Football Game Preview: Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders vs. Iona Prep Gaels

Archbishop Stepinac hasn't had much luck against Iona Prep recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Crusaders will square off against the Gaels at 1:30 p.m.

Archbishop Stepinac is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New York's top teams: St. Anthony's, who was ranked fourth at the time (Archbishop Stepinac was ranked 14th). The Crusaders were beaten by the Friars 49-21 on Saturday. The Crusaders were already down big by the end of the third quarter and they stayed that way after failing to score in the fourth.

Despite the defeat, Archbishop Stepinac got top-tier performance from John Smith, who picked up 72 receiving yards and one score, and also rushed for 78 yards on only eight carries. Julani Graham was in the mix too, providing the Crusaders with two touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Iona Prep humbled Kellenberg Memorial with a 47-13 victory. Considering the Gaels have won five matchups by more than 23 points this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.

Iona Prep's win came from a few key players Archbishop Stepinac will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Julian Guzman, who threw for 127 yards and one TD while completing 91.7% of his passes, and also punched in one score on the ground. Another back making a difference was Crew Davis, who rushed for 55 yards and one touchdown on only five carries.

Iona Prep pushed their record up to 7-1 with the win, which was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season. The road victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 42.8 points over those games. As for Archbishop Stepinac, their loss dropped their record down to 6-3.

Archbishop Stepinac took a serious blow against Iona Prep in their previous meeting back in September of 2024, falling 42-13. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Guzman, who rushed for 101 yards and one TD, and also threw for 243 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 72.7% of his passes. Now that the Crusaders know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.