As I move through New York City, the next region is Manhattan/Queens/Brooklyn. This traditionally has a lot of great teams, but has fallen on rather more difficult times. A diverse set of schools, and really the beating heart of the ‘AA-2’ division. There are some newcomers (sort of), with Nazareth HS rejoining the CHSFL, and some old time CHSFL programs, like Saint Francis Prep. These schools draw their students from Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan, and they all compete for the same population. Those three boroughs total 6.6 million people. 

The CHSFL schools in Manhattan/Queens/Brooklyn:

• Xavier (Manhattan)
• Xaverian (Brooklyn)
• Nazareth (Brooklyn)
• Saint Francis Prep (Queens)
• Holy Cross (Queens)
• Christ the King (Queens)

Xavier

The only school from Manhattan in the CHSFL, Xavier is a highly accomplished school, surprisingly so, seeing as they don’t really have a home field, or adequate practice facilities. They draw their players from Manhattan, and Brooklyn/Queens. They run an old style of offense, the single wing (referred to the wildcat formation in the NFL and College), full time. Being a national rugby powerhouse, the offensive style matches their prowess in Rugby. The Knights of Xavier have been moderately successful, considering they, like Fordham, had to shut down their program for 1 year during the Covid-19 pandemic. And yet, they have stormed back. After 2023, their longtime coach, the one who introduced the Single Wing offense to Xavier, retired after losing the 100th Turkey Bowl to Fordham Prep. Head Coach Dom Defalco, took over. He played for Xavier during the days of ‘Famous’ Seamus Kelly and the Four Horsemen years. It is important to note that Xavier was 3-1 vs Fordham Prep during his time at 16th Street. Xavier has about 925 boys at their school, and is able to support three football teams. I think this is remarkable, considering the lack of facilities Xavier has, as a school in Manhattan.

Post Covid, here is their record:

• 2021: 1-8, L in ‘AA-1’ 1st Round to Moore Catholic; L in Turkey Bowl to Fordham Prep
• 2022: 7-3, W in ‘AA-2’ Championship vs Mount Saint Michael; L in Turkey Bowl to Fordham Prep
• 2023: 7-5, L in ‘AA-1’ Semifinals to Moore Catholic; L in Turkey Bowl to Fordham Prep
• 2024: 5-5, L in ‘AA-1’ 1st Round to Moore Catholic; W in Turkey Bowl vs Fordham Prep
• 20-21 from 2021-2024

5-5 in a transition year is remarkable, especially capping off the year with a 28-0 drubbing of Fordham Prep in the Turkey Bowl, after losing their workhorse back Merah (who ran for 1179 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2023). Xavier loses three senior backs who ran for 1300+ yards and 23 touchdowns. It is important to note that Xavier did throw the ball 98 times in 2024, which is much more than before. I look for Dom Defalco to continue to add this dimension to their offense, which struggles to climb back into games once losing a lead. Also, it is important to note that, although the Single Wing is difficult to stop for teams on a level playing field, against superior, or physically stronger opponents, it can be stymied. Like Fordham Prep, Xavier has three levels of football, their JV going 2-6 and their freshman going 2-5, though the Single Wing is difficult at the lower levels. 

Their 2025 League Schedule is below: 

Saturday, September 6, 2025	Kellenberg Memorial
Saturday, September 13, 2025	@ St. Peter’s
Saturday, September 20, 2025	@ St. Francis Prep
Saturday, September 27, 2025	BYE
Saturday, October 4, 2025	@ Holy Cross
Saturday, October 11, 2025	Archbishop Stepinac
Saturday, October 18, 2025	Moore Catholic
Saturday, October 25, 2025	BYE
Saturday, November 1, 2025	Christ the King

Xavier is poised to have a good year, with two ‘AA-2’ teams on their schedule, and only playing one ‘AAA’ team. I struggle to say they’re definitely going to beat their peers in the ‘AA-1,’ but Xavier is Xavier. If a team struggles with them, it is always a long day, no matter the opponent. I will say between 2-4 wins in league play. The Knights should win against Holy Cross, and Christ the King, and I think they will have good games against St. Francis Prep, St. Peter’s, and Moore Catholic. Honestly, with how weak Stepinac was last season, I could see Xavier beating all of these teams.

