Anthony Diieso does it all as St. Anthony's downs Chaminade
St. Anthony's quarterback Anthony Diieso gets chased down by Joseph Chabus of Chaminade during a CHSFL Class AAA game in Mineola on Saturday. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Before this rivalry game, Anthony Diieso had nerves flowing. But once the whistle blew, the sophomore quarterback for St. Anthony’s didn’t flinch.
In fact, he was nearly perfect in his first varsity game against Chaminade.
“I was definitely nervous. I was realizing how big this game was,” Diieso said. “But the whole team came together. The team was excited, I was excited, and I was ready to be a part of this rivalry.”
Diieso completed 15 of 16 passes for 158 yards and three touchdowns and added 93 rushing yards and a score to lead visiting St Anthony’s in a 33-19 win over Chaminade in a CHSFL AAA matchup Saturday.
Last season, St. Anthony’s lost to the Flyers. This time, the Friars (4-4) wouldn’t let that happen. They built a 30-point lead in the fourth quarter and took this game back.
“We talked about this moment over the summer,” senior Kevin Moore said. “It just feels great to get this game back. I’m so pumped.”
At the start though, it was Chaminade (4-4) setting the tone. The Flyers ran the ball effectively as Anthony Trapani gained 47 yards on six carries. They reached the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal before being marked just short.
“I was feeling good, and not to take anything away from St. Anthony’s, but if we score there it could be a different game,” Chaminade coach Tom Claro said. “But they did a good job, and we had ups and downs offensively, but I love that we fought till the end.”
Chaminade had another chance to open the scoring with a 40-yard field goal attempt, but Ethan Bramoff of St. Anthony’s blocked it. He later added a sack and pass breakup in a standout first half.
“We just wanted it more,”Bramoff said. “We’re gonna work and play our game like we do in every sport. We’re just a family on this defense, always playing hard.”
After a scoreless first quarter, the Friars offense found its rhythm. Diieso rolled right and connected with Johnny Russo on a 16-yard touchdown to cap an eight-play drive, giving St. Anthony’s a 6-0 lead with 11:06 left in the second quarter.
On the next series, Xavier Bala juked out a defender to convert a fourth-and-2. On the next play, Diieso sprinted for a 17-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 12-0 with 5:16 left in the half.
After John Drew recorded a sack, the Friars got the ball back. Diieso went back to work. He dropped a 40-yard dime downfield to Moore to give the Friars a 19-0 advantage with 2:21 remaining in the half.
“Everything was working,” Diieso said. “I want to credit my line, the receivers were running great routes. All thanks to my team supporting me every play.”
St. Anthony’s led 19-3 at halftime, but Diieso wasn’t done. He opened the third quarter by running for 39 yards. He then found sophomore Rory McDermott over the middle for an 11-yard touchdown.
In the fourth quarter, Bala added icing on the cake, with a 26-yard touchdown run through two tacklers to make it 33-3 with 10:11 left. Bala finished with 14 carries for 102 yards and a score.
Chaminade’s Sean Carnevale threw touchdown passes to Robert Foschi and Sean Powers late, but it wasn’t enough.
St. Anthony’s has now won back-to-back games against AAA opponents, and this one meant plenty.
“For the guys on the team last year, it left a bitter taste,” St. Anthony’s coach Joe Minucci said. “They had a goal to win, they executed, and they got it done. Now we’ll hit the field Monday and get ready for Stepinac.”
