Frank Ruta, St. Anthony's run over Cardinal Hayes
Frank Ruta #8 of St. Anthony's, right, rushes for a long gain to move the chains during the first quarter of a CHSFL game against Iona Prep at St. Anthony's High School on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. Credit: James Escher
The St. Anthony’s football team rushed its way into the semifinal round of the CHSFL’s Class AAA football playoffs.
Halfback Frank Ruta provided the main spark for the ground game with 102 yards on 13 carries and four touchdowns as the fourth-seeded Friars defeated No. 5 Cardinal Hayes, 42-28, late Friday night in South Huntington.
Ruta scored his first touchdown from three yards out to give St. Anthony’s a 21-0 lead with 6:22 left in the second quarter. He added a scoring run of 13 in the third quarter for a 28-7 lead and had touchdowns of 8 and 21 yards in the fourth quarter. St. Anthony’s (6-3) will meet top-seeded Iona Prep (8-1) in next week’s semifinal Saturday at 7 p.m.
"Our focus over the past few weeks was the ability to run the ball," said St. Anthony’s head coach Joe Minucci. "We emphasized it in practice and [in this game] the hard work paid off."
St. Anthony’s quarterback Dante Torres also had a big day, rushing for 188 yards and a touchdown, while adding another touchdown through the air. Torres opened the first quarter scoring with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Tim Longo for the 7-0 lead. He would add a 4-yard TD run later in the first quarter to make it 14-0.
The defense recorded six sacks in the game, three of which came from Antonio Testa.
"Our defense definitely rose to the occasion," Minucci said. "Cardinal Hayes quarterback Henry Belin is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. [We] had to get after him, had to make plays,"
The Friars sealed their victory on a key interception by defensive back Kasaan Green.
St. Anthony's lost to Iona Prep, 35-34, after having a 20-point lead in the third quarter on Oct. 22. Minucci talked about what he sees as the key to defeating Iona Prep this time around.
"The key is to not be complacent and continue to work hard," Minucci said. "We played them tough a couple weeks ago, but we weren’t able to finish. [We] have to start off fast like last time and keep our intensity going."
St. Anthony’s will get their chance at redemption on the road.
