There’s not a lot of information about most of the teams in the ‘AA-2’. I had to reach out to most of these teams to get information, and even then, it was names and positions. Most of these teams didn’t publish stats last year, so it was difficult to gauge how impactful they were last season. 

Overall, of the players, and the programs I know, this is going to be a very interesting season for the ‘AA-2’, simply because of the top of the division– a four team race for the title, and the bottom, schools that need to revamp their program, and schools that have revived their program and joined their brothers in the CHSFL. 

Anyways, see below. 

Xaverian- RBs: Richie Aiken and Brendon Salomon

Defending ‘AA-2’ champions, the popular choice for the player to watch for the Clippers may have been QB Terence Watson, who threw for 1035 yards and 8 touchdowns, and ran for 433 yards and 13 touchdowns on his Junior year, but I think the success of the Clippers will hang on the running backs Richie Aiken (93 touches for 687 yards, and 4 touchdowns) and Brendon Salomon (54 carries, 289 yards, and 3 touchdowns). With Watson a known commodity, and the top four receivers graduating from Xaverian (Owen Conti: 21 catches, 380 yards, 4 touchdowns; Conor Molen: 20 catches, 195 yards, 1 touchdown; Christian Larocca: 17 catches, 109 yards, 2 touchdowns; Antonio Hernandez: 12 catches, 138 yards, 1 touchdown), the Clippers are going to have to rely on running the ball until Watson gets acquainted with his new receivers. 

New coach, and Xaverian alumnus Domenick Aluotto takes over a program that has won a championship, and was in the championship the year before. The future looks bright, as their main contributors are coming back. 

Holy Trinity- S/QB/WR: Ian Williams

The Titans had a tough season, going 1-10 in the ‘AA-1’ and the effects of dwindling enrollment seems to finally be showing. The margins for smaller schools on whether they are good, or bad in any given year are so tight, due to just the talent pool that they choose from. Holy Trinity is a program with a proud history and head coach Gino Tassone has a young roster, with just 14 seniors graduating. Due to their best players being seniors, it is hard to determine who will be the player to watch. I would look to their rising seniors, most notably Ian Williams, who is listed as S/QB/WR. 

Josiah Patrick, the QB from last year, had a great year, throwing for 1,769 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions to receivers Jayden Simpson (43 catches, 582 yards, 3 touchdowns) and Chase Cruz (37 catches, 651 yards, 9 touchdowns).  If Trinity can maintain similar numbers, they will be competitive in the ‘AA-2’ and possibly a title contender. 

Holy Cross- QB: Madden Martinez

Holy Cross with rising junior quarterback Madden Martinez put it together at the back half of the season, throwing for 1,294 yards and 10 touchdowns, leading the Knights to the playoffs. While he returns with Antione Williams (104 touches, 622 yards, and 5 total touchdowns), I do think that the focus will be on the Holy Cross Quarterback to take the next step, and spread the ball around more if he is going to lead the Knights to compete for a championship. 

Head Coach Tim Smith has his work cut out for him. Xaverian looks to be stronger this year, Trinity moving down to the ‘AA-2’, and Mount hungry for another championship, the Knights need Madden to have any hope of success this season. 

Mount Saint Michael- RB: Shamari Ormsby

When I went to wrote this piece, I considered that this was Jayson Holt’s second season, and while last year ended disappointingly, the pieces coming back would be motivated to bounce back. The Mountaineers have always dominated the ground game, and with Franklin Dominguez (75 carries, 505 yards, 6 touchdowns) graduated, the weight would fall on Shamari Ormsby to shoulder the lion’s share of the carries. Shamari, as a junior, ran for 299 yards and 5 touchdowns last season on 29 carries. 

The Mount will need to improve this year to make a difference, but a solid ground game will be key for the success, and I would look for Shamari Ormsby to be the difference maker. 

Christ the King RHS- Unknown

With no stats listed on maxpreps, it is difficult to gauge, but Christ the King has always been an enigma to me. Not without drama, their head coach left, the school apparently hired, but also did not hire, a group of coaches. Now they are led by Ben Krauz, who has the job to revamp this program. Christ the King is really in an ideal spot in Queens, and by all accounts, can, did, and probably should compete at the ‘AA-1’ level. 

This season will rely on the ability of Coach Krauz to rebuild the Royals into a stable CHSFL program. 

I reached out to Christ the King about this, and received no answer. 

Kennedy Catholic- WR John Desocio

Kennedy Catholic, the Gaels of Somers, continue the effort to rebuild their program after the pandemic, and enters 2025 among a crowded field that is aiming for the ‘AA-2’ crown. The Gaels, already a smaller program, will lean on their senior leadership. Returning is Running Back Lucas Rouse and Neville Eastmond, combining for 99 yards last year, Kennedy will need to rely on them to get the ground game going, as their QB, Nico Calandrello (54 carries, and 244 yards) will be graduating in 2025. But we know this, and Kennedy will need their ace WR, John Desocio to show up. Last year, he posted 19 receptions, 242 yards, and a touchdown.  

Cardinal Spellman- Unknown.

One of my frustrations with the Pilots is that they are objectively a school that should have success at the ‘AA-2’ level, and perhaps could play in the ‘AA-1’ based on their enrollment, but just have not been able to consistently put it together. I think Cardinal Spellman has found their niche at this level, and are satisfied being in the ‘AA-2’. I think the last few years, especially after the pandemic, has hit them especially hard. A lot of NYC schools have had to reset their programs completely, and some have been struggling to get students into the football program.

I am looking for the Pilots to improve this year again, but with the ‘AA-2’ competition rising, they will need to bring their “A game.”

I reached out to Cardinal Spellman about this, and received no answer. 

St. Dominic- TE: JJ Ramsey

St. Dominic’s return to the CHSFL comes with a lot of fanfare, as they come off their best season in quite a while, going 5-4. Coach Ralph DelGiorno comes off a high, but this season offers a plethora of challenges. 9 seniors, and major contributors, like QB Joseph Galeofiore, are graduating. With 35 total students in the program in 2024, the Bayhawks will need their juniors to step up, as the program reloads. 

With not a lot of information to go on, JJ Ramsey, TE was identified as a player to watch for this season. The small parochial school in Oyster Bay has a lot to prove this year, and with them being back in the CHSFL, we can expect them to make some noise. 

Nazareth RHS- RBs Roshaun Collum and Elijah Germain

Nazareth also makes a return to the CHSFL after not having a varsity program for a few years. I don’t have much information, but for Nazareth to compete at this level, they will need contributions from their RB duo Roshaun Collum and Elijah Germain. While all the attention may go to the QB, Imheer Isaac, and WR Justice Reid, the key to winning, and performing in the ‘AA-2’ is effective running. While offenses are less explosive here, the programs need reliable options. 

I, for one, am excited to see how this expanded ‘AA-2’ division shakes up.

–

This was a difficult post to do, because the ‘AA-2’ does not have the information that I can use, and the schools are often not as responsive. Not their fault, the school year is demanding, and often head coaches are part timers, or have many other job duties during the year. The thing that struck me is how young the ‘AA-2’ is, a lot of underclassmen (under 11th grade) on these teams. Most of the programs only have 1 level of football, Varsity. We are at the point in the CHSFL where most of the focus should be on the ‘AA-1’ and ‘AA-2’, since this is where the majority of the schools. I feel the league, and media in general (the ones that cover local sports) should focus on these programs– maybe if they were covered more, they’d be more stable, or larger. I don’t know. 

Have a nice summer.