1st Ranked St. Anthony’s Friars Team Preview

The perennial national powerhouse of St. Anthony’s enter our top 20 rankings in the first overall spot! They once again enter the new season as the reigning Catholic AAA Champions after defeating rival Chaminade in a classic overtime game to win the title. Although Chaminade bested them in the High School Winter League, the Friars are looking to hold onto the hardware they earned last May. They return a star studded senior class that will be striving to conclude their high school careers on top of the mountain.

This offense is arguably the best in the country, giving so many opposing teams nightmares when trying to game plan for them. At attack it begins with UNC bound senior Owen Duffy. He’s one of those attackmen that is virtually unstoppable. Duffy is prolific when he has the ball and seems like it doesn’t matter what type of coverage he faces, he still manages to do damage. This talented attack continues with senior Jack Speidell (Harvard), Jack Ponzio (Navy) and Patrick Carragher (Penn State). Three elite players in their own right, Speidell can operate from X or up top and was lethal last year with 34 goals and 13 assists. Ponzio is a powerful lefty attacker who posted a stat line of 20 goals and 13 assists. Lastly, Carragher simply knows how to fill up the scoring column, adding 21 goals and six assists. Two of their standout attackmen that elevated their game during the winter were the LIU commit Aidan Zuhoski, and Colin Johnston the Gettysburg senior. This could also be a breakout season for the junior Luke Breslin (LeHigh) as he enters his first season on varsity. The Friars will also be quite a handful with defenses having to deal with Jackson Greene (Harvard) who will lead this midfield unit after a 2022 season that saw him tally 15 goals and eight assists for 23 points. During the winter league the Friars consistently got strong play from players that will add to the mix season and have a more enhanced role throughout the season. Among them are seniors Colin Gols (Providence) and Graeme Olson who will only add to this deep midfield unit. At the face-off  X the Friars have the combination of junior Michael Moon the brown commit and Owen McIntee the senior who’s bound for Stony Brook. In the winter league playing for the Friars senior, McIntee was in firm control most games, winning the vast majority of his matchups. Defensively the Friars return a top flight unit that is headlined by seniors Joe Calendrino (Penn State), Jaeden Jenkins (Penn State), Kevin Kearns (Michigan), Cole Aasheim (UNC), and junior Tommy Snyder (UVA). Arguably the best defense of any team on the island, this unit will make for must see matchups against the other nationally ranked opponents on their schedule. With a number of goalies on their roster, it was Joey Rice the senior who got the most reps in the winter league. The play from last year’s senior Will Snyder leaves big shoes to fill in the net, but the Friars certainly have the depth to account for his absence. Last season the defense allowed an average of seven goals per game. With the national schedule that St. Anthony’s faces each year, they have already started off on the right foot with  a win against Culver to open the season. Their two highly anticipated games against rival Chaminade will take place on March 23rd and May 10th.[vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/809827967″ el_width=”80″]