Preview: Archbishop Stepinac at St Peters

Archbishop Stepinac at St. Peters

September 9th 1:30 pm 

In the first week of the CHSFL season, there is only one inner conference game for the AAA division and its when Stepinac travels to Staten Island to take on St Peters.


Player to watch for St Peters- Shakim Douglas- TE/DL  [Committed to Navy] The kid is a matchup nightmare offensively and a very good run and pass blocker. Douglas is a 2 way player, on defense he had 10 sacks last year including 1 vs Stepinac a year ago.


For St Peters, Justin Malak and this running game will need to step up for the Eagles. St Peters has a junior by the name of Chris Ledlum who is another matchup nightmare in this offense. The 6'4 WR  is a stud and another player to watch. The key for the Eagles is a quick start. St Anthony's and Cardinal Hayes took early leads when defeating Stepinac last year. Defensively slowing down the passing game and limiting Stepinac's athlete Trill Williams are 2 musts to be successful on Saturday.

Player to watch for Stepinac- Trill Williams- ATH  [committed to Syracuse]
He's plays everywhere and he might be the best athlete on the field. Williams had 5 Td's vs Iona prep last year before tearing his ACL but now he's back and better than ever.

For Stepinac, they need establish the run game so they can attack the secondary of St Peters early and often. The Eagles lose a lot in the secondary and Stepinac has one of the top QB's within Michael Nicosia back and he returns some of his top targets within Alex Thomas and Tyler Winston
Defensively the crusaders had trouble defending the pass in thier losses last season so keying in on Douglas and Ledlum is a must.

Key matchup- Stepinac Offense vs STP defense
Archbishop Stepinac's offense is one of the best units in the AAA division and can put up points on anyone. The Eagles defense loses a lot but they have talent returning and this matchup here can decide if Stepinac will run away with this or if the Eagles can stay with the Crusaders and take the W

Top 50 CHSFL AAA players to watch

Top 50 players in the CHSFL AAA division to watch in 2017 [the list is arranged in alphabetical order by the first name]

Alex Thomas- WR [Stepinac]
Andre Mcgann- RB [Christ the King] 

Anthony Mangi- DB [Farrell]
Antonio Colclough- Lineman [Cardinal Hayes] committed to Temple
Atrilleon "Trill" Williams- ATH [Stepinac] Committed to Syracuse
Carlos Fernandez- RB [Cardinal Hayes]
Chris Ledlum- WR [St Peters]
Chris Nicholas- WR [Chaminade]
Darryl Fuller- Lineman [Christ the King]
Derek Ferraro- Lineman [Iona prep]
Derek Robertson- QB [Iona prep]
Elijah Jones- ATH [Cardinal Hayes] committed to Boston College
Grayson Cherubino- LB [St Anthonys] committed to Bucknell
Greg Campisi- QB [St Anthonys]
Heron Maurisseau- WR [St Anthonys] committed to UCONN
 Jack Donovan- LT [St Anthonys]
Jack Doty- Lineman [Iona prep]
Jake Valensi- LB [Farrell]
John Kelly- Linebacker- [Farrell] committed to Navy
James Depalma- DB [Farrell]
Johnryan Freeman- WR [iona prep]
John Shelly- LB [Chaminade]
Justin Malak- RB [St Peters]
Justin Hairston- ATH [Stepinac]
Justin Sesny- DB [St Peters]
Julian Chung- ATH [St Anthonys]
Kevin Gray- LB [Stepinac]
Ki'shyane Shipmon- ATH [iona prep]
Liam Siegler- DL [Chaminade]
Lucas Nunez-WR [Cardinal Hayes] committed to Sacred Heart
Malkelm Morrison- DB [iona prep]
Michael Degaspairs- WR [iona prep]
Michael Nicosia- QB[Stepinac]
 Nick Greer- DT [St Anthonys]
Nicholas Hunter- LB [Christ the King]
Peter Sluder- Lineman [St Peters]
Phill Platania- DB [St anthonys]
Prince Williams- DT [Christ the King]
Qadir White- Lineman [Cardinal Hayes] committed to Syracuse
Randy Brito- DB [Cardinal Hayes] committed to Sacred Heart

