Chaminade and St. Anthony’s High Schools, both parochial institutions founded by different orders of the Roman Catholic Church, have engaged in a highly competitive rivalry in the field of athletics since the 1970s. While the level of competition is high in all sports, it is in football and boys lacrosse that the intensity is brought out the most.
“Lacrosse and football are the biggest battles the schools have,” said Chris Vaccaro, a writer for the Daily News who has worked on the Island’s high school sports scene for a number of years. “The lacrosse battles are nationally recognized because lacrosse is such a hot bed on Long Island. Football is good because they always have two of the best teams around, especially St. Anthony’s, who wins the title just about every year.”
The early stages of the duel saw competition between the two. However, it “took on a life of its own,” as St. Anthony’s lacrosse head coach Keith Wieczorek puts it, in the late 1980s during lacrosse season. Since 1987, the schools have combined for a whopping 21 league championships, blowing the competition out of the water in the process.
Since then, Long Islanders have taken notice of the rivalry, and often fill the seats when the [Chaminade] Flyers and [St. Anthony’s] Friars get together to compete. Of course, the spectators are largely those who either currently have or previously had an affiliation with either institution.
“The kids are definitely excited about the game, and you got alumni and family of past players that have a buzz about the game,” said Wieczorek, who graduated from St. Anthony’s in 1986. “It’s one of those games that get circled early in the year by a lot of people that are no longer involved in the program, but are still aware of it.”
On the football field, the schools each have 10 Catholic High School Football League championships under their belt. Most recently, St. Anthony’s has won their seventh consecutive title this past fall. Included in this string of success is a 2002 championship victory over the Flyers by a 34-32 score, a testament to how competitive these schools are when it comes to athletics.
Unlike their lacrosse counterparts, though, the football squad expects competition from the other teams because of the strong balance between all members of the CHSFL.
“I think in football, it’s just two good football teams,” said Chaminade head football coach Bill Basel. “It’s a little different in lacrosse because the balance in their league is not quite; it’s primarily Chaminade and St. Anthony’s as two dominant schools in lacrosse.”
The two schools have been able to reap the benefits as a result of the rivalry. Chaminade has sent two of its football players to the National Football League, one of whom is Stephen Boyd, currently a strength and conditioning/linebackers coach for the Flyers. St. Anthony’s, meanwhile, has seen some of its players come close to the glory of the NFL, most recently Joe Villani, who was cut by the Jets last season. Also, the South Huntington-based school’s athletic program was recognized in 2007 with a significant honor.
“We were contacted by Sports Illustrated. They had heard about our athletic program and asked us to come up with a list of statistics that we had done over the past 10 years,” said Don Buckley, Athletic Director of St. Anthony’s. “It was the most dominant athletic program in New York State for the past 10 years in all sports.”
Although this rivalry is intense in every way, it is one with friendly relations between both sides. For one thing, as parochial schools and members of the Nassau-Suffolk Catholic High School Athletic Association, Chaminade and St. Anthony’s are expected to uphold a level of conduct with a strict emphasis on character and sportsmanship for its athletes and students. Another factor is that the student-athletes in both schools come from all throughout Long Island and have known each other outside of the confines through club teams and other activities. These factors explain why a rivalry such as this can be so powerful yet not get out of hand.
“There is a mutual respect there. You really don’t see any nonsense out there,” said Buckley. “There are not any fights that go on and that kind of stuff. Every once in a while there may be a penalty flag thrown, but the kid spends his minute on the sideline or gets taken out by a coach, settles down and gets back out there to continue play.”
Recently, on April 3rd, the schools met for a lacrosse battle in Mineola. Chaminade came out the victors 7-6 on a last-minute goal to win the game. Judging by the intensity of today’s teams and the schools’ noteworthy histories, do not expect this rivalry to let up anytime in the future.
“It’s not hard to get excited about playing Chaminade,” said Rich Reichert, St. Anthony’s head football coach. “It’s just a fun game.”
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