St. Anthony's football can't contain Monsignor Farrell in CHSFL AAA defeat
St. Anthony’s Jake Murphy is tackled by Monsignor Farrell’s Michael Libretta during a CHSFL football game on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, on Staten Island. Credit: Libby O'Neill
A clear path to the No. 2 seed in CHSFL AAA was on the line. But St. Anthony’s did not have an answer for Monsignor Farrell quarterback Bryce Moye.
Moye accounted for five touchdowns as the Lions found the end zone on each of their first eight possessions, handing the visiting Friars a 55-21 loss Friday night.
“We need to tackle better, and we need to be more physical and disciplined,” St. Anthony’s coach Joe Minucci said. “From the coaching staff to the kids, we just got to do a better job.”
St. Anthony’s trailed 7-0 before junior quarterback Anthony Diieso fired a dart to senior George Skenderis over the middle for a 68-yard touchdown. The score was tied at 7 with 8:03 left in the first quarter.
The Friars trailed 13-7 when Farrell faced fourth-and-8 from its own 21 with three minutes left in the first quarter. David Leverock faked a punt and found Mason Morales for a 19-yard gain. Farrell scored a touchdown seven plays later to lead 21-7.
“It definitely was a big momentum swing there,” Minucci said. “We had an opportunity to get off the field. They executed a fake punt, and we were really never able to regain any momentum on our sideline.”
The Friars had another chance to get off the field on third-and-12, but Bryce Moye found his twin brother, Braxton, for a 36-yard touchdown and a 28-7 lead with 8:07 in the second quarter. Farrell took a 35-7 lead into halftime. Bryce and Braxton both hold several Division I FBS offers.
Xavier Bala added a 4-yard rushing touchdown to open the third-quarter scoring. Farrell answered before Diieso found freshman Luke Maurino for a 51-yard touchdown pass to trim the deficit to 42-21 with 5:17 left in the third quarter.
Bala finished with 19 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown. Diieso passed for 205 yards and two touchdowns.
This was Monsignor Farrell’s first home victory over St. Anthony’s since 1992. The teams could meet again in the semifinals.
“It’s not going to be 55-21. It’ll be a war,” Monsignor Farrell coach Rocco Del Priore said of a potential rematch. “That second half was kind of how I thought the game would go. Back and forth, back and forth.”
“We pride ourselves on physicality here and toughness,” Del Priore said of his defense’s approach. “We were going to need that to stop Xavier Bala and their great offensive line.”
The Friars host Cardinal Hayes on Friday in a game that will decide the No. 3 seed in CHSFL AAA.
“We have to get to practice, get better, move on from this,” Skenderis said. “We still have big games ahead, and it’s all in our hands.”