Xaverian

For a time, Xaverian used to be a strong ‘AAA’ powerhouse. Before struggling in the early 2010s. Xaverian itself was a school for boys, but went co-ed in 2016. They have 1,625 students from grades 6-12, with about 1,000 students in the high school. Now the most recent champion of the ‘AA-2,’ the Brooklyn school went on a revenge tour in 2024, demolishing Mount, paying back the 2023 ‘AA-2’ Championship blowout at Rose Hill, and defeating Holy Cross in the Championship at windy Mitchel Field. Xaverian, in 2025, returns their starting QB Terrence Watson, and their leading rushers, Richie Aiken, and Brendon Salomon. The Clippers seem to be poised to make another run at a championship. They just hired a new head coach, Dominick Aluotto, who played for those Xavierian teams in the late 2000s.

Post Covid, here is their record:

• 2021: 2-7, L in ‘AA-2’ 1st Round to Kennedy Catholic
• 2022: 5-5, L in ‘AA-2’ Semifinals to Mount Saint Michael
• 2023: 6-5, L in ‘AA-2’ Championship to Mount Saint Michael
• 2024: 6-6, W in ‘AA-2’ Championship to Holy Cross
• 19-23 from 2021-2024

I would call this very successful, making deep playoff runs, and winning a championship in the ‘AA-2.’ The challenge this year is that the ‘AA-2’ has grown by three teams, and as champion, Xaverian has the honor of playing three ‘AA-1’ teams. The addition of Holy Trinity adds another title contender, while they only won 1 game last season, the Titans are a proud program, and will look to take care of business on the lower level. 

Their 2025 League Schedule is below: 

Saturday, September 13, 2025	@ St. John the Baptist
Saturday, September 20, 2025	Holy Trinity
Saturday, September 27, 2025	Moore Catholic
Saturday, October 4, 2025	@ Mount Saint Michael
Saturday, October 11, 2025	St. Dominic’s
Saturday, October 18, 2025	BYE
Saturday, October 25, 2025	@ Kennedy Catholic
Saturday, November 1, 2025	@ St. Joseph by the Sea

Three games against ‘AA-1’ foes, while also playing @ Mount, and Trinity, a ‘AA-1’ team last year. I find it hard to believe Xaverian gets through this stretch unscathed, and see a high possibility of 3-4 losses on this schedule. The Clippers have a large student population, and a JV squad, which is a large competitive advantage on the ‘AA-2’ level. I see the Clippers notching wins against Dominic’s and Kennedy, and they crushed Mount last season, so maybe that’s where they pick up another win. I am confident they’ll get 3 wins, but I am not confident that they’ll win more than that.

Nazareth

Nazareth is not new to the CHSFL. The high school is a small, co-ed school founded relatively recently, in 1962. I suspect that they simply do not have the enrollment to support a full football program, but their association with the CHSFL is still rooted in their history. With an enrollment of only 315, it is difficult to field a competitive team year in and year out, but even with this, the Kingmen look to compete in the ‘AA-2’ yet again. I looked at their IG page, and the school seems to be putting resources into starting their program. 

Post Covid, here is their record:

• 2021, 0-6 in CHSFL ‘AA-2’
• 2022: No Games Recorded
• 2023: No Games Recorded
• 2024: 0-4 Independent
• 0-10 From 2021-2024

Having played St. Dominic’s twice last season, Nazareth isn’t exactly unfamiliar with the CHSFL, and should fit in on the ‘AA-2’ level. For a program that seems to have just been revived after a two year hiatus, I admire their grit, and tenacity. The CHSFL schedule is tough, and the season is grueling. 

