2024 was a renaissance year for the Chaminade Flyers. After meeting with victory in just a single contest the previous season, the Flyers flipped the script, won eight games, and reached the CHSFL AAA semifinals, where they fell to eventual state champion Iona Prep. Now, in year two under head coach Tom Claro, the Flyers are poised to take the next step. 

"I think that to achieve our expectations for success this season, we need to be consistent with our strict standard of effort and attention to detail," said senior linebacker Luca Smith. "We need to dominate every game we play and keep the mindset that no one can beat us."

The Flyers are led by a strong returning senior class headlined by captains Smith and Declan Miller. Miller and fellow seniors Christos Katrakazis and Thomas Cassidy anchor an offensive line hoping to protect junior QB Sean Carnevale. 

Carnevale made his first varsity start in the season opener against La Salle Academy, throwing for 174 yards on 17 completions with two touchdowns and an interception. 

"It goes back even before camp to the beginning of summer and long days out on the turf. Whether it was going over routes or our plays, [Carnevale] was putting in 100% and then some," said senior wide receiver Brady Murray. "To see all of that work come together in the first game was awesome."

Carnevale has a bunch of new weapons to work with, as the Flyers lost multiple starters at each of the skill positions. Fortunately, Murray is one of the few returning starters, as he had a plethora of key catches last season. Joining him in the receiving department will be seniors Sean Powers and Henry Peterson, as well as junior Michael Genovese. In the backfield beside Carnevale will be senior Arryn Blades and junior Anthony Trapani, who will also play linebacker. 

"We have all been putting in the work and we are just waiting for the moment when it all clicks, because when we are all in sync and playing at our best, there's not many people that can stop us,'' Murray added. 

On the defensive side of the ball, Smith leads the charge as the Flyers attempt to replicate one of the best defensive seasons in program history. Smith was a huge reason why, as he racked up five sacks and three defensive scores during the 2024 campaign. He is joined by notable returnees such as juniors Matthew Arias and Trapani, as well as seniors Thomas Jemison, Liam Trainor, and Benjamin Bekiers.

"We definitely have the players to have a top defense in the state," reflected Smith. "The thing we need to do to achieve this is to play as a single unit and not 11 guys."

The Flyers entered the season ranked fifth in a strong six-team AAA division headlined at the top by Iona Prep. The Crimson and Gold started their season over Labor Day Weekend, as they traveled to Providence, Rhode Island to play the La Salle Academy Rams. 

Chaminade did not start Saturday's game on the most fleet of foot, as the Rams' offense scored two touchdowns in the first quarter. Junior QB Sam Perry carved up the Flyers' defense, completing nine of 10 passes for 99 yards and two scores - one each to Jaden Givens and Adrian DeLuise - in an impressive opening frame. 

Perry finished the game with a remarkable 306 yards passing and four touchdowns among his 26 completions.

"La Salle had a very strong screen game," admitted Smith. "Because of their no-huddle, fast-paced offense, we found ourselves mentally drained in big situations, causing us to have minor slip-ups and leading to big-time plays for them."

Despite the early deficit, the Flyers bounced back quickly. Arias first energized the bench with a huge sack of Perry for a loss of 13 yards to stymie the Rams' first drive of the second quarter.

Then, the Flyers took advantage of two costly penalties to punch in their first touchdown of the season on a three-yard run by Trapani. 

Later in the quarter, the Chaminade offense worked the two-minute drill to perfection to even the score. Carnevale first executed a successful QB sneak on fourth-and-one to keep the drive alive, and Trapani followed with a pair of electric catches to get the ball down to the one-yard line. There, Carnevale bulldozed his way in on yet another QB sneak to even the score at 14. 

Out of halftime, the Rams came out blazing, as Perry continued to frustrate Chaminade's pass defense. He threw for 111 yards in the period alone, with 55 coming on a touchdown pass to Antonio Bearden to give the home team a 21-14 advantage. They would threaten again later in the quarter, but the drive ended on a fourth-down interception by Joseph Chabus. 

The fourth quarter was everything you could ask for in a season opener. It started when Givens took a screen pass and dashed 67 yards down the sideline to double the Rams' lead. The response from Chaminade didn't come much later, though, as Carnevale connected with Powers on a long completion of their own - 59 yards to be exact - to bring the deficit back to seven. 

After the Rams punted, Carnevale and Trapani marched the Flyers down the field and into the end zone. On the way, Carnevale scrambled to pick up a crucial fourth down, while Trapani rushed to convert the Flyers' first third down of the game. The two-way star finished off the drive with his second rushing score of the match to put the Flyers an extra point away from tying the score at 28.

However, disaster struck on the PAT. Genovese, the holder for kicker Justin Jones, couldn't corral a wild snap, forcing him to make a desperation play to no avail. 

Chaminade would get one last chance to score with under a minute to play, but they couldn't do anything with it, sealing a thrilling victory for La Salle, 28-27.

Despite the loss, Chaminade's resilience was on display:

"It was definitely hard to stay composed, but this is what we practiced," said Murray. "Overall, it came down to our will to win. Everyone on this team has a burning desire to win and will do anything it takes."

The Flyers will continue the initial part of their season with two more non-league matches over the next two weekends - first hosting A. Phillip Randolph High School on Ott Field this Saturday and then traveling to Seton Hall Prep for a game on the 13th.

The league slate will begin on the road against Archbishop Stepinac on Friday night, September 19.

After that, the Flyers will play host to a pair of AA-I foes in St. Peter's and St. Francis Prep before reaching the climax of their season: a three game stretch against Iona Prep, St. Anthony's, and Cardinal Hayes, the top three teams in the AAA division. The former two of those games will be at home, while the latter will be on the road at Columbia University on October 24. 

To round out the campaign, Chaminade will play fellow Marianist squad Kellenberg, who dropped down into AA-I and is the preseason favorite to win that division. 

Chaminade will look to bounce back in their home opener this Saturday against Randolph. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.