The St. Francis Prep Terriers will host the Holy Cross Knights at Mitchell Athletic Complex in Uniondale on Friday, September 10, to kick-off the 2010 football season. Both teams will play for bragging rights in what is commonly called “The Battle of the Boulevard.”
The Terriers had a disappointing season last year winning just their last regular season game against Kellenberg. This year, St. Francis features a new starting quarterback, Brendan Stackpole, in his second year on varsity. Stackpole showed great instincts last year coming off the bench to replace Ryan Paccione and starting in the playoffs. In addition, Stackpole showed superb leadership qualities on and off the field, being named captain almost immediately following last season.
“A lot of camaraderie was shown early [in training camp],” Stackpole said, describing this team.
Matt Gericke and Tanner Brandimarte are Stackpole’s go-to-guys. Gericke shows speed and explosiveness being about 5’6” and 141 lb., and Brandimarte will be Prep’s number one receiver. St. Francis will start Frank Campisi at running back, but roles will be given out according to strengths.
Prep features five sophomores: Dylan King, Kadir Wisdom, Ramel Joseph, Michael Persichilli, and Reuben St. Marc. King, Coach Vincent O’Connor’s grandson, is fighting for a spot on the offensive line, but more importantly he will gain experience for the future. King will also be on special teams most likely kicking.
Wisdom started at running back on the freshman team last year and is fast and small at 5’2’ and no more than 120 lbs. He will be a slot receiver and a solid second back.
Joseph is third string quarterback and wide-out showing quickness and smart play.
Persichilli was a force on defense last year, but it seems that the Terriers would like to place him in the full back position. He scored one touchdown last year in a goal line situation and has played full back in a few occasions.
St. Marc was excellent on defense last year and this year he is skipping junior varsity with the other four sophomores. The coaches are thrilled with his smart play and dedication.
“The intensity up front is coming a lot harder,” said captain and nose tackle Keith Carrington, who is a force that looks to take advantage of offensive mistakes and explode through the line.
This Terriers team should be fun to watch and their opening day strategies are going to be tailor made to Holy Cross’s power.
Further north on Francis Lewis Boulevard the Holy Cross Knights look to continue their strong play from last year’s 7-3 record.
“The linebacking core is all back, the secondary is all back, the running backs are back and the offensive line is back,” said Coach Tom Pugh. “We’re in good shape.”
One major difference with the Knights is the quarterback position. Last year, Dean Marlowe started and was rated the number one quarterback in New York State. As he graduated, this year Cross is going to rotate their quarterbacks between Kevin Durkan and Yianni Gavalas. Although they are inexperienced on the varsity level, they should have no problem developing around offensive weapons Devon Cajuste and Kedar Hunter.
Wide receiver Cajuste is a beast at 6’6”, 205 lbs and led the Catholic High School Football League (CHSFL) in receiving in 2009. In 10 games, he had 921 total yards, averaged 23 yards per catch and scored seven touchdowns.
“He’s a phenomenal player. You don’t get a chance to see a player like that much,” Pugh said of Cajuste, who signed a scholarship deal with Stanford University in June.
Pugh emphasized that it is a senior league and the more experienced players will play. One area where this philosophy could be challenged is their defensive line, which consists mostly of inexperienced players who have not seen the game on varsity speed.
For game schedules and other information about CHSFL teams, visit www.nychsfl.org.
