Nassau News

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Chaminade and St. Anthony’s High Schools, both parochial institutions founded by different orders of the Roman Catholic Church in the 1930s, 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, an online writer for the New York 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 hotbed 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.

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 won its seventh consecutive title this 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 squads expect 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 there. It’s primarily Chaminade and St. Anthony’s as two dominant schools.”

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 these players is Stephen Boyd, a former Detroit Lion who is 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 their 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, in April, the schools met for a lacrosse battle in Mineola. Chaminade came out the victor 7-6 on a last-minute goal. 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.”

Additional Video

Bill Basel, head coach of the varsity football program at Chaminade High School in Mineola, N.Y., sat down with Nassau News on April 3, 2008 to give his take on the rivalry between Chaminade and St. Anthony's high schools in athletics. To read a transcript of the interview, click here.

Don Buckley, athletic director of St. Anthony's High School in South Huntington, N. Y., spoke on April 7, 2008 to Nassau News about the athletic rivalry between St. Anthony's and Chaminade high schools. Click here to read a transcript of the interview.

Keith Wieczorek, head coach of the varsity boys lacrosse program at St. Anthony's High School, conducted an interview with Nassau News on April 7, 2008, giving his take on the athletic rivalry between St. Anthony's and Chaminade from the perspective of both a coach and alumnus (a graduate of St. Anthony's in 1986). To read a transcript of the interview, click here.

Rich Reichert, head coach of the varsity football program at St. Anthony's High School, sat down with Nassau News on April 7, 2008 to give his perspective on the rivalry between St. Anthony's and Chaminade. Reichert is also an alum of St. Anthony's, graduating in 1970. Click here to read a transcript of the interview.

To read the production memo of this project, click here.

Related Links

• CHSAA Chaminade page
  
• CHSAA St. Anthony's page
  
• History of the Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA
  
• Chaminade's most recent CHSFL championship was in 1998. St. Anthony's has won its seventh consecutive title this past season. For more information on past champions in Long Island high school football, click here.
  
• St. Anthony's last won the CHSAA lacrosse title in 2004. Chaminade won its third consecutive championship in 2007. For more information on past champions in Long Island high school boys lacrosse, click here.
  
• In 2002, St. Anthony's defeated Chaminade 34-32 to clinch the CHSFL championship. To see the article, click here.
  
• In 2007, Chaminade was victorious over St. Anthony's 10-2 in the CHSAA Championship game. To see the result, click here.
  
• In 2007, Sports Illustrated named St. Anthony's High School's athletic program as the best in New York State. Click here to see the article.