Ronald Prince-Lineman  [Stepinac]
Ryan Vahey- LB [St Anthony's]
 Sean Bryan- RB [St Anthonys] 

Sean Flemming- WR [Iona prep]
Sean Koppenheffer- Lineman [Farrell]
Shakim Douglas- TE [St Peters] committed to Navy 

Shawn Harris JR- WR [Stepinac]
Sofian Massoud- ATH [Cardinal Hayes]
Tirek Murphy- RB [Christ the King]
Tyler Winston- WR [Stepinac]


Honorable Mention- Brandon Thorton- WR/ATH [St Peters], Dominick Speranza- DB [Chaminade]


Note- Double digit players who are uncommitted on this list have college offers

2017 Hansen and Thorp award watch lists and the Preseason LI football top 5 rankings

Hansen award watchlist [given to Suffolk's top player]

Jeremey Ruckert- TE/WR- Lindenhurst
Nick Siva- RB William Floyd
Nick Messina- RB Ward Melville
Ryan Walsh- QB Northport
Alec Kiernan- RB Centereach
Kyle Zawadzki- QB Smithtown West
Deyvon Wright- RB Half Hallow Hills West
Gerald Filardi- QB Half Hallow Hills West
Dylan Laube- RB Westhampton
Justin Taveras- RB East Islip
Jack Collins- QB Port Jefferson
Tyler Ammirato- RB Miller Place
Sean Bryan- RB St Anthony's
Greg Campisi- QB St Anthony's
Heron Maurisseau-O'neal- WR St Anthony's
HONORABLE MENTION: Gavin Buda- WR Harborfields

Thorp award watchlist [given to Nassau's top player]
Dashwan Meadors- RB Hempstead
Tommy Heuer- QB Oceanside
Dylan Judd- ATH Oceanside
Kenny Galvin- QB Massapequa
Owen Glascoe- WR Massapequa
Ajae Grayson- ATH Freeport
Michael Proios- QB Mepham
Andrew DeSantis- ATH Garden City
Kyle Acquavella- QB MacArther
Kevon Hall- RB Rosevelt
Tommy Rohan- RB Wanagh
Gavin Casey- RB/FB Wantagh
Jake Castelleno- QB Wantagh
Christian Fredericks- ATH Lawrence
Austin Carman-Lyonns- RB Clarke
Sean Russell- QB Clarke
HONORABLE MENTION- Joshua Milfort St Cyr- RB Elmont

 Preseason LI football top 5 rankings

5. Oceanside- The Sailors come into the season has the favorites to win Nassau 1 and the favorite for the LIC in class 1. O side returns a boatload of talent this season with their QB Tommy Heuer and one of the best athletes in Nassau within Dylan Judd. They have some big lineman returning with Derek cruz running behind it this season. Cruz is one of the most underrated backs on LI. Last season he even ran for over 200 yards against Freeport. Conference 1 of the hardest conferences with the most depth year in and year out but the Sailors return the talent and special senior class that puts the at the top of conference 1 list and the number 5 overall team on LI coming into the 2017 season

4. Garden City- The Trojans were so dominant a year ago running through Nassau conference 2 last season then they beat a very good Hills West team a year ago in the LIC 13-6. Speaking to an opposing conference 2 coach during the fall he was just very impressed with the size skill and athleticism of the Trojans. Garden City is always well coached and are the heavy favorites in conference 2 due to the departure of Hills West. GC returns a lot of talent for this upcoming season on both sides of the ball. Andrew DeSantis is one of the best players on LI only. The Trojans year in and year out have one of the toughest defenses on LI, last year they only allowed 7 points per game. Garden City has one of the most complete teams on LI and is the team to beat in conference 2

