St. Anthony’s had the momentum against defending state champion Iona Prep. A stretch of big plays had the Friars’ home crowd roaring. But the undefeated Gaels’ firepower proved too much as St. Anthony's fell, 50-36, on Friday night in a CHSFL AAA championship rematch.

The Friars trailed 35-15 in the third quarter after Iona scored 27 unanswered points. With 3:18 left, Xavier Bala scored his third touchdown of the game from 3 yards out. Anthony Sanchez recovered the onside kick, and Anthony Diieso connected with Kevin Moore for a 33-yard score. Suddenly, St. Anthony’s trailed 35-29 with 2:02 left in the third.

But Iona’s Eric Pirrello hauled in a one-handed catch for a 72-yard touchdown, and the Gaels pulled away.

“There were too many mistakes and we need to be more consistent,” St. Anth

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