Sports

INSIDE BOYS SOCCER: Aviation still undefeated, Xavier-Regis fallout

There was a time not so long ago Aviation was one of the city’s elite with multiple Division I players on the roster. It nearly upset Martin Luther King Jr. in the PSAL Class A semifinals one year. The program, however, fell on hard times and failed to register a single victory three years ago.

Instead of moving down, coach Mario Cotumaccio figured his young players would use that experience to improve, and now, three games into the season, the Flyers seem to be on their way back to the top of Queens A West, if not challenging the city’s best.

Aviation improved to 3-0-0 with a 1-0 win over Newcomers. It recently routed Long Island City, 5-0, and blanked Edison, 7-0.

“I’m not surprised at all,” Cotumaccio said. “These guys have been with me for four years. I had a real young team [then], now they are seniors and juniors. That’s the change, the maturity level and a little more experience. … I had a pretty good team last year.”

Disciplinary issues cost Cotumaccio a few players, but they are back now giving Queens fits. With a litany of small but talented players – from senior striker Sebastian Choinski (five goals) to senior midfielder Bryan Sanchez (two assists) and junior Kevin Rodriguez, among others – Cotumaccio has changed Aviation’s style to a finesse approach of one- and two-touch soccer. The Flyers like to move the ball around and attack from the wings, the way FC Barcelona plays.

“We’re playing soccer the way soccer should be played,” the longtime coach said. “I’ll put my 11 players against any 11 players in the city. They’re not very physical, they’re small in height, but they are very skillful.”

Aviation was supposed to get its first test Friday against William Bryant, a quarterfinalist a year ago, but the match was postponed because of a permit issue. The Flyers, instead, will have to wait until next Wednesday when they travels to Ozone Park to face two-time Queens A West champion John Adams.

“We’ll see how we measure up,” Cotumaccio said.

Red card will stand in Xavier, Regis affair: Xavier’s attempt to protest the red card given to senior defender Jack Kane after a 2-1 win over Regis on Tuesday will not even heard by the league, The Post has learned.

“There’s no appeal on red cards,” CHSAA Class AA boys soccer citywide chairman Paul Gilvary said. “It’s a two-game suspension.”

After a physical match before the handshake line, Kane rushed angrily at the Regis bench in what Xavier players said was retaliation for Regis junior Calum Mullan getting kicked in his face as he came off the field. Referee Ralph Bavaro gave Kane a red card and Kane stormed away from the field area toward the locker room, kicking over a Gatorade cooler.

Linesman Ivan Morales said the red card was given because Kane “went after” the Regis player. But Xavier coach Joe Balsamo said neither Morales nor Bavaro actually saw the entire incident and were not in position to issue a red card.

A voicemail message left for Xavier athletic director Rod Walker was not returned Wednesday. Regis coach Vinny Catapano declined comment on the would-be protest.

Also in that game, Xavier senior Ed Wagner, who had both goals, was injured on a collision with Regis keeper Joe Pollicino. Wagner could not walk under his own power and had to be removed from the field in a golf cart. Balsamo said he was rushed to the hospital and has a badly sprained ankle. He could be out six weeks, but the playoffs are still a possibility.

“I hope so,” Balsamo said.

Brother’s keeper: Luis Castillo is picking up where his brother, Oscar, left off as Bishop Ford’s star. Castillo, the team’s senior goalkeeper, had an incredible game Monday to preserve a scoreless tie against last year’s CHSAA Class A runner-up St. Joseph by the Sea and followed that up with eight saves in a 1-0 loss Wednesday to Monsignor McClancy.

“What a terrific game he played,” Ford coach Barney Cassidy said of the Sea performance. “You don’t see too many games like that one. He had six or eight acrobatic saves. He was all over the place. Corner to corner, laying on his back. He was doing everything.”

Cassidy thinks Castillo will be a scholarship player like Oscar, who is at Division I North Florida. Luis has gotten some local D-I interest as well as Division II looks.

Fordham Prep senior done for season: Rams versatile midfielder Erich Eberts, one of the team’s top players, will miss the remainder of the season with a torn meniscus, coach Pete McNamara said. Eberts had surgery last week on his knee and the injury ended up being worse than originally thought.

“You don’t want to rush something like that,” McNamara said. “He was a valuable asset to the team, in the midfield and in the back.”

Notes: St. Francis Prep senior Chris Joseph has scored at least one goal in every game so far this season. … Archbishop Molloy junior Nick Matusewicz is in the midst of a monster year. His goal against Xaverian followed up a hat trick in a non-league game Saturday against Kellenberg. Matusewicz also scored in a 1-1 tie with St. Francis Prep, minutes after he and Prep goalkeeper Steven Reid knocked heads in mid-air. … Iona Prep has the city’s best freshman. Stephen Elias, who plays academy ball with the Red Bulls, had a key goal last week in a 3-1 win over Xavier and a goal and two assists in a 4-2 win Tuesday against Archbishop Stepinac. … FDR striker Juan Colorado has picked up where he left off last season, with eight goals — tied with Bayside’s Santiago Moore, William Bryant’s Annes Salkovic and Evander Childs’ Yankuba Janneh for most in the PSAL Class A division — to lead the Cougars to a 4-0-0 mark and first place in Brooklyn A West. FDR was on pace to win the division last year before a bench-clearing brawl with James Madison ruined those chances. … In the Ivy Prep League, Fieldston has won three straight matches and is tied atop the division with defending champion Hackley, Horace Mann and Collegiate. Fieldston faces Horace Mann on Friday.

zbraziller@nypost.com

mraimondi@nypost.com