Four football playoff games to watch this week: Can Chaminade shut down St. Anthony's QB Dante Torres?

The St. Anthony’s and Chaminade football teams will add another chapter to a storied rivalry when they meet in a Class AAA semifinal in the CHSFL on Saturday night.

St. Anthony’s (8-1) hosts Chaminade (5-3) at 7 p.m.

According to Joe Minucci, the director of athletics at St. Anthony’s, the game was originally scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, but the forecast for inclement weather initiated the move.

“We wanted to move it because the weather looked awful,” said Minucci, who is also the Friars coach. “You want to play a playoff game in the best conditions possible for the players, the crowd, everyone involved. No one wants to play their final game in miserable weather — because one team is playing their final game.”

St. Anthony’s senior quarterback Dante Torres has lit up the CHSFL for 2,620 passing yards, an average of 291 per game. The Fordham commit threw for 28 touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s also rushed for eight scores.

He has two targets in 6-4 ½ senior Ian Strong, who has 648 yards and nine touchdowns and 6-4 ½ junior Korey Duff Jr., who has 636 yards and seven scores. Duff missed two games and was limited in two others by a rib injury.

For Chaminade, the defending CHSFL AA-I champion, the key to winning has been an athletic defense that had shut down Holy Trinity and ended the Titans' 17-game win streak in a 10-7 win. In last week's quarterfinal, the Flyers defense led by a core of linebackers, Charles Battaglia, Benjamin Mann and Matt Rappa, kept Kellenberg’s outstanding quarterback Devin Page in check enough for a 19-17 comeback win.

Flyers quarterback Matt Dieguez fired a winning 20-yard TD pass to Pat Bruno as time expired.

St. Anthony’s won the regular season matchup, 35-10.

NASSAU II

Long Beach (7-2) vs. Mepham (8-1), Friday at Hofstra, 3:30 p.m.: Mepham squeezed past MacArthur last week, 14-7, as quarterback Dominic Novello scored on a short run with one second remaining. The Pirates escaped with a hard-fought win in the quarterfinals. They play Long Beach and talented quarterback Jeff Conway, who threw for three touchdowns last week in a 27-14 win over New Hyde Park. Conway leads Nassau with 1,628 yards passing and 15 scores. Mepham’s defense allows 13 points a game and Conway has thrown 10 interceptions. The Marines need to take care of the ball to have a chance. Mepham jumped to a 28-0 third quarter lead in the first meeting, including a Pick Six on the way to a 28-13 win.

SUFFOLK IV

Miller Place (5-3) at Bayport-Blue Point (8-0), Friday, Noon: The early start will benefit the passing game of undefeated, top-seeded Bayport-BP and quarterback Brady Clark as inclement weather moves into the area Friday. Clark has thrown for 1,118 yards and 18 touchdowns with no interceptions and rushed for another 400 yards and four scores in seven games. His go-to receiver is JJ Aiello with 18 receptions for 505 yards, including 10 scores. Aiello’s brother Dan has rushed for 782 yards on 70 carries for 11 touchdowns. Miller Place halfback Joe’ll Spagnuolo has been the difference maker for the Panthers. The senior has rushed for 1,102 yards on 98 carries for 14 touchdowns. Quarterback Michael Giugliano has been a consistent performer, completing 26 of 34 passes for 440 yards and seven scores. Giugliano also rushed for 676 yards and five more scores.

SUFFOLK II

Half Hollow Hills East (6-3) at Bellport (8-1), Saturday, 1 p.m.: Hills East has never played for a Suffolk title. They were within a first down of making that a reality last year before losing a 29-25 heartbreaker on the road at Bellport in a Suffolk II semifinal. It is on the cusp of another Suffolk title berth after the Thunderbirds needed a Max Futter winning field goal with 27 seconds left to oust West Islip last week in the quarterfinal round with a 9-7 comeback win. T-Birds defenders Davion Johnson and Josh Isaacs will need to find a way to contain Bellport halfback Donte Phillips, who has rushed for 1,147 yards and 16 touchdowns. Clippers quarterback Justin Miles has settled nicely into his new position and spreads the ball between four receivers. The addition of Brentwood transfer Jovanny Brown gives the T-Birds a scoring threat on every play.

By Gregg Sarra

gregg.sarra@newsday.com@Gregg_Sarra

Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.