Friday, October 2 | 6:00 PM | Moglia Stadium at Jack Coffey Field
Althougth the records are identical, the paths getting there couldn’t be more different. Kellenberg and Fordham Prep enter Friday night’s CHSFL matchup at 2-2, but both teams arrive at this point of the season with very different stories. Fordham Prep has momentum. After dropping its first two games, the Rams have responded with back-to-back league victories. Kellenberg has frustration and probably a little anger. The Firebirds have been competitive every week, and their two losses have come by a total of three points. Friday night in the Bronx gives both teams an opportunity to make a statement about where they belong as the Catholic league schedule starts to take shape.
Kellenberg Has Been Right There
A 2-2 record doesn’t tell the whole Kellenberg story. The Firebirds opened the season with a 21-10 road victory over Chaminade, lost a 23-21 game at New Rochelle and then bounced back with a 42-20 win over South Shore. Then came Cardinal Hayes. Kellenberg fell behind early, fought its way back and eventually came up one point short in a 35-34 loss. The Firebirds scored 27 second-half points and had an opportunity to win the game late.
There were also plenty of positives to take from that performance. Quarterback Brayden Farrelly completed 18 of 25 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore running back Quinn Saccheri ran for 84 yards and two scores on only nine carries, while senior receiver Ryan Kuntz caught eight passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.
That’s the danger Kellenberg presents. The Firebirds can move the football in multiple ways, and they have already shown they can respond when a game starts moving against them. Now they have to turn being close into finishing.
Fordham Prep Has Flipped Its Season
Two games into the year, Fordham Prep was 0-2. The Rams had lost 27-7 to Stepinac before dropping a competitive 33-28 game against Belen Jesuit. Since then?
2-0.
Fordham Prep opened league play with a 41-21 victory over St. Peter’s and followed it with one of its biggest wins of the young season, going on the road and beating previously unbeaten St. John the Baptist, 13-6. And the way Fordham won that second game may be just as important as the result. This wasn’t a shootout. The Rams had to defend, play field position football and protect a one-score lead for the entire second half. St. John the Baptist didn’t score after the second quarter. Sophomore quarterback Vincent DiPasquale completed nine passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns, while senior Luke McKay contributed both on the ground and through the air, including 83 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Fordham Prep has gone from searching for its first win to entering Friday night 2-0 in league play. That’s a very different football team than the one that walked off the field after Week 2.
Can Fordham Slow Down Kellenberg’s Weapons?
This may be the matchup inside the matchup.
Kellenberg enters with several different players capable of hurting a defense. Farrelly can distribute the football, Saccheri provides explosiveness out of the backfield, and Kuntz has established himself as a reliable target outside. The Firebirds are averaging nearly 30 points per game through their first four contests.
Fordham Prep just held St. John the Baptist to six.
If Fordham can keep Kellenberg from generating explosive plays and force the Firebirds to consistently put together long drives, the Rams can try to make this look more like last week’s game.
If Kellenberg gets into rhythm early, Fordham may be forced to play a very different type of game.
What to Watch
The start. Kellenberg has had nearly two weeks since the Hayes loss. How the Firebirds come out after sitting with that one-point defeat will be worth watching.
Fordham’s confidence. Winning changes teams. Fordham Prep has now won twice in two very different ways, scoring 41 against St. Peter’s and then grinding out a 13-6 victory over St. John the Baptist.
Kellenberg’s ability to finish. The Firebirds’ two defeats are 23-21 and 35-34. At some point, games between good teams come down to a possession, a third down, a red-zone stop or one play in the fourth quarter. Friday night could be another one.
Now the Games Get Bigger
There isn’t much separating these two teams on paper. They’re both 2-2. But Fordham Prep is trying to keep building after completely changing the direction of its season. Kellenberg is trying to prove that four weeks of competitive football (including a win over Chaminade and two razor-thin losses) is evidence of a team ready to break through.
One team has won two straight. The other looks like it may only be a play or two away. Friday night, we find out which 2-2 team takes the next step.
