Down 26-3 midway through the third quarter, the Chaminade Flyers searched for points.

The St. Anthony's Friars had other ideas. 

As Chaminade QB Sean Carnevale stepped up in the pocket to throw, Friars' star Kevin Moore swooped in from behind and slapped the ball out of Carnevale's grasp. St. Anthony's easily recovered the loose ball and, from there, cruised their way to a 33-19 victory at Gold Star Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

"We wanted to establish the run game on offense, and we knew that [Chaminade was] going to slow the game down," explained St. Anthony's head coach Joe Minucci. "I think we did a good job of getting off the field on third and fourth down for the majority of the game. Ultimately, we got the win, and that's what matters."

"We ran the ball well, and we stopped a very good running back, at times," reflected Flyers head coach Tom Claro. "There will be positives, as there always are, but the negatives will outweigh the positives."

"Third-and-longs, second-and-longs, and penalties," admitted Carnevale when asked what those negatives were. "That backs us up, ruins our momentum, and stops our drives."

Leading up to the contest, the energy was palpable on both sides all week. Outside of this being arguably Long Island's best rivalry, there were major playoff implications attached to the outcome, as both sides were gunning for a first-round home game. 

"The energy in practice was like none before, all because we knew who our opponent was," said senior tight end Henry Peterson. "I've never seen a team more locked in during practice."

Chaminade started the game with a near-perfect 55-yard drive right down the field. However, on 4th-and-goal from the two, the St. Anthony's defensive line stood tall, stopping Anthony Trapani one yard shy of the end zone to make the first big statement of the day.

"That was an extremely important play, but you have to take those chances," admitted Claro. "If we take the opening drive down and we're up 7-0, you tell me this game isn't different? Of course it is." 

On their second drive, Chaminade got great field position but couldn't cash the check yet again. The Flyers had to settle for a 40-yard field goal attempt, but the Friars' Ethan Bramoff blocked the kick to keep the game scoreless.

The Friars seemed buoyed by the momentum of the blocked kick, as they marched down the field and scored. On third down from the Chaminade 16, Friars QB Anthony Diieso found receiver Johnny Russo for the first score of the contest to give the road team the early lead. A blocked extra point kept the score at 6-0. 

The Friars continued to ride the wave on their next possession and tallied another touchdown. This time, it was Diieso himself, as the St. Anthony's signalcaller showed his speed on an 18-yard TD scramble to make it 12-0. 

After another quick Chaminade punt, the Friars went to work again. Diieso continued to spread the ball around, and he connected with Moore for a 40-yard lightning strike to increase St. Anthony's lead to 19.  

Diieso was brilliant in his first taste of this rivalry, completing 15 of his 16 throws for 158 yards and three scores. He also accumulated 93 yards on the ground. 

Towards the end of the first half, Chaminade threatened to find the end zone. However, the drive stalled at the three, forcing them to take the field goal. At half, St. Anthony's held a two-score lead, 19-3. 

It seemed as if the Friars were not slowed by the halftime break, as they orchestrated an impressive drive to start the third frame. Diieso dazzled both on the ground and through the air, finding Rory McDermott on a quick slant to make it 26-3. 

"Anytime you start with the ball in the second half, it's important to go down there, put a good drive together, and score," said Minucci. "I'm proud of the guys for executing on that drive and getting it done."

The Flyers made it interesting at the end thanks to a pair of touchdowns, but the deficit was just too much to overcome. 

The win moves St. Anthony's to fourth in the standings with a 3-2 league record. Their next matchup is another crucial one, as they battle the Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders up in White Plains. 

With the loss - their third defeat in four games - Chaminade fell into fifth place. They will shift their sights to this coming Friday to what is shaping up to be a must-win game against Cardinal Hayes. 

"I believe this team has a lot of heart, a lot of fight; they play together, and they have fun," said Claro. "But at the end of the day, it's only fun when you win. These last two weeks have been kind of lousy for us, so I'm looking for us to get back on the winning side."

Next week's contest will be held at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium, home of the Columbia Lions. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.