Their 2025 League Schedule is below: 

Saturday, September 13, 2025	@ St. Dominic’s
Saturday, September 20, 2025	BYE
Saturday, September 27, 2025	Kennedy Catholic
Saturday, October 4, 2025	@ Cardinal Spellman
Saturday, October 11, 2025	@ Christ the King
Saturday, October 18, 2025	@ Holy Cross
Saturday, October 25, 2025	Mount Saint Michael
Saturday, November 1, 2025	Holy Trinity

It is hard for me to see Nazareth winning any of these games, but they will have their opportunities, as they play Cardinal Spellman, and Christ the King, as well as starting their year off in Long Island against St. Dominic, another newcomer. 

Saint Francis Prep

Probably the strongest program in Brooklyn/Queens, the Terriers have a long and storied legacy. It has been quite some time since they have been truly relevant in league play. By all accounts, St. Francis Prep should be a powerhouse, they have three levels, a great program tradition, and an enrollment of around 2,400 students, co-ed, as well as being in the middle of Queens. Last season can be said to be a fluke, as their schedule was a lot of ‘AA-2’ teams. I do think that this is a program to watch moving forward. Their legendary coach, Vincent O’Connor, died in 2015, after leading the Terriers for sixty two years. In my experience, St. Francis Prep always ran out the Wing-T offense, which, though effective, is a simple offense to stop. The game seemed to have passed them by, and the once revered ‘AAA’ team fell to the basement of the CHSFL. In relation to this decline, the Terriers lost the Battle of the Boulevard against their rival, Holy Cross 12 times from 2000-2016. Since then, Prep seems to have righted the ship in regard to this game, and now comes putting it together against the rest of the league. 

Post Covid, here is their record:

• 2021: 2-7, L in ‘AA-1’ Semifinals to Moore Catholic
• 2022: 3-6, L in ‘AA-1’ 1st Round to Moore Catholic
• 2023: 2-8, L in ‘AA-1’ 1st Round to Moore Catholic
• 2024: 7-4, L in ‘AA-1’ 1st Round to Fordham Prep
• 14-25 from 2021-2024

Last year, the Terriers quarterback Jack Leary threw for 1470 yards, and 22 touchdowns, and the offense added another 1338 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Leary’s season was the best passing season the Terriers ever enjoyed. They had the best season in a while, winning 5 league games and 7 games overall. Leary comes back with his top wide receiver, Rocco Petronella, who hauled in 34 passes, 688 yards, and 8 touchdowns. The Terriers will need to replace a lot of production on the ground to stay competitive. It will be a challenge, as the ‘AA-1’ is very competitive this season, and wide open. St. Francis Prep’s JV team won the ‘AA’ championship, going 7-3. Their freshman team did not win a game, so the outlook toward the future is less hopeful. 

Saturday, September 20, 2025	Xavier
Saturday, September 27, 2025	@ Fordham Prep
Saturday, October 4, 2025	@ Chaminade
Saturday, October 11, 2025	@ St. Joseph by the Sea
Saturday, October 18, 2025	Kennedy Catholic
Saturday, October 25, 2025	Cardinal Spellman
Saturday, November 1, 2025	@ Moore Catholic

Their 2025 League Schedule is below: 

What stuck out to me, is that St. Francis Prep does not play the Battle of the Boulevard as a league game this year, and so it will either not be played, or they will play it the first week of September. The next thing that stuck out to me is that they could lose their first four league games. They play a tough Xavier team, then are on the road four three weeks in a row. I am going to say they come away with 3 league wins this year, if they improve, they may get more, but the three game stretch is hard for me to see them winning more than 1 of those games.

Holy Cross

Holy Cross is another school that had some great teams in the early 2000s, but fell off later. Winning a ‘AA’ championship with the likes of Kevin Ogletree, or competing in the ‘AAA’ with Deane Marlow and Devon Cajuste, the Knights have a tradition of great football, and they have been carving their niche in the ‘AA-2.’ Like Xaverian, Holy Cross went co-ed in 2018, and hasn’t really been able to crack above the ‘AA-2’ since. Already a small school, Holy Cross only has an enrollment of 700 students. It is hard to build a big, strong program with these numbers. 

