Sports

Sea can’t halt streaking Iona

John Castellano was only sure about one thing. The Iona Prep free safety had given up a big pass play down field early in the first half and that was just unacceptable as far as he was concerned.

“I knew I couldn’t give up another one,” the senior said.

He saw his chance to make up for it in the final seconds of the first half. Castellano picked off St. Joseph by the Sea quarterback Michael Scacco on a go-route up the middle. He began turning it up the right sideline and saw nothing but green as he ran 70 yards with less than a minute to play in the first half to put the Gaels up three scores.

“At the end I was so winded,” Castellano said. “In my head I was like, ‘Am I going to make it or not? Then [Micheal] Longo came up with a big block for me.”

The play gave Iona some breathing room in an eventual 38-8 win over visiting St. Joseph by the Sea in a CHSFL Class AAA game Saturday afternoon in New Rochelle. It is the Gaels fifth straight win since falling to Archbishop Stepinac in Week 1.

Castellano’s pick wasn’t the only big play that sparked Iona (5-1, 5-0). St. Joseph by the Sea (3-3, 2-3) struck first. Running back John Diaz took the second play from scrimmage 45 yards for a touchdown and Scacco ran in the 2-point conversation. Gaels back Sidney Weston provided the quick answer. On the next offensive play, he scampered down the right sideline for a 55-yard scoring run to make it 8-7 less than two minutes into the game.

“Our offense knew we had to go out there and gain the momentum back,” Weston, who ran for 133 yards on 15 carries, said.

They would never relinquish it from there as the Gaels defense controlled the Vikings ground and pound attack. Iona stopped Sea twice on fourth down, the second came after John Favale hit Iona quarterback Tim Perley (18-of-26, 211 yards) from the blind side to force a fumble. The Vikings drive stalled at the Iona 23.

“On our offensive line, our lack of reps is showing,” Sea coach Greg Manos said. “We have never been this young. We really have to up the intensity all over the place. Joe Ryan Field this week has to be the most intense place on Staten Island.”

The second straight fourth down stop certainly picked up the Gaels intensity. Weston finished off an 8-play drive, 78-yard drive with an 8-yard score on the ground to give Iona the lead for good at 14-13 with 8:55 left in the first half. Alex Kapp added a 36-yard field goal to put the Gaels, ranked No. 4 in the CHSFL by The Post, up nine before Castellano’s interception return helped make it 24-8 at the break.

“We got momentum from that play going into the second half,” Iona coach Vic Quirolo said. “I thought that was the pivotal play of the game, but at halftime we knew we were in a dog fight.”

Omari Buster caught a 45-yard screen pass from Perley on the Gaels opening drive of the second half after Sea was given a 15-yard penalty for being late out of the locker room. Perley capped the scoring with a 24-yard TD pass to Dan Fischer late in the fourth quarter.

The ninth-ranked Vikings appear to be still adjusting after the loss of running back Chris Murphy to a torn ACL two weeks ago and never recovered after the interception was returned for a touchdown. They get a chance to regroup next week against archrival Monsignor Farrell, who is also struggling.

“Last week [against St. Anthony’s] I didn’t play the game to be close. This week I didn’t play the game to be close,” Manos said. “We are going to try to leave the field with a victory. If it takes trying to make something happen that is what we are going to do. We underthrew the pass. The kid picked it and took it to the house. That’s a big momentum change.”