After beating the Xavier Knights 41-35 in overtime at Hofstra University in Hempstead on Saturday night, October 6, the Saint Francis Prep Terriers are 4-1 overall and 4-0 in Catholic High School Football League (CHSFL) competition.
Their lone loss was against Washingtonville High School, from Kingston, New York, in week one.
One of the Terriers’ strong suits — their running game — struggled to get going in the first half, forcing the team to open up the offense and mix in more passing plays.
As the game wore on, the offensive line began opening holes for the backfield duo of junior halfback Justin Guerre and senior back Kadir Wisdom. With 5:26 left in regulation, Wisdom recorded a 60-yard run with the help of strong blocking up front. The drive was completed with a Guerre 3-yard touchdown run tying the game at 27.
On the other side of the ball, the Terriers struggled to slow Knights junior running back William Solomon, who ran for more than 250 yards for the second consecutive game.
In the fourth quarter, both teams had opportunities on offense, but the game came down to defense. A deflection by senior Ramel Joseph, who ran from one sideline to the other to break up a pass and a likely score, and an interception by Guerre, who hadn’t played defense his entire high school career, helped keep the Terriers in the game.
The interception by Guerre put the Terriers back on offense and Guerre was the beneficiary. Senior quarterback Jack Hurley, who threw for 213 yards, delivered a long, accurate pass down the sideline to Guerre for a 64-yard touchdown with 1:51 to go in regulation. The Terriers then tied it with a 2-point conversion strike from Hurley to Joseph.
In overtime, a Hurley to Wisdom 20-yard touchdown and a defensive stop sealed the Prep victory against Xavier.
The game was the difference between a 3-2 team and a 4-1 team – a very big difference in October in the CHSFL.
“It is so surreal [being 4-0 in the league and beating Xavier Saturday night], but we know that we have a lot of work to do and we are not trying to lose any games this year [in the league],” Wisdom noted before Monday afternoon’s practice.
They play their homecoming game Friday, October 12 at 7 p.m. at Mitchell Field in Uniondale against the Cardinal Spellman Pilots.
