On a cool, but sunny afternoon in early November, the Monsignor Farrell Lions defeated the Chaminade Flyers in Staten Island, 7-0.

Chaminade had made this trip from Mineola once before, falling to Farrell 14-6 on October 12. This matchup, however, was more than just a game - it represented a chance to advance in the CHSFL playoffs. The Flyers were the visiting #6 seed, while the Lions were slotted #3. Excitement hung in the air before the contest, as this was the first postseason game for the sophomores on the gridiron. (Freshman football does not conclude with playoff rounds.)

Despite arriving late after a lengthy bus ride, the Flyers came out with energy and forced a turnover on downs thanks to their stellar run defense. However, they could not capitalize on their first series and were forced to punt.

Both teams were unable to establish the ground game, trading possessions in a scoreless affair until Farrell began driving to open the second quarter.

Beginning with great field position, the Lions were generating yardage with quarterback Jake Murphy and running back Luca Bruno. A fourth-down run from Murphy moved Farrell deep into Chaminade territory. However, back-to-back stops on both first and second down followed by an incomplete pass from Murphy set up yet another fourth down.

This time, Murphy was quickly flushed from the pocket and tried to heave it up to a receiver, but cornerback Jack Russo stepped in front to snag the interception for the Flyers and keep Farrell off the board.

The offenses remained quiet into halftime. Chaminade's quarterback, Nicholas Sweeney, often found himself dancing out of the pocket and running, but the Flyers accumulated only a few first downs as a result.

Locked in a defensive struggle, the Flyers received the opening kickoff of the second half and took advantage - almost. Along the near sideline, Sweeney found Knapp, who carried a Farrell defender with him for a 20-yard gain. Then, Sweeney kept it on a quarterback run for a first down. The Flyers were stringing together their best drive of the game.

On 1st-and-10, Sweeney found Hazel speeding past his defender for a touchdown - only for the play to be negated by a penalty on Chaminade. A few plays later, the Flyers were forced to punt, finding no points at the end of their best drive of the day. 

As the fourth quarter began, both teams were looking to get onto the board in a game dominated by the defenses. 

The Lions' Bruno and Anthony Vento began to find daylight in the ground game, but the drive lacked rhythm, as neither team could go more than a few plays without a flag flying. The Lions almost converted for a touchdown at one point, but Murphy overthrew his wide-open target. 

Pinned deep, Chaminade's next drive ended in a familiar punt. Christian Birch Trani's boot went to the Flyers' 40-yard line, setting up the Lions with good field position.

With no reason to rush, Monsignor Farrell settled in. Vento became the primary back, gaining yardage left and right. A late hit on Murphy pushed the Lions into the red zone, and from the one-yard line, Vento punched it in to give the Lions the lead, 7-0.

The scoreboard did not show the amount of time remaining, so it was unclear how long Chaminade had to respond and keep their season alive.

After a quick hook-and-ladder, Sweeney took a shot downfield, finding Knapp at Farrell's 30-yard line. Offensive Coordinator Joseph Romero ran over to the referee asking for a timeout, and he was granted one.

Unfortunately, the referee on the other sideline had signaled that the game had ended.

The Lions stormed the field in celebration, escaping the Flyers, 7-0, to advance to the semifinals, where they would face the winner of Archbishop Stepinac vs. Kellenberg. 

Though disappointed, the Flyers had capped off their season with a hard-fought battle on the road. While the defense made some impressive plays, the squad still fell short of victory by the slimmest of margins.

The JV squad finished the season with a 3-6 record, having defeated St. Joe's by the Sea, St. Peter's, and Kellenberg. All three victories were shutouts.