St. Anthony's Xavier Bala powers football team to non-league victory

The Friars were in a battle and needed a spark. They turned to junior running back Xavier Bala, and the four-star recruit did not disappoint.

Bala had 29 carries for 170 yards and three touchdowns to lead St. Anthony’s to a 35-20 non-league win over University Prep Charter (Rochester) in the Friars' home opener Saturday.

St. Anthony’s needed separation as it led 21-13 with less than 10 minutes left in the game. Bala showed his breakaway speed and ability to carry defenders on his back. On the drive, he had five carries for 55 yards and a touchdown to extend the lead to 28-13 with 5:51 left.

“We needed to score a touchdown right there — they were gaining momentum,” Bala said. “We played a tough team. We made plays when plays had to be made.”

The Friars took just 1:37 to score first. Sophomore quarterback Anthony Diieso found Anthony Mancaruso, who juked his way to a 22-yard gain. That set up a 4-yard Bala touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.

It was University Prep’s turn on offense, and it was led by quarterback Gavin White, who holds offers from Syracuse and West Virginia.

The Friars’ defense set the tone early. The crowd in South Huntington rose to its feet when Delaware commit Kevin Moore intercepted a pass and returned it 80 yards for a pick-six to give the Friars a 14-0 lead with 7:36 in the first quarter.

“We had three picks today. We played very well as a team,” Moore said. “We made good tackles, but we still have work to do.”

St. Anthony’s turnovers kept University Prep in the game. A snap rolled 20 yards all the way to the Friars’ 1-yard line, where the Griffins recovered. White cashed in on a quarterback sneak to trim the deficit to 14-7.

University Prep’s Bricyeton Thomas intercepted a pass on the following drive to put his group in business, but St. Anthony’s defensive back Danny Rooney answered with an interception in the red zone.

Diieso and Bala combined for 60 yards rushing on the ensuing drive, which led to a one-yard Bala rushing touchdown to give the Friars a 21-7 halftime lead.

UPrep did not back down after trailing 21-7. Kamari Miller forced a fumble with 6:50 left in the third quarter on a fourth-down attempt from the Friars. That set the Griffins up inside the Friars’ 20, and White scored on an 18-yard run to trim the lead to 21-13 heading into the fourth.

When St. Anthony’s extended its lead to 28-13 on Bala’s third rushing touchdown, the Friars’ defense sealed it late. Brody Richert’s 72-yard pick-six with 3:54 left was the icing on the cake in a game that stayed close because of turnovers by the Friars.

The St. Anthony’s defense limited University Prep’s big-play ability throughout. Seniors Daniel Garcia and John Drew dominated the line of scrimmage. Drew registered two sacks and Garcia collected two tackles for loss to lead the Friars’ defense.

“Ultimately, we won a football game, so that’s a positive,” St. Anthony’s coach Joe Minucci said. “We have a lot of things to improve on, and we’re going to get right back to work on Monday.”