Terriers can't find answers for Xaverian

St. Francis Prep had two weeks to find an answer for Xaverian, to solve their personal jigsaw puzzle.
They never found them, losing to the Clippers in Kings Bay, 24-3, Saturday afternoon for the second time in three weeks in the CHSFL AAA semifinals. The Terriers (7-4), 29-point losers to their Brooklyn rivals in the final week of the regular season, played Xaverian tougher this time but the result was eerily similar. St. Francis Prep, the defending CHSFL AA champions, were unable to generate much offense, the lone score a 28-yard Rory Creegan field goal.
&#8220I thought we played well,” St. Francis Prep Coach Vincent O'Connor said. &#8220We weren't up to the task of handling their superior ability. It was a case of playing a very good football team. They outplayed us.”
A week after tossing three touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions in the opening round playoff win over Cardinal Hayes, senior quarterback Ray Sheehan could never find his rhythm. He was picked off twice, missed countless open receivers, and completed just a 15-yard pass to Creegan after halftime against the Clippers' relentless pass rush.
&#8220It's tough,” Sheehan said. &#8220It's the hardest thing in the world to end my [high school] career like this.”
The Clippers (10-1) shredded the Terriers front seven, the team's supposed strength, once again - Xavier Martin scored from 70 yards out on the second play from scrimmage, eclipsing the 100-yard mark, quarterback Chris Calabrese put the final nail in the St. Francis Prep coffin, scooting 20 yards to pay dirt around left end for the final score, and Patrick Regan found Paul Perez for a 27-yard touchdown on an option pass in the second quarter.
&#8220It's not like they grinded it out against us,” linebacker Shane O'Connor said. &#8220The big plays killed us.”
The victory pushed Xaverian into the city championship against top-seeded Fordham Prep, who began the Terriers' late-season slump a month ago. After dropping the Battle for the Boulevard to Holy Cross to open the season, the Terriers reeled off six straight wins, but ended the 2006 campaign by dropping three of four.
&#8220I can't be mad at anybody,” Shane O'Connor said. &#8220Everybody played their hearts out. We just came up short.”