3. Wantagh- The Warriors went 12-0 last year and won the LIC in conference 3. They return maybe
the best RB duo on Long Island with a fire and ice combo of Gavin Casey and Tommy Rohan. Casey is a big back who's 6'2 225 pounds as he displays power and speed, and he is dominant on defense as well. Casey ran for over 800 yards, while Rohan ran for over 1400 yards last year. Rohan is only 5'9 but is extremely slippery and very very explosive out of the backfield. These 2 backs can both rush for over 1000 yards this year. They also return their starting QB Jake Castelleno. The Warriors return pieces on defense inculding LaVache and D'Onofrino.  Wantagh only allowed 5 points per game last year on defense. The Warriors are the favorites in Nassau conference 3 and they could be playing Hills West in November for what could be one of the best and most anticipated LIC games in a long time

2.  Half Hallow Hills West- Last year the Colts won Suffolk 2 but fell to Garden City in the LIC 13-6. Hills West graduates one of their best players within Cam Jordan but they return the best running back on Long Island with Deyvon Wright who already received an offer from West Virginia. This year they move to conference 3 with so much talent on their roster. Aside from Wright they have almost their whole O-line returning and one of the best QB's in Suffolk with Gearld Fillardi. There defense was stout a year ago and is expected to be the same way this year. This year they are the heavy favorites in Suffolk 3 and could play Nassau powerhouse Wantagh in the LIC and the sky is the limit with the upside for this Hills West team as they could be the number 1 team on Long Island at the end of the season.


1. St Anthony's- The Friars have been ranked number 1 on Long Island 9 of the last 10 years by maxpreps for good reason. The Friars are always loaded with talent and play the hardest schedule
on long island. They play against out of state teams and they play in the hardest division in NY. This year they have major talent as well as they return one of the best O-lines on Long Island. They have their QB Greg Campisi who is still undefeated as a varsity starter. Behind that big O-line they have a very talented back by the name of Sean Bryan. The friars also return Heron Maurisseau-O'Neal the UCONN bound senior who plays WR. The Friars always have a stout defense and return key peices from last years squad including Nick Greer and Grayson Cherubini the Bucknell commit. St Anthony's returns talent and gains talent from their championship JV team. The Friars will be one of the favorites in the CHSFL and are my preseason number 1 ranked team on Long Island. 

CHSFL AAA PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS AND PREDICTIONS

PRESEASON AWARDS

CPOY- "Trill" Williams- Stepinac 

DPOY- John Kelly- Monsinger Farrell 

Top QB- Michael Nicosia-Stepinac/ Greg Campisi- St Anthony's

Top RB- Sean Bryan- St Anthony's

Top WR- Lucas Nunez- Cardinal Hayes 

Breakout star- Sofian Massoud- Cardinal Hayes



Power rankings
8. Chaminade- The flyers last season went 4-5 with a loss to stepinac in the quarterfinals. Chaminade graduates a senior class that did everything for them. They lose matt chimil who was one of the top QB in the AAA division. Frank Tangredi and Dom Doria not only a scary duo on the lacrosse field but those seniors did it on the gridiron as well but those 2 are both leaving. The flyers have a lack of talent left from their returning players. Leading receiver Chris nicholas who earned an All league honors is back for the flyers but thats about all they have back as they have a lot of holes to fill up and down the roster which puts them at last.

7. St Peters- Coming into 2017 the Eagles are losing one of the best players they ever had within Bobby Wing. The running back meant so much to the program but now he is gone. St peters feature back this year is Justin Malak he has a lot of potential to do great things this season for the eagles. St peters has a very underrated receiving corps. Chris Ledlum, Brandon Thorton and Shkim Douglas are all back. The main question is... Who will be throwing them the ball and will Justin Malak be able to carry the load this season. On the defenseive side of the ball they return there whole D line but there are questions in the secondary and in the linebacker position as they lose 6 starters on defense that were all league selections a year ago. The Eagles are a sleeper this season and if they could put their talented pieces together they could surprise a lot of people.

