Football Recap: Archbishop Stepinac Beats Xavier for Their Third Straight Victory

Archbishop Stepinac had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Saturday. They came out on top against the Xavier Knights by a score of 21-14. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Crusaders' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' New York football rankings (they are ranked seventh, while the Knights are ranked 54th).

Archbishop Stepinac's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Nicholas Harrison, who picked up 41 receiving yards and two scores.

Archbishop Stepinac didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Xavier to a completion percentage of just 43.8%. That dominant aerial defense primarily came from two players: Derek Watson and Prince Okoko, who each logged one passes deflected. Sadly, that's becoming something of a trend for Archbishop Stepinac; they were averaging 61.8%completion percentage earlier this season, but in their last three matchups they've fallen to only 61.8%.

Nieem Hardy

Total Tackles

08/30/25 vs Lincoln	2
09/19/25 vs Chaminade	4
10/03/25 @ Cardinal Hayes	5
09/06/25 vs Central Catholic	6
09/12/25 @ DePaul Catholic	8

Archbishop Stepinac didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Nieem Hardy and Watson. Hardy also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with 11.

Although Xavier took the loss, they still got scores from Elijah Stewart and Liam Averill.

Archbishop Stepinac's victory bumped their record up to 5-2. As for Xavier, they suffered their first home loss, dropping their record down to 5-2.

Looking ahead, Archbishop Stepinac will challenge Kellenberg Memorial at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. As for Xavier, they will face off against Xaverian at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday.