: Var. Basketball v. St. Edmund’s – 4:30pm @ St. Edmund’s
J.V. Basketball v. St. Edmund’s – 6:00pm @ St. Edmund’s
Frosh Basketball v. St. Edmund’s – 4:30pm @ Xavier
Var. Swimming v. Chaminade – 6:30pm @ St. Francis College
Wednesday, 1/7: Var. Hockey v. Xaverian – 5:30pm @ Bayonne H.S.
Thursday, 1/8: Var. Wrestling – Tri Meet @ Xaverian High School