Friday afternoon, Holy Cross running back Kevin Williams sported a smile from ear to ear as the Flushing school unveiled their new athletic field. A participant in the proceedings, he was excited to be on hand with the numerous public officials and school representatives.
But, he revealed, the real reason for his giddiness was the status of his twisted right ankle. “It's feeling a whole lot better,” he said at the time.
It sure was. Williams, in his second career start under center, subbing for the injured Dan Hussey, accounted for 347 total yards, three touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions, as Holy Cross snapped a four-game losing streak, edging Monsignor Farrell, 28-27, Sunday afternoon at SUNY-Maritime College in the Bronx.
“His ankle is feeling a little better,” Holy Cross Coach Tom Pugh said. “He's still not 100 percent, but he's getting through it. He's coming around.”
Williams ran for 183 yards, but it was his work in the pocket, where he completed 11-of-23 passes for 164 yards, that was more impressive. Pugh scaled back the multi-read west coast offense for Williams, who found Tonev Abraham (six catches, 88 yards) on a post route from 29 yards for a score. “If you give him two choices, he'll make the right one,” Pugh said. “He's picking up the two reads pretty well. That's the biggest thing.”
Trailing 27-20 late, Williams led the Knights on a nine-play, 73-yard drive, capping it with a five-yard keeper. He also ran in the two-point conversion for the winning margin. Daryl Whiting contributed with a 12-yard touchdown run, and Tom Tuohy stripped Monsignor Farrell (1-5, 0-5, CHSFL AAA) quarterback Mike Gentile on a third-and-1 from the Holy Cross (2-4, 1-4 CHSFL AAA) eight-yard-line with less than two minutes remaining. “We were in every game, we were always [going] right down to the wire,” Pugh said.
St. Francis Prep continued to bowl over CHSFL AA opponents, topping St. Peter's, 15-8, for their fifth straight win. Sophomore Robert Daugherty rushed for a one-yard touchdown and Quarterback Ray Sheehan tossed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Rory Creegan, who added a 19-yard field goal, as the Terriers (5-1, 5-0, CHSFL AA) picked off six passes by Steve DiLorenzo and Dean Mercuris, two apiece by Keith Ferrara and James Kikel.
Dougherty left the game to injury, forcing Ferrara into double duty. The senior stepped up to the challenge, rushing for a game-high 97 yards on eight carries.
The defending CHFL AA champs, despite graduating their star running back Jeff Aime, appear to be the class of the league once again. “They are finding their own way,” St. Francis Prep Coach Vincent O'Connor said. “The boys, after a while, started to believe. And that takes over, it's expected and they believe in it.”
