Phil DePaulis is growing more comfortable running the ball — and that means unpleasant things for anyone trying to stand in his way.
The Xaverian senior quarterback stands 6-feet and weighs 200-pounds, which makes tackling him like trying so stop a freight train with a head of steam.
“Phil is a big boy,” said junior lineman Michael Marinelli. “When Phil hits you, you go down. Trust me. He’s hit me a few times. His is a big guy. He runs fast and he runs hard.”
DePaulis’s success with his feet provided an offensive element host Cardinal Spellman wasn’t prepared for in Xaverian’s 36–8 Catholic High School Football League Class A victory in the Bronx last Saturday afternoon.
He posted 131 yards of total offense, including 70 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. DePaulis had runs for 20 and 26 yards against Spellman — the biggest threat in the division.
“I usually would take the ball,” said senior running back Brandon Peterson. “Now Phil, teams have to worry about it. He would pull it and just run.”
It is Xaverian’s stable of running backs and physical offensive line that makes everything go on offense, which had its way with Spellman on Oct. 10. Peterson ran for 97 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries and Michael Rossetti and Tyler Stewart each had scoring runs.
“You have five guys you are going to have to defend,” Clippers coach Mike Jioa said.
His club set the tone early behind Marinelli and Daniel Welsome. Spellman coach Willie Cawley joked that Xaverian (4–1, 3–0) lives up to the weights on the roster and pushed his team around most of the afternoon. Peterson enjoys working behind them.
“This year the offensive line was tremendously large,” he said. “Running behind them is just like I’m a little guy running behind giants.”
Xaverian led 23–0 after a 26-yard touchdown from DePaulis, but gave Spellman (3–2, 2–0) a glimmer of hope heading into the half. Lenward Stewart blocked a punt that was recovered at the Clippers one-yard line. The Pilots scored two plays later when Marcus Ciccone hit Derick Arzu for a three-yard score and the two-point conversion to make it 23–8 at the break.
Xaverian, especially its defense, came out refocused for the second half. James Baglino recovered a fumble on Spellman’s opening drive and Vincent Finizio added a fourth-quarter interception.
“We realized we needed to continue to be dominant and really destroy everybody up front,” Marinelli said. “We really woke up in the second half.”
The victory puts the Clippers alone in first place in the Class A division, and gets a tough three-game stretch started with a victory. Xaverian faces AA teams Kellenberg and Xavier next, but beating Spellman makes it the favorite to bring home the Class A crown.
“This was a test because this is probably the team we will face in the championship if we make it,” DePaulis said of Spellman.
