Week 0 has come and gone, and we learned a lot about some teams while still having plenty of questions about others.

The opening weekend results shouldn’t cause anyone to panic after a loss, and the teams that won shouldn’t be declaring themselves champions just yet. However, the teams that lost need to have a sense of urgency and clean up those mistakes before Week 1 and, more importantly, before league play begins.

With that said, onto Coach X and O’s Take:

St. Joseph by the Sea 54, Holy Cross 28

Well, when I said Sea would control this game, I definitely didn’t think they would explode for 54 points!

Unfortunately for Holy Cross, QB Madden Martinez left the game with an injury early in the first half. Even with Martinez in the game, though, it was pretty evident that Sea was the better team. Senior QB Pete Tronolone and stud RB/LB Joe Moran had huge games. Tronolone threw four touchdowns, connecting with WR Nick Laona, TE Sal Leto and Moran twice. Moran was all over the place, finishing with five total touchdowns — two rushing, two receiving and a pick-six — as he dominated on both sides of the ball.

SJBS looks locked in early, and they’re going to have to be with a brutal stretch of games coming up. They start with Immaculata from New Jersey, then Lutheran, followed by the No. 1 team in the state, Iona Prep, and Archbishop Stepinac. I definitely don’t envy Coach Tressor Baptiste, but if there’s one thing we know, his defense will be ready for the challenge. The big question is whether Sea has enough firepower to keep up with these higher-caliber opponents.

We shall see.

Kellenberg 21, Chaminade 10

I should have stuck with my gut!

In my first draft, I originally picked Kellenberg but talked myself out of it at the last minute because I thought Chaminade was going to be a AAA contender. Kellenberg reminded everyone that they have been a solid program for a long time.

Behind a ferocious defense, Kellenberg smothered Chaminade and never really allowed the Flyers to find any kind of rhythm or momentum on offense. Kellenberg is exactly who we thought they were: a legitimate contender for the AA-1 title. It’s not that far removed from when Kellenberg was playing in AAA, and they showed they can still compete with teams toward the bottom of that division.

For Chaminade, this loss is definitely not the end of the world. They were missing one of their key players in Anthony Trapani, and it showed. But if Chaminade wants to be taken seriously, there are a lot of things they need to clean up, and that’s exactly what Week 0 is for.

Kellenberg hits the road again, this time heading into Westchester to take on the New Rochelle. Meanwhile, Chaminade looks to bounce back after a tough one as they make the trip up to Rhode Island to take on Bishop Hendricken. Two tough road tests that should tell us a lot about both teams early in the season.

Archbishop Stepinac 27, Fordham Prep 7

As Pete would say, this was “a rivalry renewed,” with Fordham Prep making the trip to White Plains to take on Archbishop Stepinac.

The Crusaders came out looking sharp, especially on the ground, with RB Nahum Pierre finding the end zone three times.QB Dylan Wrona looked poised throughout the game, making some big-time throws to Gio Bowely and connecting with Nick Harrison on a 48-yard touchdown to put Stepinac up 21-7 before halftime.

For the Rams, there were plenty of positives to take away.

Fordham Prep had success running the football behind a revitalized offensive line and senior RB Luke McKay. George Jackson Jr. and Vinny DiPasquale split time at quarterback, and both showed some promise. Fordham Prep put together some well-run drives, including a second-quarter possession capped off by a 6-yard touchdown run from Lake Chiesi to cut the lead to 14-7.

Overall, it was an encouraging game for the Rams, while Stepinac looked like a polished team that is going to be right in the mix when championship time comes around. Both teams still have plenty to improve on, but there was a lot to like from both sides.

Fordham Prep welcomes fellow Jesuit School Belen Jesuit to the Bronx, while Stepinac heads up to Albany to take on perennial powerhouse Christian Brothers Academy of Albany. Both teams will get another good test as they look to build on what they showed in Week 0.

Monsignor Farrell 28, Holy Spirit 14

The Lions and head coach Rocco Del Priore have made a habit of taking on challenging non-league opponents, and this season was no exception.

Last year, they traveled to Albany for the Tunnels to Towers Bowl to face Christian Brothers Academy, the defending Section 2 champions. This time, they headed to New Jersey for the three-day, 12-game Battle at the Beach.

