Football Recap: Riley Mclaughlin and Peter Heaney Secure Win for Xavier

Winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Xavier). They came out on top against The Pingry School Big Blue by a score of 29-22 on Saturday. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' football rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 77th in New York, while the Big Blue are ranked 245th in New Jersey) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Xavier was led to victory by Peter Heaney and Riley McLaughlin. Heaney rushed for 110 yards and one touchdown on only 15 carries, while McLaughlin rushed for 93 yards and one TD on only seven carries. McLaughlin's longest rush was for an incredible 71 yards.

Knights

Rushing Yards

09/27/25 @ The Pingry School	346
09/20/25 @ St. Francis Prep	236
09/13/25 @ St. Peter's	314
09/06/25 vs Kellenberg Memorial	302
08/29/25 vs Indian Hills	220
+ 7 more games

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Xavier was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 346 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2024.

On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Xavier's defense and their seven sacks. Salvatore Vitale led the group effort, picking up 2.5 of those sacks all by himself. Robert Milacci is also crushing it when it comes to total tackles: he's made at least seven every time he's taken the field this season.

The Pingry School's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Ryan Moye, who threw for 202 yards and a pair of TDs on only 19 passes, and Ja'Mar White, who picked up 76 receiving yards and a pair of scores.

Xavier's record now sits at 4-1. As for The Pingry School, their defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 2-3.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming matchups. Xavier will take on Holy Cross at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Holy Cross will roll in looking for their fourth straight victory, something Xavier surely won't give up without a fight. As for The Pingry School, they will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Horace Mann at 2:30 p.m. on the 11th.