Last week’s win over Monroe-Woodbury was considered a leap forward in Xaverian’s maturity. In its loss to Holy Cross ,the Clippers took steps backward literally and figuratively.
“Everybody got hyped thinking we were unbeatable,” quarterback Zach Kearney said. “That we started slacking off in practices. That’s where we lost the game: Monday to Saturday. If we would have perfected in practice we would have perfected this game.”
Xaverian was far from perfect in a 15-13 loss to the Knights at Bayside Athletic Field in a CHSFL Class AAA game Sunday afternoon. The Clippers were riddled by penalties — including six false starts — poor snaps and a fumble. On the opening drive Xaverian was marching down field and got to the Holy Cross 35 before losing 22 yards on a Laray Smith fumble. On its next possession a high snap sailed out of the end zone for a safety late in the first quarter.
“There was a list of setbacks today and it goes well beyond offense and defense,” Xaverian coach Joe DeSiena said. … “There is a problem with communication. There is a problem with discipline. It just goes beyond what’s going on on the field.”
If it wasn’t for the X-Men’s special teams the margin may have been larger with Holy Cross (2-0, 1-0), ranked No. 7 in the city by The Post, grabbing a 15-0 lead in the third quarter. Xaverian (1-1, 0-1), who got a punt block by Kearney in the first quarter, saw Elijah Forde block a field goal attempt and Carmine Colletti scoop it up and run 70 yards for a score with 6:20 left in the game to make it 15-6.
“To still lose the game it hurts a lot to have that and still come out short at the end of the day,” Kearney said.
DeSiena credited much of his team’s offensive struggles to the play of the Holy Cross defense, especial on the interior against Xaverian’s running game. His squad will have to regroup when it visits St. Joseph by the Sea on Saturday afternoon.
“I can’t even express how frustrated I am right now,” DeSiena said. “But it doesn’t change the fact that we have a good football team. We showed in glimpses what we can be. It has nothing to do with our ability why we lost this game.”