Stepinac football seals No. 1 seed in CHSFL playoffs with shootout win over St. Anthony's
Skies were clear on Friday night, but Stepinac brought plenty of thunder and lightning in a pivotal CHSFL regular season finale, and St. Anthony's didn't seem prepared.
The Crusaders overcame a slow start and once they found a groove, they were virtually unstoppable. They emerged victorious in a high-scoring 56-35 affair, and in doing so, Stepinac clinched the No. 1 seed for the CHSFL playoffs.
"It's a get-back game," Stepinac senior Lorenzo Robinson said. "We've been waiting for this since last year. It was a heartbreaker last year that basically messed up our postseason for the playoffs, but this year, we came out on top. I'm happy to be the No. 1 seed for once."
St. Anthony's raced out to an early 14-0 lead late in the first quarter behind Rutgers commit K.J. Duff, the No. 2-ranked senior in the state. The Friars moved the ball at will, while Stepinac couldn't find traction early and went three-and-out.
The Crusaders got a much-needed spark from Troy Worrell, who had a 92-yard kick return touchdown to put Stepinac on the board, with 4:21 remaining in the first quarter.
"It was huge, it's all about momentum," Stepinac quarterback Will Currid said. "Going down 14-0, then getting that kick return touchdown, it changed the whole sideline, changed the stands. It was huge, and we had some great blocks."
From there, Stepinac would score touchdowns on seven of its next eight offensive drives. The running back tandem of the shifty Lorenzo Robinson and the bruising Jordan Osbourne tormented the Friars' defense, especially in the second half.
Robinson finished with 128 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries, while Osbourne racked up 170 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries.
"It starts back sophomore year," Osbourne said. "Me and Lorenzo, it's always been us as running backs, and as running backs we gotta stick together. Thunder and lightning."
Osbourne put the Crusaders back in front with a 28-21 lead in the closing minutes of the first half, and Robinson scored another Stepinac touchdown in the opening drive of the second half to put the Crusaders in the lead for good and have enough cushioning to withstand the high-scoring nature of the game.
"We had a great week of practice," Currid said. "We've been working at this since August, and I think today, everything finally clicked. Our offense, as a whole, finally clicked running and throwing the ball."
What it means
Stepinac finishes league play with a 6-1 record and locks up the No. 1 seed for the 2023 CHSFL playoffs. The Crusaders have now won four straight, and got to finish the regular season by posting their highest scoring total yet.
Stepinac had lost to St. Anthony's almost exactly one year ago, when the Friars last came to White Plains and defeated the Crusaders, 27-21, on Oct. 28, 2023. The Crusaders didn't forget, and managed to get their revenge in an important game with playoff seeding implications and the No. 1 seed on the line.
Game balls
Lorenzo Robinson and Jordan Osborne, Stepinac: The running back tandem definitely deserves a game ball. Separately, they were impressive, together, they were almost unstoppable. No matter who the Crusaders decided to hand the ball off to, they were making big plays or getting key first down conversions. They combined for 298 rushing yards and six of eight Stepinac touchdowns.
Stepinac offensive line: They paved the way for 509 yards of total offense and didn't give up any sacks in the winning effort.
"This team's different," Robinson said. "Us seniors, we've been together for a while and we're hungry. We want it bad. This season, we're here to prove something. Other seniors (before us) couldn't come out on top, but we want to be the ones to change it up."
By the numbers
Stepinac (7-2): Aside from Robinson and Osbourne, Will Currid completed 11 of 14 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown. Troy Worrell supplemented his big kick return touchdown with five receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown. The Crusader defense racked up four sacks, and Deonte Douglas made a late-game interception in the fourth quarter.
St. Anthony's (6-3): Gary Merrill completed 21 of 30 passes for 326 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for 120 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Christian Alfaro added 70 yards on 11 carries. K.J. Duff had 10 receptions for 165 yards and three touchdowns.
They said it
"There was a lot of anticipation, we knew after we beat Iona and lost to Hayes that we had to beat St. Anthony's to get the No. 1 seed," Currid said. "I've been wanting this game for over a year or so, and it feels great, but I know the job's not done. We got to get back to work on Monday."
"We're a family and family likes to stick together," Osbourne said. "We came together at the end of the game and we're able to put up 56 on a team that was ranked over us, and now we're the No. 1 seed. It feels good, but the job's not done. Our goal is the championship."
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Stepinac seals top seed in CHSFL playoffs with win over St. Anthony's
