San Miguel Places 11th at Nationals

The San Miguel Academy boys quad boat with coxswain finished 11th in the U15 division at the USRowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Fla., on June 11.

The boat placed fifth in its semifinal heat to earn the 11th-place finish, completing the 2,000-meter course at Nathan Benderson Park in 8 minutes, 11.91 seconds. The San Miguel boat featured eighth-grade captain Joseph Cordova and seventh-graders Gustavo Laureano (coxswain), Daniel Conde, Ismael Chihuahua and Ayden Garcia.

San Miguel qualified for its first national meet by placing first in the U15 quad division at the USRowing Northeast Youth Championships in Lowell, Mass.

San Miguel was using a boat by Patrick Donnelly in memory of his brother, Thomas. 

This was the first time the San Miguel rowing program competed at a regional and national meet since it was established in 2010.

Click here to read a Catholic New York story featuring the San Miguel rowing program.

San Miguel Boat Heading to Nationals

The San Miguel Academy boys under-15 quad boat with coxswain qualified for nationals after taking first place at the US Rowing Northeast Youth Championships on the 2,000-meter Merrimack River course in Lowell, Mass.

The San Miguel boat consisted of coxswain Gustavo Laureano, and rowers Joseph Cordova, Daniel Conde, Ayden Garcia and Ismael Chihuahua.

This is the first time a boat from San Miguel competed at a regional with hopes of qualifying for nationals.

The USRowing Youth National Championships will be held June 9 in Sarasota, Fla.

Click here to read a feature on the academy’s rowing program from the May 5 issue of Catholic New York.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAN MIGUEL ACADEMY

San Miguel Rowers Off to Regional

Rowers from San Miguel Academy in Newburgh will be competing at a regional this weekend with hopes of qualifying for nationals.

This is the first time in program history that it will be represented at regionals.

Click here to read the story from the current issue of Catholic New York.

PHOTO BY CHRIS SHERIDAN

CHSFL Results, Playoff Schedule

Iona Prep, Chaminade and Holy Trinity all picked up top seeds for the upcoming Catholic High School Football League playoffs.

All three received byes and will compete in the semifinals on the weekend of Nov. 12-14. The quaterfinals will be played this weekend.

Here are the results from the final week of the regular season and the playoff schedule.

Week 8 Results

Xaverian 13, Cardinal Spellman 0

Kellenberg 35, Moore Catholic 13

Iona Prep 51, Chaminade 14

Msgr. Farrell 35, St. Peter’s 6

Holy Trinith 42, Kennedy Catholic 0

Cardinal Hayes 49, Archbishop Stepinac 48

Mount St. Michael 30, Nazareth 6

St. Anthony’s 44, St. Francis Prep 7

St. Joseph by-the-Sea 30, Christ the King 15

St. John the Baptist 17, Holy Cross 14

AAA Quarterfinals

No. 1 Iona Prep bye

Friday, Nov. 5–No. 5 Cardinal Hayes at No. 4 St. Anthony’s, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 6–No. 7 Christ the King at No. 2 Msgr. Farrell, 4 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 7–No. 6 Kellenberg at No. 3 Archbishop Stepinac, 1:30 p.m.

AA-1 Quarterfinals

No. 1 Chaminade bye

Friday, Nov. 5–No. 5 St. Peter’s at No. 4 Fordham Prep, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 7–No. 7 Xavier at No. 2 Moore Catholic, 1 p.m.

No. 6 St. Francis Prep at No. 3 St. Joseph by-the-Sea, TBA

AA-2 Quarterfinals

No. 1 Holy Trinity bye

Friday, Nov. 5–No. 6 Xaverian at No. 3 Kennedy Catholic, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 6–No. 7 Cardinal Spellman at No. 2 St. John the Baptist, 1 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 7–No. 5 Mount St. Michael at No. 4 Holy Cross, 1 p.m.

Bowl Game

Saturday, Nov. 6–St. Dominic’s at Nazareth, 7 p.m.

CHSFL Results/Schedule

Week 3 Football Results

Archbishop Stepinac 55, Moore Catholic 14

St. Anthony’s 48, Cardinal Hayes 14

St. Joseph by-the-Sea 22, Msgr. Farrell 6

Holy Trinity 54, St. Dominic’s 0

JFK Catholic 32, Cardinal Spellman 22

St. John the Baptist 48, Mount St. Michael 14

Holy Cross 28, Xaverian 12

Iona Prep 63, Christ the King 20

Chaminade 45, St. Peter’s 14

Kellenberg 38, Fordham Prep 0

St. Francis Prep 18, Xavier 10

Week 4 Football Schedule

Friday, Oct. 1

Holy Cross at JFK Catholic, 7 p.m.

Cardinal Hayes at Msgr. Farrell, 7 p.m.

Fordham Prep at St. Joseph by-the-Sea, 7 p.m.

