Inside the CHSFL: Games to watch and more
The Kellenberg Memorial high school cheerleaders entertain the crowd during a CHSFL game on Friday, October 22, 2021. Credit: Dawn McCormick
MUST-SEE GAMES
Sept. 9: Chaminade at St. Anthony’s, 7 p.m.
It’s the teams’ intriguing season opener. Can Chaminade contain Newsday All-Long Island second-team quarterback Dante Torres, first-team receiver Korey Duff Jr. and the rest of this powerful offense?
Sept. 17: St. Anthony’s vs. St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, New Jersey) at Rutgers, 8 p.m.
St. Anthony’s, ranked third in CHSFL AAA, the highest of any Long Island team, will face a team that was ranked 12th in New Jersey in the preseason by northjersey.com. SHI Stadium has a capacity of 52,454. The game is part of the “Battle for the Bridge” series Sept. 16 and 17 between nine New York CHSFL teams and New Jersey Catholic school teams.
Oct. 22: Chaminade at Holy Trinity, 1:30 p.m.
Chaminade, an AAA team, won the 2021 AA I championship to cap a 7-3 season and has plenty of returning talent. Holy Trinity, now in AA I, won the AA II title to cap a 10-0 season and also has plenty of returning talent, including ESPN’s top-ranked New York recruit in the Class of 2024, wide receiver/defensive back Josiah Brown.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Brandon Brown was a standout defensive back for St. Anthony’s, a player who started for teams that won three CHSFL championships in a row, from 2003 to 2005. In February, he was named as the Giants’ new assistant general manager.
GOOD VENUE
Chaminade’s Gold Star Stadium at Ott Field in Mineola seats about 1,700.
“It’s a great venue to watch football,” Flyers coach Kevin Dolan said.
Some history: “The field has always been called Ott Field,” Dolan said. “That was Brother Alexander Ott, the founder of Chaminade High School in 1930. When they built the new grandstand and the new stadium, they named the stadium itself Gold Star Stadium.”
That was 2014. The name is in honor of the 56 Chaminade alums killed while serving the country, beginning with former football captain Joe Terzi in World War II.
“The names are on a big plaque in a number of places in the locker room and outside the stadium,” Dolan said. “It’s a tribute to those men.”
GOOD CHEER
Kellenberg won the CHSAA state championship at last winter’s cheerleading competition and most of those exceptional cheerleaders will be back on the sideline at the football games, again under the direction of coach Kelly Meisse. The school's football team has a new leader on the sideline this season after the retirement of longtime coach Kevin Hanifan. The associate head coach moved up. It’s Eric Meisse, Kelly’s husband.
WHAT A CHARACTER
There’s a Holy Trinity student at the team’s games who wears a green helmet on an oversized head and has a plate of armor wrapped around the mouth and nose. The person has on big green boots no matter the weather and carries a shield with “HT TITANS” on it.
This college-style mascot has a full-body costume. Who wouldn’t want a photo taken with “The Titan” on any given Friday, Saturday or Sunday?
COACHING SPOTLIGHT
This is Kevin Dolan’s seventh season as head coach at Chaminade, and he couldn’t be more appreciative of his position.
The former offensive lineman/linebacker from Chaminade’s Class of 1985 led the Flyers to CHSFL AA I championships in 2019 and 2021, with his teams going a combined 15-5 those two seasons.
“This is my 34th year of coaching,” Dolan said. “… This is the best coaching job I’ve ever had.”
“You’ve got a school of 1,700 boys,” added Dolan, who saw 91 come out for this year’s varsity, 74 for the JV and 107 for the freshman team. “They’re smart as all get-out. They’re extremely athletic. They’re excited about football. … There’s nothing not to like about being at this school."
