Stepinac Wins CHSAA NYS Championship, Undefeated at 12-0

Crusaders quarterback Tyquell Fields limped his way through three quarters of play and then hobbled through the fourth quarter. Nonetheless, the senior Team Captain for the Crusaders displayed a courageous performance, as he led Stepinac High School to the 2015 Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) New York State Football Title.

Stepinac missed going undefeated last year when they lost to Canisius High School in the inaugural CHSAA NYS Championship. But this year, while once again going undefeated at 11-0 and being crowned CHSFL Champs, they were not going to be denied the ultimate crown.

On Saturday, Nov. 28, at Grand Island High School, in Grand Island, NY, Stepinac beat St. Francis High School, 42-28, to capture their first ever CHSAA New York State Football Championship, while completing an undefeated season at 12-0.

“It is an unbelievable feeling for our school and players; we wanted to finish the job, after losing last year in the State Championship to Canisius,” said Crusaders Head Coach Mike O’Donnell.

St. Francis, the Champions of the upstate Monsignor Martin Conference, is the Number 10 ranked team in the New York State. The Red Raiders beat overwhelming favorite Canisius in the MMC Championship Game, 42-7.

Stepinac, despite being ranked Number One in NYS, was quite aware that beating St. Francis from Athol Springs, NY, was not going to be an easy task. The Red Raiders were playing close to home and they convincingly dethroned Canisius, the MMC Champions the past three years.

However, for the initial two and a half quarters, Stepinac did make the task at hand appear quite easy, while leading 28-0, midway through the third quarter.

Fields, in all respects, was the only quarterback the Crusaders depended on all season. He injured his ankle in the CHSFL Championship Game the previous week, and despite not being fully recovered, Fields was quite aware his team needed him and gutted it out the entire game.

The Crusaders duel-threat quarterback’s running game was eliminated, as it was all he could do to limp on and off the field when the team transitioned from offense to defense. Nevertheless, Fields completed 17 of 28 passes for 243 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Crusaders to victory.

“I just had to keep my composure while dealing with this injury. I just had to stay strong and my teammates helped me out with that,” commented Fields.

Field’s hit his wide receiver T.J. Morrison with all four of his touchdowns passes. Morrison, one of the top high school recruits in the nation, caught 10 passes for 209 yards and four TDs in the Championship game. Three of Morrison touchdown-receptions came in the first half, which included one on a halfback pass play from Antonio Giannico.

Stepinac’s defense was relentless into the third quarter causing five Red Raiders turnovers midway through the quarter in the game. Linebacker Daniel Negron had an interception and linebacker Louis Blackwell recovered a fumble in the second quarter, while defensive end Malcolm Koonce recovered a fumble in the third quarter. All three turnovers resulted in Crusaders touchdowns.

But at 6:05 of the fourth quarter as Stepinac was prematurely on their way to a hometown celebration. St. Francis’s quarterback Jerry Hickson, wide receiver Tauren Davis, running back Brandon Metz and the Red Raiders defense decided to join the game.

Hickson hit Davis with a 38-yard pass to the two-yard line of the Crusaders and Metz did the honors running one-yard for the score. Then 30 seconds later St. Francis defensive tackle Tom Arcuri recovered a Crusader fumble, which led to a five-yard touchdown run for Metz, making the score 28-14.

But as the Red Raiders started to charge again, after Metz intercepted Fields on the St. Francis 15-yard line, the Stepinac defense stepped-up and held.

The Crusaders defense got the ball back to Fields who hobbled out to the huddle on one leg and threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Morrison, putting Stepinac back in control of the game, 35-14, at 1:05 of the third quarter.

Well, at least Stepinac thought they were back in control of the game, that is until Red Raiders Garth Pinnock ran the ensuing kickoff back 89 yards for a touchdown, to make the score 35-21. “I think we got down a little, we thought we had the game (won), but this is just football, you cannot sleep on anybody,” revealed the Crusaders defensive end Koonce.

And the fourth quarter began as unpredictable as the third quarter ended. Matz intercepted Fields on the first play and ran 60 yards to pay turf, which brought the Red Raiders within seven points, at 35-28, when they were losing by as much as 28-0, in the third quarter.

But then, Crusaders running back Malik Crawford donned his “Superman cap” and ran 11 yards and flipped over a Red Raiders defender into the end zone to make the score, 48-28, with 7:31 remaining in the game.

Nonetheless, this is a State Championship game and the Red Raiders had sensed victory in the second half. Hickson hit Davis again on a 33-yard pass play to the Crusaders two-yard line at 6:05 of the fourth quarter.

But as bad hikes from center plagued the Red Raiders throughout the game, their third such mishap came at the worst time. With third down on the Stepinac one-yard line the ball was hiked to Hickson, who recovered on the Stepinac 14-yard line and the Crusaders defense had one more stop in them.

Fields’ performance was incredible on one leg. But surely his ankle felt much better on the bus ride home, as he and his Crusaders teammates coveted the 2015 CHSAA NYS Championship Plaque. That is the one that got away last season.

“It feels great, knowing that last year’s team, did not get it done, but we got another chance at it and we did it. This really feels great,” said Fields.