Football Game Preview: Xaverian Clippers vs. Xavier Knights

Xaverian hasn't had much luck against Xavier recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Clippers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Knights at 7:00 p.m. Xaverian will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.

On Saturday, Xaverian strolled past St. Dominic with points to spare, taking the game 31-14. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Clippers' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' New York football rankings (they are ranked 189th, while the Bayhawks are ranked 486th).

Meanwhile, Xavier came up short against Archbishop Stepinac on Saturday and fell 21-14. While the Knights had to settle for second, they closed the game well in the third quarter, where they outscored the Crusaders 14-8.

Even if they lost, Xavier's defense still kept up the pressure with three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Robert Milacci, James Halpin, and Brady Metzger, who each picked up one sack apiece. Xavier got some further help from Ryan Lavin: he made nine total tackles (3.0 for loss).

Xaverian's win bumped their record up to 4-2. As for Xavier, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-2.

Xaverian might still be hurting after the 28-7 loss they got from Xavier in their previous meeting back in August of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Knights' Peter Heaney, who rushed for 68 yards and one TD on only five carries, and also threw for 86 yards and one touchdown. Now that the Clippers know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.