On a perfect October afternoon at Gold Star Stadium, Cardinal Hayes pulled out a narrow victory over Chaminade, 16-14.
Sunday's game garnered hype as the best matchup of the weekend in the CHSFL. Chaminade came in at 6-1 with a perfect 4-0 record in league play after last week's victory over Kellenberg. Additionally, the Crimson and Gold were going for their fifth straight win, a streak they have not matched since 2019.
Cardinal Hayes came into play with a 4-2 record, punctuated by a 3-1 mark in league play. The defending state champions were ranked as the preseason number-one team in the CHSFL but suffered a crushing loss to Iona Prep last week in a game they led by as many as 17 points in the second half.
"We've been struggling offensively," admitted Cardinal Hayes head coach CJ O'Neil after the game. "Luckily, our defense has really been doing a great job keeping us in ballgames."
The Cardinal Hayes defense was on its game, holding a Flyers team who had scored a minimum of 30 points in its last three games to just 14 on Sunday. They also limited the Flyers offense to 143 total yards and only two third-down conversions on 10 attempts.
Cardinal Hayes got off to a fast start early in the opening frame. After the defense forced a punt, the offense took advantage of good field position and scored quickly. Quarterback Rich Belin used his legs and powered his way into the end zone on a draw play to make it 7-0 just four minutes in.
After another three-and-out by the Chaminade offense, the Cardinal Hayes special teams unit stepped up. Bodhi Sabongui got into the backfield and blocked Justin Jones's punt, causing the ball to carom out of the back of the end zone for a safety, making the score 9-0.
Despite the rough opening to the game, the Flyers defense responded right away. On the first play from scrimmage after the safety, defensive back Tristan Lombardo registered his third interception of the year, leaping over wide receiver Adonis Cottes after the pass was tipped by Dean Schmitt. However, the Chaminade offense continued to struggle and was forced to punt once again.
With 20 seconds to go in the first quarter, the Cardinal Hayes special teams unit gave Chaminade a gift. For the third time this season, the Flyers saw the long snap go over the opposing punter's head, setting the struggling Chaminade offense up at their opponent's 25-yard line.
Just as Cardinal Hayes had done in the first quarter, Chaminade took advantage of good field position. Peter Braz made an impressive reception on an out route and had a clear path to the end zone before he fumbled; fortunately, he was able to dive back on top of it at the three-yard line. After that, the Cardinal Hayes defense hunkered down and forced a third-and-goal, but quarterback Tim Murphy muscled his way to paydirt for his seventh rushing touchdown of the year. On the play, the Flyers brought in extra linemen and tight ends to aid the run game, which had yet to gain positive yardage before that play.
With their lead now cut to 9-7, Cardinal Hayes was led down the field by Belin on the next drive. On third down, he was able to roll out of pressure and find Antwan Harvey down the right sideline for 43 yards. Then, on the next sequence, he was able to hit Ken-G Burnham for a big-time completion on fourth down. Later on the drive, on fourth-and-10, he scrambled up the middle and to move the sticks. Finally, on another fourth down, he found Harvey in the back of the end zone for a touchdown to make the score 16-7. It was a fantastic grab by Harvey, who laid out full-extension to secure the six points.
"Rich is a special player. He was the Gatorade Player of the Year last year for a reason," commented Coach O'Neil. Belin accounted for 190 total yards and two scores, but his impact on the game was much more than what the box score displayed.
The Cardinal Hayes defense continued to be on point throughout the rest of the first half, highlighted by Aahmari Rogers intercepting a long pass by Murphy late in the second quarter.
With the halftime score 16-7, this was the first time Chaminade was trailing at intermission since their loss to Seton Hall Prep on September 14.
The Flyers came out raring to go in the third quarter. After forcing a Cardinal Hayes punt, it took just two plays for the Flyers to find the end zone. On a second-down snap, Murphy found tight end Brady Murray down the seam for a 29-yard touchdown. It was the fourth time this season the duo linked up for a score.
After another Cardinal Hayes punt, Chaminade appeared to be gaining momentum. Murphy had two important runs to move the sticks and keep the drive going, one of them coming on fourth down. However, the drive came to a halt when the Cardinals forced a turnover on downs. On fourth-and-three, Murphy was looking for Peter Gerbasi on a pass out to the left, but he slightly overthrew him, and Gerbasi was unable to make the difficult catch.
It was an uncharacteristically quiet game from Gerbasi on Sunday. The Flyers' standout tailback, who had been third in the league with 519 rush yards and had been averaging 86.5 per game, only managed 23 yards on 13 carries against a stiff Cardinal Hayes defense.
At the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter, Cardinal Hayes looked to have tallied another touchdown on a short pass from Belin to Burnham, but it was called back because of an illegal forward pass by the Cardinals' quarterback. Another penalty on the same play pushed Cardinal Hayes back 20 yards, and the Flyers were then able to force a turnover on downs, setting the stage for the game's climax.
With 4:42 remaining in the final quarter, the Chaminade offense took the field down two, looking to take the lead and win the game. They were quickly faced with a fourth-and-one, but Murphy was able to drive past the line to gain on a QB sneak to pick up the first down.
The Flyers gained two more first downs on the drive, one thanks to another run by Murphy, while the other was the result of a Cardinal Hayes penalty. However, the Flyers began to sputter when an offensive pass interference penalty pushed them way out of field-goal range.
With two downs remaining to get 22 yards, they could not muster any more magic. After a third down incompletion, defensive lineman Kahmari Valentine made the winning tackle of Sean Carnevale on fourth down to seal it for the Cardinals.
"If we play a better first half, maybe we're not in that situation in the second half, but I was proud of the way we played in the second half, and I think we won the second half," said Chaminade head coach Tom Claro. "I never for a minute thought we weren't going to be in this game at the end, and we were."
They say iron sharpens iron, and perhaps this loss will galvanize the Flyers into action as they prepare for the high-stakes matchups in the coming weeks.
"I just told the kids that this is a learning experience and that we move on," added Claro.
The Flyers will try to bounce back on Friday night when they journey to New Rochelle to play Iona Prep, the CHSFL's top team. As for the Cardinals, they will look to start a winning streak when they visit the Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders on Saturday afternoon.
