St. Anthony's did it with different kids
St. Anthony's teammates raise the championship trophy after their 14-0 win over Stepinac for the CHSFL Conference AAA championship. (Nov. 18, 2011) Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
It's not so much a surprise that the St. Anthony's football team won another Class AAA championship. The program has enough trophies to give one to every member of the starting offense and have a few left over for decoration.
The surprise, however, is that the Friars did it without their starting quarterback. And their starting running back. And their starting wide receiver.
And lest anyone think St. Anthony's eked out a big win to keep its inestimable dynasty alive, think again. The Friars (10-0) went undefeated -- their 29th straight win and second such season -- while beating opponents by an average of 15.2 points. They won their 10th title in 11 years and their 13th since 1993.
The names that did it? Well, they weren't the ones that most expected.
Maston Ellerbe, Anthony Anderson, Anthony Leggio and Tim Stackpole, to name a few. And don't forget the lines, led by center Matt Biscardi and a cadre of defensive linemen who helped keep the Friars afloat after injuries to running back Dariyan Riley and receiver Brian Sherlock.
"It was kind of a struggle with the injuries we had to deal with," said St. Anthony's coach Rich Reichert, who was left rethinking his offense after his appointed starting quarterback went down in the preseason. "I think the kids stepped up to find a way to win."
It wasn't always as easy as it seemed. The Friars won three games by fewer than four points each, including a 21-20 heart-pounder after Leggio tackled the Iona Prep quarterback to stop a potential winning two-point conversion in the final regular-season game.
Leggio, a linebacker, made 10 tackles in the first game of the postseason, a 21-0 win over Mount St. Michael, and added eight more and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the final, a 14-0 win over Archbishop Stepinac.
Ellerbe, a running back who finished with 14 touchdowns, had three in the three-game postseason.
"Some of the injuries were very unfortunate," Reichert said. "But they were opportunities for other players. We were really proud of how the kids played."
Proud, yes, but certainly, with a tradition like this, not surprised.