Christ the King at St. Francis Prep, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 2

Cardinal Spellman at Nazareth, 2 p.m.

Xaverian at Mount St. Michael, 3 p.m.

Archbishop Stepinac at Iona Prep, 4 p.m.

Moore Catholic at Xavier, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 3

St. Anthony’s at St. Peter’s, 1 p.m.

Holy Trinity at St. John the Baptist, 1:30 p.m.

Kellenberg at Chaminade, 1:30 p.m.

Stepinac Graduate Malcolm Koonce Earns Job with Las Vegas Raiders

Archbishop Stepinac High School graduate Malcolm Koonce earned a spot on the 53-man roster with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Koonce was a third-round pick, 79th overall, of the Raiders in this year’s NFL Draft out of Buffalo.

At Buffalo, Koonce was a two-time, first-team All-Mid-American Conference selection. In six games as a  senior, the defensive end had 30 tackles and a team-high 6.5 tackles for a loss and five sacks. As a junior, he led the MAC with nine sacks.

At Archbishop Stepinac, Koonce had 58 tackles as a senior to earn second-team all-state honors and helped the Crusaders to an undefeated season and the 2015 Catholic school state championship.

Stepinac Graduate Trill Williams Earns Roster Spot with Dolphins

Archbishop Stepinac High School graduate Trill Williams earned a spot out of preseason on the Miami Dolphins 53-man roster.

The Dolphins open the 2021 season with the New England Patriots in Foxboro, Mass.,  Sept. 12.

In three preseason games with the Dolphins, Williams had six total tackles.

In three seasons at Syracuse University, the defensive back had 93 total tackles, 65 being solo; four interceptions, two coming against Clemson; three forced fumbles; and one fumble recovery. He scored three touchdowns, one each coming on an interception return, a punt return, and one off a blocked punt.

Williams, who was undrafted in the 2021 NFL Draft, joined the Dolphins on May 17 after being waived by the New Orleans Saints.

Siegrist Preparing for Next Season

Maddy Siegrist is spending her summer improving a part of her game to give opposing defenses additional concerns when she steps on the floor with the Villanova University women’s basketball team during the 2021-2022 season.

“This summer I’m really focusing on my midrange game,” she told CNY during a lunch break at the Maddy Siegrist Girls Basketball Clinic at Poughkeepsie Day School in the Town of Poughkeepsie Aug. 16.

“I’m comfortable inside, I’m comfortable shooting the ball from three and getting those shots off. Just having the ball in my hands to create different shots is what I’m focused on.”

The Our Lady of Lourdes High School graduate, who also played in the St. Martin de Porres CYO program in Poughkeepsie, already has been a handful for Villanova opponents.

Read the rest of this story in this week’s Catholic New York or at www.cny.org

Photo by Chris Sheridan

Ice Bucket Challenge at Iona Prep

The captains of the Iona Prep varsity and junior varsity football teams participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to honor Iona Prep graduate Pat Quinn Aug. 20.

Quinn, a 2001 graduate of the school who died of ALS in November 2020, started the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in August 2013. He challenged friends to do the same to raise money for ALS research to find a cure.

Pat Quinn’s father, Pat Quinn Sr., addressed the crowd at the event that also was attended by two of his son’s classmates at Iona Prep, Anthony Fava and Frankie Meade.

PHOTO CAPTION: Iona Prep varsity football coach Joe Spagnola gets dunked by Justin Joly and Jose Ruiz.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IONA PREP

Velazquez, Yankees Start Road Trip

Andrew Velazquez continues to live out his childhood dream as the New York Yankees open a nine-game road trip against the Braves in Atlanta on Monday and Tuesday before starting a pivotal four-game series in Oakland on Thursday.

The Fordham Prep graduate’s story continued Saturday when he hit his first career home run, leaving family and friends overcome with tears and emotions, during his team’s 7-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

“Get home as quick as I could so I could celebrate with the boys in the dugout,” Velazquez, who has the home run ball, said in sharing his thoughts as he rounded the bases during the postgame press conference.

Known for his defense and speed, the shortstop is hitting .242 with a home run, six RBI, eight runs scored and two stolen bases since joining the Yankees Aug. 9 in Kansas CIty when Gleyber Torres was placed on the injured list.

“Just playing really great for us–playing great on the field; running the bases, his athleticism shows up; and he’s given us good at bats,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who will be faced with a tough roster decision if third baseman Gio Urshela, who started his rehab assignment Sunday, returns from strained hamstring before New York travels west or seven games in Oakland and Anaheim.

Velazquez, who attended St. Francis Xavier School in the Bronx, said he’s forgetting the past and not thinking ahead each time he steps on the field. 

“When I get here, it’s about work,” said Velazquez, who stayed with his parents in the Bronx during the recent homestand. “The guys are so good at just prepping for the game and being loose in the clubhouse and in the dugout, but like about business, that I can’t help but fall in line.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NEW YORK YANKEES