Mark Kramarchuk and Fordham Prep wil get a rematch with St. Francis Prep in the CHSAA ‘AA’ state semis Friday. (Denis Gostev)
It was just minutes after his St. Francis Prep team had beaten Fordham Prep for the CHSAA Class AA intersectional boys soccer title Sunday when Chris Joseph turned his attention to SFP’s next opponent.
Fordham Prep.
“They’re going to be waiting to get revenge on us,” the star midfielder said.
Due to the CHSAA Class AA state tournament’s rotation format, every three years the Brooklyn/Queens winner meets the Archdiocesan champion in the semifinals. This year it just so happened that both of those teams met in the intersectional final. SFP and Fordham meet 3 p.m. Friday at St. John’s University’s Belson Stadium following the first semi at 1 p.m. between St. Joseph’s Collegiate of Buffalo and Long Island titlist St. John the Baptist.
“I’d rather play somebody else, honestly,” Fordham Prep coach Pete McNamara said. “We play each other so much in the city.”
CHSAA Class AA citywide chairman Paul Gilvary said it was simply the luck of the draw this year and he never considered making the intersectional title game count also as the state semifinal. He said he didn’t want to take the state experience away from either team and since both teams had to win in the intersectional semifinals Friday night, it would have been tough to alter the format on such short notice.
“Nobody has ever asked us to do that,” Gilvary said about making the intersectional final have dual meaning.
Gilvary, who won seven intersectional titles at Holy Cross, remembers a situation about a decade ago when Cross and Monsignor Farrell met in the state final, which at the time was played before the intersectional title game. Cross won the state, but Farrell beat the Knights in the city.
“It was kind of like winning the national title, but losing in the Big East championship,” Gilvary joked.
The state final is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday back at St. John’s. Fordham has a chance to get back at SFP for the 1-0 loss Sunday and win a championship of its own.
“It’s gonna be tough,” St. Francis senior Jason Gonzalez said. “It’s gonna be a very aggressive, physical game. But I’m looking forward to it.”
Collegiate’s second straight NYSAISAA crown a breeze: Some questioned Rye Country Day School being seeded first in the NYSAISAA boys soccer tournament. After No. 3 Collegiate blanked Rye, 4-0, Sunday at Manhattanville College in Purchase, even more questions were raised. The Dutchmen, in fact, said the real championship game was their 4-3 win over No. 2 Horace Mann.
“The seeding might’ve been a little suspect,” sweeper Elias Bresnick said. “Horace Mann was the best team during the year and it was a little bit of a letdown not to play them in the final.”
Rye, which won the Fairchester league crown, topped No. 8 Lycee Francais in penalty kicks in the quarterfinals and got by No. 4 Poly Prep, 1-0, in the semifinals. It was selected first by the Massey Ratings, the system used by college football based on overall record, strength of schedule and head-to-head competition, which the NYSAISAA adopted this year for seeding instead of a committee.
Sending a message: St. Francis Prep senior striker Jason Gonzalez wanted to do something special for the CHSAA Class AA intersectional boys soccer final with the hope that he scored a goal. It wasn’t quite a Terrell Owens Sharpie, but Gonzalez wrote on his undershirt “I love you mom and dad.” And when he did end up scoring, in the 50th minute – the game’s lone goal – he lifted his jersey and ran over to where his parents were sitting in the stands at St. John’s University’s Belson Stadium.
“I was like, ‘Everyone get away from me,’ and I ran to my parents,” Gonzalez said of the events after the goal.
He said he couldn’t hear what Francisca and Abileno said to him over the roar of the crowd, but he felt like the message was taken in loud and clear.
“No better feeling than this,” Gonzalez said. “I hope we can win states.”
Penalty kicks end Beacon’s season – again: Beacon won its second PSAL Class A city championship last November by topping Francis Lewis in penalty kicks, but more than not, the shootout hasn’t been kind to the Blue Demons, and it wasn’t on Monday.
Third-seeded Beacon was upset by No. 6 Bayside, 9-8, in penalty kicks – the fourth time in five years its season has ended that way. Two years ago, the Blue Demons fell to Francis Lewis in penalty kicks in the semifinals, the year before, MLK topped them in PKs and in 2007 Lewis did it to them again.
“I’m getting kind of used to this unfortunately,” Beacon coach Alec Mahrer lamented. “It’s tough.”
Off the Mark: Fordham Prep took the pitch Sunday for the CHSAA Class AA intersectional boys soccer championship game without star defensive midfielder Mark Higgins. Rams coach Pete McNamara said the senior injured his foot in the semifinals against Molloy, but finished that game. The next morning, he couldn’t walk.
McNamara, though, said St. Francis Prep’s lone goal wasn’t necessarily because Higgins was out.
“They slept at the moment when [Jason] Gonzalez scored,” the coach said. “They had two or three chances to clear it.”
CHSAA ‘AA’ all-league team:
Felix Abongo, Iona Prep
Matthew Alessandro, Xaverian
Peyton Atteloney, Christ the King
Cesar Ceja, Iona Prep
Dylan Cope, Fordham Prep
Calogero Curcuru, Christ the King
Stephen Elias, Iona Prep
John Favara, Christ the King
Jason Gonzalez, St. Francis Prep
Kyle Hughes, Iona Prep
Chris Joseph, St. Francis Prep
Alex Kapp, Iona Prep
Mark Kramarchuk, Fordham Prep
Robbie Lago, Holy Cross
Ryan McLaughlin, Regis
Greg McNamaram, Fordham Prep
Christian Molano, St. Francis Prep
Trystan Montero, Xavier
Danny Monzi, St. Peter’s
Jack Moravek, Archbishop Molloy
Chris Mouzakitis, Archbishop Molloy
Justin Ottrando, Monsignor Farrell
Frankie Palazzo, Monsignor Farrell
Mike Pizzuti, Archbishop Stepinac
James Ramhold, Monsignor Farrell
Kenny Redzematovic, St. Francis Prep
Steven Reid, St. Francis Prep
Will Salter, Regis
Bobby Santariello, Regis
Ryan Winters, Archbishop Molloy
Zach Zayas, Archbishop Molloy
