By Joseph Staszewski
Consider the Holy Cross and St. Francis Prep football rivalry back where it belongs even if it was played on the wrong boulevard.
The resurgence of the Terriers’ program made the Battle of the Francis Lewis a true battle again despite taking place on Charles Lindbergh Boulevard in Hempstead, L.I. The two rivals produced the most competitive game in five years in the Knights’ 20-13 win in the CHSFL Class AAA quarterfinals at Mitchel Field Saturday.
“I give them credit,” Holy Cross running back Brandon Pelzer said of St. Francis Prep. “That’s a good team. They belonged today.”
The Knights, winners of five straight against SFP, still own the rivalry on the field. The last St. Francis Prep victory was back in 2008, when the school made its last Class AAA playoff appearance before this season. A handful of lopsided losses followed, including 19-0 last year.
The latest version was no such thing.
“We’re getting closer,” Terriers assistant Coach Richie Carroll said.
The programs themselves couldn’t be closely tied together. The players are former Pop Warner teammates. Cross running back Jordan Francklin’s sister Skylar is a junior at St. Francis Prep rooting for the Knights. Terriers quarterback William Gluck’s father was a cornerback at Holy Cross, just to name a few.
“That’s my little sister,” Francklin said. “She’s on my side.”
The players talked about the extra hype and buildup around this game, the first playoff meeting since 1997. Teachers, classmates and friends couldn’t stop talking about it all week. Carroll said there was nothing that needed to be said to get his team up for this contest.
“It was probably the biggest game I’ve ever played in my life,” St. Francis Prep wide receiver Michael Hartgrove said. “Everybody was ready for it.”
This was the way the game was supposed to be, emotions high and bragging rights at stake. A few thousand people packing St. John’s University like the old days may have been the only thing missing. No Thanksgiving game gimmick was needed to build excitement or interest. The only words needed to do so should be St. Francis Prep vs. Holy Cross.
“They are right down the block from us,” Francklin said. “We take the same bus route.”
Still, the players knew this contest was unique because of the postseason implications. The Terriers were unbeaten in league play and their seniors were in search of their first varsity playoff win. Holy Cross was trying to get back to the semifinals for the first time since 2009.
“That defines your career for these kids,” Knights Coach Tom Pugh said. “Make it a playoff game and it adds a little bit more on to it.”
The Battle of the Boulevard has new life.