Overall, it was another impressive showing from Farrell. With the Moye-to-Moye connection, a plethora of new targets, a hard hitting, physical defense, and another stud running back in Jayden Burch. The Lions have plenty of playmakers, can run the football, and showed they can handle a physical opponent.

Now they return to the Lion’s Den to take on their Staten Island rival, St. Peter’s.

That should be a fun one…for Farrell.

Curtis 41, St. Peter’s 14

I was completely wrong, and the St. Peter’s Eagles were not ready for the moment.

First and foremost, SJBS transfers and Curtis’ slated starting QB/WR combo, Christian Carter and Nick Carter, were out with miscellaneous injuries. The third Sea transfer, Richie Rainero, was forced into the starting QB role. Even short-handed, Curtis looked every bit like a top team in the PSAL 4A division. Their defense, particularly their defensive line, was suffocating, fast and aggressive.

Anthony D’Acunto, St. Peter’s signal caller, was his own worst enemy. His Jekyll-and-Hyde performance kept the Eagles’ offense from ever really catching a rhythm. In the first quarter, D’Acunto connected with Victor Baez on a long pass down the sideline, only to follow that up with a very bad decision to throw the ball into the middle of the field and an ocean of defenders.

Even though we cover the CHSFL, I always have my eye on the PSAL 4A division, and this Curtis team reminds me of the 2024 team that beat Erasmus Hall in the 2024 championship. I’ll continue to watch the Warriors closely. They were exciting to watch and looked like a team that could make some noise.

As for the St. Peter’s Eagles, I had high hopes for them even after losing some key players to the transfer portal. They showed flashes through the air that they can be a dangerous team, but D’Acunto needs to make better, smarter decisions. He gives me Jameis Winston vibes. If they can get him playing responsibly and get their run game shored up, I believe they can turn things around and be competitive in the AA-1.

Things don’t get any easier for the Eagles, as they now take on the No. 4 team in the state and Staten Island rival, Monsignor Farrell.

St. Francis Prep 26, Mount St. Michael 12

I was not able to stream this game, and all of the information I received came from Pete and his sources.

I would need to see SFP and Mount with my own eyes to give a real perspective, but here is the game summary.

St. Francis Prep seemed to play their game: tough on defense, especially up front, while running the football effectively against the Mount. The Mount, under 3rd year head coach Jayson Holt, asserted themselves well, compiling nearly 300 yards of offense, and the defense forcing 3 turnovers. This bodes well for Mount St. Michael’s chances in the ‘AA-2’

St. Francis Prep travels to take on Stow-Munroe Falls High School in an NFL Hall of Fame High School Classic. Legendary Vince Lombardi is an alumnus of St. Francis Prep, while Larry Csonka is an alumnus of Stow High School. The Mount, meanwhile, takes on a new program, the Yonkers Guardians — the football team representing all Yonkers high schools.

Xaverian 23, St. John’s 14

Admittedly, I didn’t know much about St. John’s from Maryland, so I picked the Clippers based on their program history.

They showed exactly why that history matters. Coach Aluotto seems to have revived this proud program. Xaverian played a nice, competitive game while maintaining control for most of the afternoon. Jake Price connected with Christian LaRocca on a bubble screen, and LaRocca did the rest, taking it into the end zone to give Xaverian a 7-0 lead. The stingy Xaverian defense shut down the Vikings coming out of halftime, and Jake Price ran the ball into the end zone in the third quarter to make it 13-6. After a Nico Vaccari field goal extended the lead to 16-6, St. John’s responded. The Vikings drove into the red zone and pounded the ball into the end zone from 2 yards out before converting the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 16-14 with 9:47 remaining. Richie Aiken capped off a long drive with a touchdown to extend the lead to 23-14, and that would stand as the final.

The way Xaverian scored is what stuck out to me, a passing touchdown, a grind it out run by the quarterback, a field goal– a rare weapon on the high school level, and an explosive run by their running back.

Xaverian now gets a PSAL test against Fort Hamilton.

Looking Ahead to Week 1

Going 5-2 in the first week isn’t bad at all. But now the games start to matter a little more.

We have 19 games on the slate this week, and I’ll be picking all of them. With that many games, I may only break down a handful of matchups, but there are plenty of games that deserve attention. Games start Thursday and run throughout the weekend.

Week 0 gave us our first real look at these teams.

Now it’s time to see who can build on it.