Four JFK Athletes Commit to Colleges

Four more John F. Kennedy Catholic Preparatory seniors signed to play baseball in college, the school announced.

Left-handed pitcher Louis Marinaro of Croton is heading to St. John’s University, and Nick Mazzotta of Katonah will play at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Ryan Boyd of Millwood and Eddie Galvao of Yorktown Heights will compete for Utica College and Skidmore College, respectively.

Eight Kennedy Catholic seniors have announced they will play baseball in college. All eight were members of the 2020 Kennedy Catholic team that lost in the CHSAA City Championship game to St. Joseph by-the-Sea.

Iona Prep Captures State Crown

Iona Prep won its first Catholic high school state football championship with a 38-22 victory over St. Francis of the Buffalo region in New Rochelle Nov. 27.

Iona Prep led, 17-9, in the third quarter before scoring 21 consecutive points to take a 38-9 lead in the final quarter. Justin Joly scored twice and Colin O’Garro once for the Gaels.

Ajani Sheppard completed 15 of 21 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns, and finished with 12 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown for Iona Prep. Zyian Moultrie-Goddard led the defense with 12 tackles and one fumble recovery, and Jayson Vavrica added 11 tackles and one sack.

Read more in this week’s issue of Catholic New York.

PHOTO BY CHRIS SHERIDAN

Hogan, Banino Traveling to San Diego for Cross Country Nationals

Fordham Prep’s Myles Hogan and The Ursuline School’s Daphne Banino are heading to San Diego to compete in the Eastbay Cross Country Championships National Finals at Balboa Park Dec. 11

Hogan and Banino qualified for nationals by placing in the top 10 at the 2021 Eastbay Cross Country Championships–Northeast Regional at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx Nov. 27.

Hogan placed fourth in the boys race with a time of 15 minutes, 19.3 seconds on the 5,000-meter course. Banino was eighth in the girls race in a time of 18:01.5 over 5,000 meters.

Thanksgiving Football

Thursday’s Results

Fordham Prep 27, Xavier 13

Cardinal Hayes 49, Mount St. Michael 14

Thanksgiving Football is Back

Looking to get out of the house to enjoy a Thanksgiving tradition before celebrating the day with family and turkey?

Four Catholic high school football programs will carry on their Thanksgiving tradition and rivalries on Thursday morning.

Xavier and Fordham Prep will play at 10 a.m. at Fordham University’s Coffey Field, and Cardinal Hayes will travel to Mount St. MIchael Academy in the Bronx for a 10:30 a.m. game.

These Thanksgiving games were not played in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2019, Cardinal Hayes and Mount St. Michael did not play because Cardinal Hayes won its league title and was preparing for the state championship game.

Four JFK Athletes Commit to Colleges

Four John F. Kennedy Catholic Preparatory seniors signed their letters of commitment to play baseball in college.

The four players are Gary Gill Hill (pictured) of Walden, Fairleigh Dickinson University; Brendan Kenneally of Yorktown Heights, Adelphi University; Russell Hunter of Croton Harmon, Hofstra University; and Pierson McGinnis of Montgomery, Bard College.

The four players were a part of the 2020 Kennedy Catholic baseball team that lost to St. Joseph by-the-Sea in CHSAA City Championship game. They were joined at the signing by their coaches and parents.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KENNEDY CATHOLIC

Lourdes Star Signs with UConn

Our Lady of Lourdes High School senior Ryan VanDeWater signed a National Letter of Intent Nov. 23 to play baseball at the University of Connecticut.

The Hyde Park resident grew up playing in the Hyde Park Little League and with The Bronx Bombers travel baseball program. He pitched and played first base at Lourdes, and chose UConn after receiving offers from Georgetown, St. Thomas Aquinas and Pace.

VanDeWater plans to major in financial risk management at UConn.

“I plan to play the game of baseball as long as I possibly can,” he said. “If that takes me to professional baseball, I plan on playing at the highest level that I can. Eventually, when the game passes me by as a player, I hope to teach and instruct younger players in their pursuit of excellence in the game of baseball.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES HIGH SCHOOL

Iona Prep Wins AAA Championship

Ajani Sheppard threw for three touchdowns, ran for two touchdowns and was named the Catholic High School Football League AAA Championship game’s offensive most valuable player after leading Iona Prep to a 49-15 victory over Msgr. Farrell at Mitchel Athletic Field in Uniondale on Saturday.

Sheppard completed 17 of 22 passes for 220 yards and ran for 75 yards on 10 carries for the Gaels, who will host St. Francis of Buffalo in the state Catholic high school championship game at noon Saturday.

Iona Prep, the state’s No. 1 Class AA team in the state sportswriters poll, will be playing for the program’s first Catholic high school state football title.

“Major accomplishment for the program/school,” Iona Prep coach Joe Spagnolo told Catholic New York/Catholic Sports Scene. “The boys are very excited to be playing for a state championship on Saturday.”

Justin Joly caught five passes for 73 yards and one touchdown, and had seven carries for 76 yards and a touchdown for Iona Prep. Michael Senatore, MIke Ryan and Colin O’Garro each scored a touchdown.

Defensively, Iona Prep stopped Msgr. Farrell’s running game and had three quarterback sacks. Zyian Moultrie-Goddard was named the game’s defensive most valuable player.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IONA PREP

Football Champions Crowned

AAA Quarterfinals

Msgr. Farrell 37, Christ the King 7

St. Anthony’s 42, Cardinal Hayes 28

Archbishop Stepinac 42, Kellenberg 7

AA-1 Quarterfinals

Moore Catholic 35, Xavier 21

St. Francis Prep 28, St. Joseph by-the-Sea 27

Fordham Prep 13, St. Peter’s 12

AA-2 Quarterfinals

St. John the Baptist 34, Cardinal Spellman 6

Kennedy Catholic 35, Xaverian 12

Holy Cross 43, Mount St. Michael 14

Bowl Game

St. Dominic’s 35, Nazareth 14

AAA Semifinals

Iona Prep 35, St. Anthony’s 28

Msgr. Farrell 24, Archbishop Stepinac 21

AA-1 Semifinals

Chaminade 31, Fordham Prep 0

Moore Catholic 18, St. Francis Prep 7

AA-2 Semifinals

Holy Trinity 28, Holy Cross 0

St. John the Baptist 42, Kennedy Catholic 29

Championship Games

AA2–Holy Trinity 21, St. John the Baptist 10

AA1–Chaminade 43, Moore Catholic 7

AAA–Iona Prep 49, Msgr. Farrell 15

Hogan Leads Fordham Prep to Title

Myles Hogan won the boys race to lead Fordham Prep to the CHSAA Intersectional Championship at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx on Saturday.

Fordham Prep compiled 43 points. Xavier was second with 49 points.

Hogan, a senior, ran to a time of 12 minutes, 50.4 seconds over the 2.5-mile course. His teammate and classmate, Liam Dennehy, was third in 13:27.6.

Xavier senior Michael Hawkes placed second in 13:12.2.

In the girls race, Notre Dame of Manhattan was the top finisher from the archdiocese with 171 points in fifth place. Notre Dame Academy and St. Joseph Hill Academy followed with 172 and 173 points, respectively.

Notre Dame Academy’s Lola Dinneen was the race winner in 15:06.5.

St. Joseph Hill’s Ava Gumb placed second in 15:15.4, and Notre Dame Academy teammates Alyssia Brown (15:57.4) and Meghan Leonard (16:25.3) were third and fourth, respectively.