Football Game Preview: Kellenberg Memorial Firebirds vs. Xavier Knights

The Kellenberg Memorial Firebirds will challenge the Xavier Knights at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Kellenberg Memorial is coming into the game on a four-game losing streak.

On Saturday, Kellenberg Memorial came up short against Chaminade and fell 24-17. While losing is never fun, the Firebirds can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' New York football rankings (they are ranked 107th, while the Flyers are ranked 17th).

Despite the defeat, Kellenberg Memorial saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Brendan Barkley rushed for 91 yards.

Kellenberg Memorial didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The team can thank two different players for their defensive prowess: John Hastings and Jamison Heneghan, who each picked up one interception apiece.

Meanwhile, Xavier won against Xaverian back in October with 28 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Friday. The Knights simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Christ the King 28-0. The Knights haven't had any issues with the Royals recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.

Xavier had a senior duo take command as Peter Heaney rushed for 88 yards and a pair of scores on only five carries and Riley McLaughlin rushed for 109 yards. Those 109 rushing yards set a new season-high mark for McLaughlin.

Xavier's victory bumped their record up to 7-2. As for Kellenberg Memorial, their loss dropped their record down to 1-8.

Kellenberg Memorial suffered a grim 28-7 defeat to Xavier when the teams last played back in September. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Heaney, who rushed for 103 yards and three TDs. Now that the Firebirds know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.