Ellerbe keys St. Anthony's 24th win in row
Dariyan Riley of St. Anthony's carries the ball between two Xaverian players. (Oct. 14, 2011) Credit: Errol Anderson
Perfection, at least in football terms, came down to a dwindling clock, a last-ditch play and the record-saving hands of Jared Katz Friday night.
Katz picked off Xaverian's Isaiah Kearney at the 5-yard line to extinguish a drive in the final seconds as St. Anthony's extended its winning streak to 24 games with a 16-14 CHSFL victory in Brooklyn.
Xaverian cut its deficit to 16-14 on Kearney's 15-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Badyna with 54 seconds to play. Xaverian recovered the onside kick but could not convert as the errant throw on first-and-10 from the 35 nestled into Katz's hands with 19 seconds left.
It was a wild finish to a game that Xaverian (3-2) had dominated early en route to a 7-3 halftime lead, as St. Anthony's only points came on a 21-yard field goal by James Doktor.
Kearney had 99 rushing yards by the half and finished with 164 yards on 21 carries.
Meanwhile, St. Anthony's sputtered, with Dariyan Riley (back from an ankle injury) providing nearly all the offense in the early going.
Riley finished with 120 yards on 14 carries. Maston Ellerbe added 54 yards on seven carries.
The Friars (5-0) showed signs of life in the third quarter, which they kicked off with a 13-play, 67-yard drive that lasted 6:57.
When Pete Carew finally handed off to Ellerbe, who had been held to minus-2 yards in the first half, the fullback made sure the winning streak would be intact.
Ellerbe, with one defender around his ankle and another around his waist, capped a 16-yard run with a sprawling dive into the end zone with 5:04 left in the third quarter. His touchdown run made it 9-7, and the two-point conversion run attempt failed.
Anthony Anderson added a 1-yard run with 8:36 left, and Doktor's extra point gave the Friars a two-score lead at 16-7.