6. Christ the King- The royals just graduated one of their best senior classes they've had in awhile. Last season they were known as a AAA team playing the AA division. They proved it when they beat st anthonys last year 14-12 and now they are in the AAA division for 2017. Most of those seniors are gone which leaves some holes but what they do have back is their QB Demertius Wilson. Wilson was a stud for the royals last season and has potential to do great things this season. Every player who caught a ball last season and leading rusher Siddiq moummod is gone. Andre mgann will look to be the feature back this season. Nicholas hunter an all league selection a year ago will anchor the defense this year as he led the team in tackles as a junior. The main question for the royals is can they repeat their success from last season despite losing their whole receiving corps. Due to the large loss of seniors the royals are at 6 but with a couple of the best players in the division, good young players and a pretty good line this well coached team can yet again can open eyes and find ways to compete.

5. Monsignor Farrell- The Lions surprised people offensively last year with an effective ground game and passing game. They lose a bunch of seniors offensively including their big 3 within Frank Patalano, Gavin Monearle and Rocco Virglia. They do return one of the best defences in AAA. Linebacker John Kelly the navy bound senior is back for the Lions, he had over 100 tackles as a junior. Jake Valensi another linebacker is also back and he had over 70 tackles last season and Sean Koppenheffer a linemen who was third on the team in tackles .  In the secondary they return 2 of the very best within James Deplama and Anthony Mangi. The question is the offense. Who will be throwing the ball and does there offence have enough firepower to make a run? John Kelly could be the feature back this year and could do great things but this offense has a bunch of questions and with all these high powered offenses this year Farrell will be ranked 5th

4. Iona prep- Coming into the season Iona prep already made a splash by winning the New Canaan grip it and rip it 7 on 7 tournament. They even beat Stepinac in the finals. Last year they won the AA championship and now they are back in AAA. They one of the best recievers in the AAA division within Michael Degaspairs. He broke the single season CHSFL reception record last with 77 grabs and had 13 catches for 211 yards and 2 touchdowns against Stepinac a year ago. Ki'shyane Shipmon is also back for the gales, he had over 500 yards rushing and over 600 yards receiving this kid could do it all. Another receiver they have back is Johnryan freeman, he had 43 catches last year. The question is... Who will be throwing the ball, but they did win the 7 on 7 finals at New Canaan which means they obviously have something. Rodney Samson jr has graduated and he ran for 1000 yards last season and Ki'shyane Shipmon will most likely be used more at reciever. Do they have a guy who can fill his shoes in the running game and be a full time RB like Samson was? On the defensive side of the ball they have a lot of talent just like the offensive side and it will not be easy to put up points on the Gales this season as they are a true contender this upcoming season.

3. Archbishop Stepinac- Last season Stepinac fell just short in the final against cardinal hayes 41-39. Coming into 2017 the Crusaders are one of the heavy favorites to win it all. With their schedule they have a possibility of even going undefeated. The gap of talent from rankings 3 to 1 is extremely close and could've gone either way for all 3 teams. Stepinac returns one of the best QBs in the division within Michael Nicosia who threw 25 touchdowns. The most dynamic player in AAA is back as Trill Williams missed most of 2016 but scored 5 touchdowns vs iona prep last year, The Syracuse commit does it all he can run the ball he could catch the ball and is one of the best defensive backs in AAA.  On defense they lose some of their top guys with Gene Brown, Devonte Myles and Louis Blackwell but they return some guys and have a lot of talent coming back to fill those shoes. They return a solid receiving core as well with Trill Williams, Alex Thomas, and Tyler Winston and they return an explosive talent within Shawn Harris. They lose Jonathan Gomez and Antonio Gianncio their top 2 rushers but Trill Williams could be taking snaps at RB. Returning a lot of talent the crusaders are a contender to win it all.

2. St Anthony's- The friars were the most dominant team in new york for a long period of time. Now teams have caught up to them and some people think that Cardinal Hayes and Stepinac own the division now. The friars haven't made a title appearance since 2013 but these friars in 2017 could win a title. They return almost their whole offensive line and one of the best running backs in AAA within Sean Bryan. They might have the best QB returning as well with Greg Campisi. He is still undefeated as a varsity starter . For the receiving core they lost a couple of really good guys within Andrew Hancock and Terrance Mooney, but they have Heron Maurisseau-O'neil the UCONN bound senior who is a stud.  They also have one of the most underrated players in the CHSFL by the name of Julian Chung. Also St Anthony's won the JV AAA championship a year ago and with the friars all they do is reload so they have talented juniors coming up as well including Caleb Monzon. On the defensive side the friars return all league lineman Nick Greer and Linebacker Grayson Cherubini a Bucknell commit. They have returning pieces in the secondary as well including around athlete Gershom Delva. This St Anthony's team with the winningest coach in suffolk county history by their sides and with returning talent and up in coming talent these friars can go back on top of the catholic division.

