Whether it was through the air or on the ground, the football seemed to never stop moving when St. Anthony’s  quarterback Gary Merrill was holding it.

Merrill completed 6 of 8 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 108 yards and a score as the Friars defeated Holy Trinity for the 20th consecutive time, winning on the road, 41-14, on Sunday. St. Anthony's (6-2) improved  its all-time record against the Titans to 30-8. The junior did not play in the second half after St. Anthony's took a 34-7 lead into halftime.

“Gary is a great athlete, he’s fantastic with the ball in his hands,” St. Anthony's coach Joe Minucci said. “He can make a lot of guys miss and make a lot of dynamic plays.”

The Friars were coming off a 27-21 homecoming loss to Monsignor Farrell, but Minucci said he was pleased with his team’s response throughout the week to prepare for Sunday’s game.

“Last week [Monsignor Farrell] came to play, and they were the better football team last Friday,” Minucci said. “Our kids worked hard to get it right this week in practice, minimize mistakes that we made on film — penalties, holds, missed assignments — and they did a good job all week long, and I think it paid off for us this afternoon.”

The Friars scored on their first drive of the game, set up by a 13-yard reception by James Taylor and an 18-yard run by Merrill. The quarterback then connected with Taylor on a lovely fade to the back right corner of the end zone for a 4-yard score.

“I thought [Taylor] was a little bit taller, a better matchup,” Merrill said. “I thought he could go up and make a play.”

Holy Trinity had its best drive of the game on its second possession, but St. Anthony’s was able to force a turnover on downs as the Titans were unable to convert a 12-play drive into points. Two plays after the stop, Merrill hit Braden Mehm on a slant, which the senior took 77 yards for a touchdown.

It was a welcome sign for Minucci’s Friars after allowing 27 points last week, but as most coaches will say, it wasn’t perfect.

“We struggled to get off the field on third downs, which was a little bit frustrating,” Minucci said. “We were banged up, so to see players who haven’t really played too much rise up and contribute to this was terrific.”

St. Anthony’s will head to Archbishop Stepinac on Friday night. Holy Trinity fell to 3-5 and hosts St. Francis Prep on Saturday.

By Michael Sicoli

The Saint Anthony’s Boys Varsity Football team got their preseason started with pad-less practices on August 16th. Fortunately, on the second day of training, Friar Scoreboard had the opportunity to talk with head coach, Joe Minucci, regarding the pressures, expectations, takeaways, and hopes that come with being reigning CHSFL AAA and New York State Champions. 

You have an amazing group of returning players this year, all of whom now have a championship ring on their resume, who do you expect to step up as leaders from that group? 
JM: You know, it’s very hard to pick particular leaders out of this special and solid bunch we have, and there’s guys who have risen up already and accepted leadership roles. They’ve all done a great job, but you have guys like Alex Menghi (TE, 2024), KJ Duff (WR/TE, 2024), Braden Mehm (WR, 2024), Davin Foote (LB, 2024), they’ve all come around and have separated themselves to some extent. 

After last season’s state title run, what do you want your guys to take from that last campaign and apply to this season?

JM: I think that last year we were a very talented group of guys that played very unselfishly, we shared the football around which was key to our success, and we never gave up. Realizing that if we believe in ourselves, do things as a team, and never give up, then we’re never out of a game. That was the case at Stepinac last year, we thought we were gonna drop it, but we came up with some magic on the very last play that got us over the hump in the end. That’s something from last year that I’m sure we can lean on now and could help us tremendously.

The goal remains the same in terms of winning those league and state titles, but has any emotion or driving force changed now that you already have a championship to your name?
JM: I don’t think so, you know, a number of the returning guys are itching to do it again and show that Saint Anthony’s football is back where it belongs. The new faces are ready to prove themselves;  plus you have those seniors who didn’t play much last time and still have a lot to prove. This class wants to be who they are and still enjoy those 2022 memories, as they cement their legacy as seniors during this season. 

The pre-season’s only just started, but is there anything you want to make sure you instill on these guys during these early practices?
JM: Well, I think first and foremost is sportsmanship out here, obviously we want to win and do things that haven’t been done before, we want to contend for another league title, we want to repeat. But most importantly is doing the right thing. Being out here and supporting one another, it’s all part of sports, following the mission of Brother David in the building, and translating that out here on the football field.

This Friars roster still stands as one of the most talented groups in not only the division but the state, and when you have practice standouts with the likes of Alex Menghi, Christopher Novelli, and KJ Duff, the repeat these boys are “itching” for is looking like more of a reality every moment they step onto the field. 

St. Anthony’s BVFB kicks off their schedule with a home game vs Delbarton on 9/2 @ 1:00 P.M.

By: Eamon Bevan is a Senior writer in his fourth year working for Scoreboard at St. Anthony’s High School. He is a member of the Varsity Soccer team and is involved in several clubs and ministries.

FOOTBALL 

JV and Varsity 

Wednesday, August 16th.  @Saint Anthony’s Auditorium 8:00 AM

Our google classroom contains the schedule for the entire preseason.

Varsity Google Classroom Code: q6t52t5

Head Coach Joseph Minucci jminucci@stanthonyshs.org
 

Freshmen

Monday, August 21st @Meet in the auditorium 3:15 PM

Practice Front field 4:00 PM -  6:30 

Freshmen Google Classroom Code  J3BGWXX  for additional information 

Head Coach Brendan Schroeder bschroeder@stanthonyshs.org