In a hard fought battle on a nearly perfect Saturday afternoon, the Iona Prep Gaels knocked off the Chaminade Flyers, 26-7, on Ott Field at Chaminade's Gold Star Stadium.

Chaminade (2-0) came into this matchup looking to remain undefeated after beating both St. Peter's and St. Joseph's by the Sea. Meanwhile, Iona Prep (1-0) was looking to continue their winning ways, having just defeated St. Anthony's in New Rochelle last weekend. 

Iona Prep's dominance did not manifest until late in the first half. The first quarter was filled with three-and-outs. Both Chaminade's and Iona Prep's defenses made stands, especially in the run game.

Chaminade was focused on getting the ground game going with running backs Cole Lombardo, Giuseppe DeVita, and quarterback Hugh Lynn. Unfortunately for them, Iona Prep came prepared. The Flyers struggled to pick up yardage and were forced to punt twice. Iona Prep's only good drive of the first quarter was stopped in four-down territory after quarterback Jaydin Jackson tried to find Joey Baskin but overthrew him. 

After another inefficient drive for the Flyers to open the second quarter, the Gaels struck. Set up by a Tyler Wels punt return to the Chaminade 40 yard line, Iona Prep had exceptional field position. They went right to the ground game with running back Willie Reeves and found success.

On first down just inside the Chaminade 30-yard line, quarterback Jaydin Jackson was hit by linebacker Luke Urich as he threw the ball, causing it to pop up in the air towards defensive back Luca Mastronardi. Luckily for Iona Prep, Mastronardi bobbled it and could not come up with the interception. This allowed Jackson to find wide receiver Louis Katsihtis down the middle just two plays later, moving them to the Chaminade five-yard line. Willie Reeves punched it in from this distance, allowing the Gaels to strike first and take a 7-0 lead with 6:21 left in the first half. 

Chaminade began to find their rhythm when Hugh Lynn connected with receivers Kelly Knapp and Luke Urich, pushing the Flyers downfield to just outside the red zone. On second and ten, Lynn rolled to his right and looked for receiver Nicholas Sweeney along the near sideline, but stepping in front of Sweeney and snagging a pick was defensive back Lamar Lewis. All of Chaminade's momentum came to a halt as Iona Prep gained possession and began to execute a two-minute drill late in the half. 

Jackson quickly found Joey Baskin, whom he could not connect with earlier, for a quick first down to start the drive. Jaydin then used his legs to pick up 15, extending the drive to just short of midfield. With under a minute to go, Jackson rolled out right and tried to find Joshua Simmons, but Nicholas Sweeney tipped it right into the hands of teammate and defensive back Sebastian Tricola. The Flyers would not be denied an interception this time, getting the offense back on the field.  

Short gains did the Flyers no good, and they were forced to send the ball back to Iona Prep with 21 seconds remaining in the half. Christian Birch Trani sent a high flying kick in the direction of Tyler Wels, who, with a few blocks and decisive playmaking, went down the sideline and into the end zone untouched for a 49-yard punt return touchdown with just four seconds remaining in the quarter. The extra point attempt was no good for the Gaels, so their lead heading into the half was 13-0. 

The Flyers found life coming out of halftime when Luke Urich poked the ball out of the hands of Chase Reeves, forcing a fumble and giving the Flyers great field position. Despite a major opportunity to get on the board, the Flyers punted once again. 

Iona Prep's ground game continued to punish Chaminade. All it took was two rushes from Willie Reeves to bring the Gaels to the Chaminade 24-yard line. From there, Jackson ran for another first down, and then Reeves punched it in from three yards out, giving him his second house call of the day. The Gaels went for the two-point conversion, but failed to convert, keeping the score 19-0. 

For the rest of the third quarter and into the fourth, Iona Prep and Chaminade traded three-and-outs. Nicholas Sweeney gave the Flyers something to be proud of as he bulldozed through the Gaels offensive line and blocked a punt on fourth and six.

Chaminade recovered at Iona Prep's 27-yard line but could not find the end zone. Lynn was hit as he threw it on the next play and lofted one into the hands of Louis Katsihitis. 

Iona Prep capitalized off Chaminade's turnover on the ensuing possession. Chase Reeves, brother of Willie Reeves, broke multiple tackles down the right sideline and won a footrace to extend the Gaels' lead to 26-0.

The Flyers, however, refused to be shut out. Lynn was able to string together a couple completions and threw a perfect ball into the hands of Nicholas Sweeney, hitting him in stride for a 43-yard touchdown. The extra point attempt from Andrew Willis was good and ended up being the last play of the game. 

Iona Prep's run game was unmatched, as the Reeves Brothers combined for over 200 yards on 15 carries to go along with 3 touchdowns. 

Though the scoreboard made the game seem like a dreadful defeat for the Flyers, head coach Michael Dolce felt his squad was in this game for most of it:  "Iona Prep is a very good team. We went toe to toe with them for three quarters," he said. "A couple plays go our way, and it's a different ballgame." 

Up next for the Gaels is Rye Country Day School at home on Tuesday, September 24th. As for the Flyers, they have another great home matchup against Stepinac on Saturday, September 28th. Kickoff is scheduled for 10:00 am.