Whitman's Xavier Ali, Chaminade's Will Handley receive Scholar Athlete Awards
James Conrad Metzger Top Scholar Athlete recipients Xavier Ali of Whitman and William Handley of Chaminade pose with awards during at the annual Scholar Athlete Awards Brunch of the National Football Foundation’s Suffolk County chapter at the Melville Marriott on Sunday. Credit: David Meisenholder
Whitman senior linebacker/offensive lineman Xavier Ali and Chaminade senior outside linebacker Will Handley will continue their football careers collegiately at the Division I FCS level next season.
But their excellence is not limited to the gridiron. Both young men have shined in the classroom and community, and were recognized for their efforts on Sunday.
Ali (Suffolk) and Handley (CHSFL) were named the James Conrad Metzger Top Scholar Athlete at the annual Scholar Athlete Awards Brunch of the National Football Foundation’s Suffolk County chapter at the Melville Marriott.
“I'm a pretty competitive person,” said Ali, a Rhode Island commit. “So no matter if it's on the field or whether it's in the classroom, I want to be the best at what I do.”
Handley, a Lafayette signee, said: “Definitely just very honored to receive this award. There's a lot of top guys who definitely could have won this as well. It’s just good to represent Chaminade, represent my teammates and my coaches.”
In addition to Ali and Handley, 11 Suffolk players were recognized Sunday as part of the National Football Foundation Golden Eleven: Finn Drake (Westhampton), Aaron Fisher (Floyd), Michael Frankie (Bellport), Gavin German (Smithtown West), Jack Kalinowski (East Islip), Brennan Kurtz (Ward Melville), Cole Madden (Glenn), Kyle Messina (Sayville), Brady Nash (Islip), Nick Paliotta (Kings Park) and Dylan Spano (Bayport-Blue Point).
Ali, who has a 100.3 GPA, earned Newsday All-Long Island first-team honors in 2023 and 2024 as a four-year starter on both sides of the ball. This past season, he was a finalist for both the Burnett Award (Suffolk’s best defensive player) and the Collotta Award (Suffolk's top linebacker). He had 114 tackles (25 for a loss) and 10 sacks in nine games. As a junior, Ali played on the defensive line and had 91 tackles (14 for a loss), seven sacks, two fumble recoveries and three pass deflections.
Ali is a member of the Natural Helpers Club, the Business Honor Society, the Leadership Club and the Finance Club at Whitman. He also throws the shot put and discus as a varsity track athlete and volunteers as a youth football and wrestling coach among other extracurriculars.
“I think as a football player, when the guys looked at the film, he really did stand out,” said Len Genova, the president of the NFF Suffolk chapter. “I think he's a difference-maker and has the ability to really succeed at the FCS level, and you could see that. He's athletic. He's strong. He's quick. And then obviously, when you look at his academic credentials, it's scary good.”
Handley, an All-CHSFL selection, has a 95 unweighted GPA and a 1310 SAT score. He is a member of the National Honor Society, the Business Club, the Economics Club and the Sodality Club at Chaminade. He also volunteers as a mentor and youth football coach.
“They're definitely both equal aspects,” Handley said of the balance between football and academics. “I like to focus all my time on what I'm doing… So when I'm playing football, I give it all I got. And then when I go home, I focus on the books.”
Additional winners
Longwood’s Mike Warren earned the inaugural Paci Iron Grit Award, named after former Huntington coach John Paci, Jr… The NFF Offensive Line Award, presented annually to the toughest, most physical offensive line in each Suffolk division, was given to Longwood in Suffolk I, East Islip in Suffolk II, Eastport-South Manor in Suffolk III and Bayport-Blue Point in Suffolk IV… Marc Negrin Jr. was named the Norman D. Carter Official of the Year.
Scholar Athletes by Division
Division I
Clint Chichester, Longwood
Karter Doyle, Riverhead
Christopher Freriks, Sachem East
Aidan Holley, Central Islip
Christopher Mosquera, Commack
Tarrin Mussillo, Lindenhurst
Jayden Ramnarace, Brentwood
James Sobotka, Bay Shore
Brayden Tappin, Sachem North
Kevin Unterweiser, Connetquot
Jackson Wustenhoff, Patchogue-Medford
Division II
Anthony Almanzar, Deer Park
Cole Bisca, Smithtown East
Anthony Gerbasio, West Babylon
Reid Johansen, Northport
Jake Lella, West Islip
Lucas Martin, Half Hollow Hills East
Branden McDaniels, Newfield
Christopher Nieves, North Babylon
Henry Romero, Copiague
Dominic Sellitto, Centereach
Thomas Smith, Huntington
Division III
Amari Alcindor, Amityville
Douglas Annicelli, Comsewogue
Connor Craig, Harborfields
Nolan Douglas, Eastport-South Manor
Grayson Marmol, Rocky Point
James Moret, East Hampton
Benjamin Vogt, Half Hollow Hills West
Cole Wood, Hauppauge
Division IV
Dany Benitez-Echeverria, Wyandanch
Lorenzo DiNapoli, Babylon
Nathan Donahue, Hampton Bays
James Dudley, Southampton
Austin Faller, Center Moriches
Ryan Filippi, Mount Sinai
Michael Iberger, Shoreham-Wading River
Dane Lagrasta, Miller Place
Kenneth McGunnigle, Southold
Brandon Verruto, Port Jefferson
CHSFL and Private
Cameron Cox, Long Island Lutheran
Christian DaCosta, Kellenberg
William Hart, St. Anthony’s
Joseph Rivera, St. John the Baptist
Krystopher Simon, St. Dominic
Enoch Thomas, Holy Trinity
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
