Coming off of a last-second win over Bishop Hendricken (RI), Chaminade entered its Saturday afternoon matchup against Seton Hall Prep with high hopes of starting a winning streak. However, the Flyers were undone by a poor showing in the game's second half, ultimately falling to the Pirates, 30-11.
After opening the season with a 21-10 loss to Kellenberg on August 29, the momentum shifted in the Flyers' favor in an 18-17 victory over Bishop Hendricken last weekend in Rhode Island.
With a victory now under their belts, the Flyers entered Gold Star Stadium on Saturday, September 12 to take on the Seton Hall Prep Pirates, a fierce non-league opponent out of Orange County, New Jersey.
"We are going to play a very tough opponent today, and it'll take everything…to win this game," admitted head coach Thomas Claro '92 before kickoff. "We [need to] play down the stretch…play four quarters!"
In the face of such a formidable foe, the head coach was buoyed by some encouraging injury news he received this week:
"We got Anthony Trapani back!" said a smiling Claro. "He is our best player, so we are excited to have him."
Trapani, Chaminade's star senior running back, made an instant impact in the game, turning his first carry into a first down. He was spelled on the first drive by junior Christian Bekiers, who normally plays cornerback but produced a few solid carries on the Flyers' first possession.
After the teams traded punts to open the contest, Chaminade began its second drive in the shadow of its own goalpost. On fourth down, attempting to punt from their end zone, the Crimson and Gold gave up a safety as the snap sailed over the head of punter Christian Birch Trani. This miscue gave the Pirates a 2-0 lead - one which lasted for the rest of the first quarter.
In the second stanza, the Flyers took the lead. A short drive which featured the connection between quarterback Sean Carnevale and wide receiver Michael Genovese ended in a five-yard rushing touchdown by Trapani to put Chaminade ahead, 6-2. Giuseppe DeVita's successful two-point conversion extended the Crimson and Gold's advantage to six.
The teams then traded scores to end the first half:
Wide receiver Cadel Barilford caught the Pirates' first touchdown of the day to give SHP a 9-8 lead with 4:33 to go in the second quarter. In response, Kellan Stapleton, Chaminade's junior kicker, drilled a 45-yard field goal with 23 seconds remaining to give the Flyers an 11-9 lead at halftime.
Coming out of the half, the Crimson and Gold tried to rally around Coach Claro's words: "We play four quarters!" However, the Pirates would soon stop the Flyers in their tracks.
To begin their counterattack, Seton Hall's Taylor Daniels opened the second half with a 45-yard kickoff return that placed the ball at the Flyers' 40-yard line. It was a play that foreshadowed the ensuing 12 minutes of action, as two Leonard West touchdowns would give the Pirates a 23-11 lead by the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth, an Adonis Rabrun touchdown put the game out of reach, as the Pirates were victorious, 30-11.
"We played a good first half…but one bad play to start the second half, and it kind of snowballed from there," reflected Claro.
Although the loss dropped Chaminade's record to 1-2, the Flyers showed many bright spots in their play, from Trapani's return to Stapleton's impressive performance.
"We played as a team…We ran well at times, passed well," said Claro.
Chaminade's next contest will come at home against Monsignor Farrell on Saturday the 19th, followed by a contest in Queens versus St. Francis Prep on the 26th.
