It was fourth-and-two for Chaminade on their opening drive of the second half, down by two scores. The handoff was to running back Peter Cwietniewicz, starting in place of the injured Peter Gerbasi. However, number 23 in white was tripped up short of the sticks by a myriad of Iona Prep defenders, and the Gaels did not look back from there, ending the Flyers' season by a final score of 34-14.
"Unfortunately, we came out on the wrong end of this one, but we played hard, and I'm proud of that," said Chaminade head coach Tom Claro. "Credit Iona; they're a great team, and they were a little too tough today."
Chaminade, the fifth seed, came in riding high after their 14-7 nail-biter victory in the quarterfinals a week earlier against Monsignor Farrell. A win on Saturday would have propelled the Flyers to a league championship game for the first time since 2021, when they won the AA-I title.
Iona Prep entered as both the top overall seed in the CHSFL (and the best overall team in New York according to MaxPreps), sporting an 8-2 record with a perfect 7-0 mark in league play. Their last loss was on September 21 against Bergen Catholic, putting their win streak at seven games. One more win would bring them back to the AAA title game, where they lost last year to Cardinal Hayes in heartbreaking fashion.
Saturday's showdown was the second meeting between these two squads in 2024. They first met on October 25 in New Rochelle, with the Gaels racking up a staggering 353 yards of total offense against one of the state's top defenses in a 28-7 victory, extending their win streak against the Flyers to 11.
The game's opening drive offered a promising start for Chaminade. Cwietniewicz had a carry and a reception that each went for 11 yards, putting the Flyers in Iona Prep territory, a place they did not venture in the opening meeting until the game's second half. However, the drive stalled due to three straight penalties.
The Flyers' defense came out of the gate soaring. On the Gaels' first play, Will Handley leveled star running back Crew Davis for a loss of five, putting Prep behind the sticks and firing up the Chaminade sideline. The tenacity continued on the subsequent drives, as the Flyers front repeatedly swarmed the ball on short passes and runs, while the secondary locked down the deep shots. At the end of the first quarter, the Gaels had registered -15 yards of offense, a remarkable figure given the unit's dominant performance in the teams' prior matchup.
After the game's first eight drives all ended in punts, it was the road team who struck first in the second quarter. Going with a more pass-heavy gameplan, quarterback Tim Murphy found wide receiver Michael Dietrich wide open over the middle for a 27-yard touchdown, electrifying the Crimson and Gold faithful that made the journey up to New Rochelle. The road warriors enjoyed Dietrich's best game of the season, as he went for 77 yards across seven catches and the aforementioned score.
However, it did not take long for the top seed to respond. Davis, the league leader in both rushing and receiving, broke out with a 40-yard pickup on the ground to start the drive. With quarterback Julian Guzman finally finding some rhythm, the Gaels were immediately in the red zone, where Davis finished the drive off with a seven-yard touchdown run to tie the score, 7-7.
Following another Chaminade punt, the Iona Prep offense picked up right where they left off. Starting at their own five, the Gaels ground game provided some much-needed breathing room thanks to strong runs from both Davis and Kadin Huling; in a blink of an eye, the Gaels had completely flipped the field. Guzman capped the drive off with a three-yard run of his own, dashing to the right and diving for the pylon to secure the score and give his team its first lead of the game, 14-7.
After the two teams traded punts once more, the Flyers started their next drive with 1:42 remaining in the first half. On second down, Murphy's short pass to the left was intercepted by standout sophomore Mamadee Sangaray, who returned it 40 yards to the house for his third pick-six of the season, putting his Gaels up two touchdowns.
At the end of the first half, Iona Prep led 21-7. The Gaels had all the momentum thanks to a strong second quarter, which included an astounding 124 rushing yards by Davis, to put the Flyers at the brink of elimination with 30 minutes left to play.
Davis finished with 128 yards on the ground and 40 through the air, another top-tier performance from one of the CHSFL's best players.
Starting the second half with their backs against the wall, the Chaminade defense came through in a big way. On third down, defensive back Tristan Lombardo made a tremendous one-on-one interception on a deep pass from Guzman, electrifying the Chaminade bench with his fourth pick of the season.
Given the chance to cut into the deficit, the Chaminade offense pushed its way deep into Iona territory. Faced with a fourth down early in the drive, Brendan Park made a key catch out in the flat, cutting his way upfield for the first down. However, the drive would end without the Flyers putting up points when Cwietniewicz was stopped on fourth-and-two.
Thanks to the trio of Guzman, Davis, and Huling, the Gaels swiftly moved the ball deep into Chaminade territory. From two yards out, Brennen Pressley punched it into paydirt on his first carry of the game, pushing the lead to 21.
The Gaels opened up the final frame with a four-yard touchdown run from Huling, but a missed extra point kept the score 34-7.
Cwietniewicz added a late touchdown for Chaminade to make the final score 34-14.
Iona Prep now shifts its focus to next week, when they will face St. Anthony's in the CHSFL AAA championship game at Mitchel Field.
Despite the tough result, it was a strong season for the Flyers, flipping last year's 1-8 record to an 8-4 mark in this campaign.
"This was an amazing football season for these guys," reflected Claro after the game. "The seniors were awesome, and I'm so proud of the way they handled themselves in the offseason - from January up until a few minutes ago. It was a really great performance from them."