1. Cardinal Hayes- Cardinal hayes won the AAA championship a year ago with one of the best offenses I have ever seen. They return the best receiving core in maybe the state with Lucas Nunez who was 4th in new york history for recviving, Emmanuel Oliver and Elijah jones the Boston College bound senior. They lose their QB Christian Anderson who was the player of the year, but Sofian Maasoud will play QB this year and the incoming sophomore has loads and loads of potential for this season after being named to the freshman all american team a year ago. He is already getting division 1 looks as an ATH. Massoud also led the team in tackles last season. At the running position they return Carlos Fernandez who rushed for over 700 yards and had 13 total touchdowns last season. By the terms of talent on the offensive side it does not get much better then what cardinal hayes has to offer this upcoming season. On the defensive side of the ball they return some guys as well with Abreu, Massoud, Rosario and Franco who all had good seasons last year. Cardinal hayes just has unbelievable athletes on their roster this season. The question is... Can Hayes hold up? They have a lot of talent but will their defense be able to hold up and will they be able to withstand everybody chasing them night in and night out as the top team in the CHSFL? With this talent Cj O'neils guys are the odds on favorite to win the CHSFL AAA division and the state title this season.

Why Oceanside will win the long island high school football championship.

Derek Cruz, Tommy Heuer and Dylan Judd are all returning this upcoming season for the sailors. Last season Oceanside had a quarter final exit in a heart breaking loss to Massapequa. In Nassau 1 this year Freeport and the Farmingdale graduate superstar classes involving Rashad tucker, Jalien hood and Elijah Campbell are gone for the red devils. Thorpe award winner Jordan McClune has graduated for Farmingdale who has gave sailor nation nightmares. Oceanside is the next team up they have arguably one of the best QBs on long island in tommy Heuer. Lets not forget that Derek Cruz is returning and he is the guy that ran for 219 yards on 39 carries against Freeport last season. Dylan Judd one of the most versatile players on long island is back for the sailors. He can do it all he is monster on defense and is arguably the best receiver in Nassau 1. The team that can compete with Oceanside in Nassau 1 is Massapequa. They both return a lot of starters but the difference is the line. Michael Scibelli and Vincent Shelli are back as they both are dominant on both sides of the ball. Then we go out east and we look at the number 1 tight end in the country in Jeremy Ruckert who is the favorite to win the Hansen award playing for Lindenhurst. If this was 2016 I would be worried but Austin Pirri and Andy Merkeson are both gone for the bulldogs. Covering Ruckert would be a challenge but the favorite in Suffolk 1 is not lindy it is William Floyd. Last season Floyd won Suffolk but lost to Freeport in the LIC. Oceanside has a lot of speed off the edge and that's what Freeport had last year when they stopped super sophomore Nick Silva and William Floyd. The thing with Oceanside that makes them so good is the ability to run and PASS. the only notable QB coming back in Nassau 1 is Kenny Galvin for the chiefs. They play Pequa in week 1 which could be a preview of the Nassau 1 final. There is a lot of question marks within Freeport, Farmingdale and Baldwin this season which clearly makes Oceanside one the favorites. In Suffolk ward Melville, William Floyd and Longwood are mostly one dimensional with using the power run game. I do like Northport with Ryan Walsh this year but I do not think they'll get out of Suffolk. The sailors are a run and gun team with a great line. The sailors are well coached by rob Blount and showed trickery last season with hook and ladders and fake punts. In the last 40 years Oceanside has only been to 2 Nassau finals but this year Tommy Heuer will lead Oceanside to a Nassau crown and a long island championship.