Post Covid, here is their record:

• 2021: 5-4, L in ‘AA-2’ Semifinal to Holy Trinity
• 2022: 3-7, L in ‘AA-2’ 1st Round to Kennedy Catholic
• 2023: 4-6, L in ‘AA-2’ Semifinal to Xaverian
• 2024: 6-6, L in ‘AA-2’ Championship to Xaverian
• 18-23 from 2021-2024

Holy Cross has struggled at times after Covid, and really, until last year, I feel they were an afterthought. They are a decent sized program, being one of the ‘AA-2’ programs with a JV team. Their JV team did go 4-5 last season, which is decent, considering there are only two JV divisions. Holy Cross really found their groove later in the year, as they won 4 of their final 5 games, only losing their rematch to Xaverian 14-6. There is a lot of upside to this team, as every major contributor on offense is returning, including the quarterback Madden Martinez (1,294 yards, 10 touchdowns, 161 yards rushing, 2 touchdowns), Antoine Williams Jr. (622 yards, 5 touchdowns), and Brandon Glaudin (344 yards, 5 touchdowns). Though they will need to replace their receivers, this Holy Cross team could be a force to be reckoned with on the ‘AA-2’ level. 

Their 2025 League Schedule is below: 

Saturday, September 13, 2025	@ Kennedy Catholic
Saturday, September 20, 2025	St. John the Baptist
Saturday, September 27, 2025	Christ the King
Saturday, October 4, 2025	Xavier
Saturday, October 11, 2025	@ Holy Trinity
Saturday, October 18, 2025	Nazareth
Saturday, October 25, 2025	@ Moore Catholic

Having had a good season means the Knights will be rewarded with playing at Moore, St. John  the Baptist, and Xavier at home. While I don’t think it would be impossible for them to play with these teams, I am not going to put my reputation on the line predicting that. Holy Cross will be a strong ‘AA-2’ team, and their seeding will really be dependent on if Holy Trinity is good. I can see Holy Cross winning 3 of these games, against Kennedy, Christ the King, and Nazareth. 

Christ the King

Christ the King, in Queens, is an enigma of a school. They went 10-1 in 2015, 7-2 in 2016 with wins at St. Anthony’s AND Iona Prep, and competing in the ‘AAA’ for several seasons, to winning two games in 4 years. I don’t really know the condition the school, or the school’s football program is in, but it seems to be kind of a mess. Not a ton of information on stats from the previous year. Christ the King only has 1 football team, no JV or freshman level. This mostly has to do with their enrollment, which is only 665 (co-ed) students.

Post Covid, here is their record:

• 2021: 1-8, L in ‘AAA’ 1st Round to Monsignor Farrell
• 2022: 1-9, L in ‘AAA’ 1st Round to St. Anthony’s
• 2023: 0-9, L in ‘AA-1’ 1st Round to St. John the Baptist
• 2024: 0-9, L in ‘AA-2’ 1st Round to Mount Saint Michael
• 2-35 from 2021-2024

Believe it or not, Christ the King improved this past year, scoring a lot more points, and they were in several games. I do wonder what kind of support that the program has from their administration, because this is an area that has potential. There has been a lot of fanfare, as the head football coach James Coleman replaced his staff, bringing in some coaches, and a Director of Football Operations. Time will tell if this is enough to bring the Royals back to relevancy.

Their 2025 League Schedule is below: 

Saturday, September 6, 2025	Mount Saint Michael
Saturday, September 13, 2025	BYE
Saturday, September 20, 2025	Cardinal Spellman
Saturday, September 27, 2025	@ Holy Cross
Saturday, October 4, 2025	@ Kennedy Catholic
Saturday, October 11, 2025	Nazareth
Saturday, October 18, 2025	@ St. John the Baptist
Saturday, October 25, 2025	@ St. Dominic’s
Saturday, November 1, 2025	@ Xavier

The quirk in this schedule is that they have eight games listed, and their game against Nazareth is considered non-league for the Royals, but a league game for the Kingmen. Of these eight games, I could see CTK winning 3, maybe 4 games. With a new coaching staff, I think that Christ the King improves a lot in the quality of their play, but not a lot in the wins department. I am not confident they’ll win 3 games, but picking up a win against Spellman is possible, and so is their game against St. Dominic’s and Kennedy.

Next stop, one of the Islands, guess which one?