By Laura Amato
Christ the King’s storybook football season came to an early end Sunday afternoon when the Royals fell 28-27 to Xavier in the first round of the CHSFL “AA” playoffs.
It was another postseason disappointment for the squad—falling to the Knights for the second-straight season after losing 28-25 in the city championship game last year.
Xavier scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter when senior Jalen Johnson completed a 50-yard pass to Rory Kinsella, putting the Knights up 28-21 after squandering a 20-point halftime lead. The two-point conversion on the touchdown proved to be the difference-maker, preserving the lead when Christ the King did its best to rally, racking up 21 points in the third quarter alone. The Royals scored in the waning minutes of regulation, but failed to connect on the point after.
Xavier advances to the “AA” semifinals this week, taking on Iona Prep, but the Royals are left searching for answers after yet another almost-there season.
Bayside 39, Adams 0: The Commodores wrapped up the regular season with a big-time victory and notched a first-round postseason bye as well.
Nathaneal Faison led the offensive charge with 158 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Elijah Walcott and Geinhard Kryeziu also chipped in touchdown runs of their own.
Bayside’s defense also held its own as Shamel Lazarus Laifook and Josh Rodriguez notched interceptions and Dimostheni Pefanis finished with seven tackles and two sacks.
Flushing 40, Campus Magnet 14: Kam Walker’s arm led the way, throwing for four touchdowns, including a pair to Nii Adjin. Raynito Clementine and Prasie Prawl also hauled in touchdowns.
Jamaica 42, Beach Channel 20: Garfield McDonald was a rushing force to be reckoned with, racking up 287 yards and four touchdowns to jumpstart the Beavers offense.
Arthur Mccaa chipped in 82 rushing yards and a touchdown as well, while Malike Lawrie added a touchdown run. The two also combined for 33 tackles. Ethan Guthrie and Sayvon Jones each recorded double-digit tackles.
Monsignor Farrell 31, Holy Cross 13: The Knights scored the first and last touchdowns of the game, but couldn’t slow down Farrell in between. The No. 2-seeded Lions jumped out to a 17-6 lead at halftime—sparked by touchdown runs by Frank Patalano and Gavin Monreale—and never looked back.
Eagle II Academy 28, Springfield Gardens 6: The Golden Eagles couldn’t notch a victory in the regular-season finale, but the squad’s year on the gridiron is far from over. Springfield Gardens wrapped up the No. 5 seed in the PSAL Bowl Conference playoffs and will host Jamaica in the first round on Nov. 13.
Eagle Academy III 40, Far Rockaway 0: Tyler Nation racked up the yardage, rushing for 94 yards and two touchdowns, while Gary Newman also chipped in two end-zone trips in the lopsided matchup.
The ground game was impressive, but Eagle’s defense was the star of the game—led by Javon Speid’s 10 tackles and a sack. Jordan Turley also notched an interception and Dean Parham returned an interception for a touchdown.
Info Tech 16, Cardozo 14: The Blackhawks held on for the slim victory as Christian Valerio racked up 170 rushing yards, one touchdown and an interception.
Angel Cardoso led the defensive charge with 11 tackles and an interception, but Michael Gonzalez wasn’t that far behind with six tackles and an interception of his own.
OTHER SCORES
Franklin K. Lane 22, Long Island City 18
