Canisius-Joe's reaches new level
Published: November 09, 2009, 11:36 pm
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Canisius High School and St. Joe's have one of the most intense and longest-running rivalries in Western New York.
That is why this week has been a special and unexpected surprise.
The only teams standing between the Crusaders' and Marauders' quests of winning postseason championships in four sports have been each other, and the rivalry boldly goes where it's never gone before Thursday.
Canisius (5-5) meets St. Joe's (6-4) for the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association football championship at 7:30 p.m. at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The game marks the 76th time the schools will have played each other in the sport but it'll be the first time they're meeting for a playoff title.
Talk about kicking up the rivalry a few notches.
The Ralph should be rocking with the faithful "Rowdies" of St. Joe's chanting on one side, with Canisius' "Blue Crew" retorting in kind, all in an effort to will their teams to victory.
"It's good for the Monsignor Martin and good for the area," third-year Canisius coach Brandon Harris said. "It's a pretty darn big rivalry. ... I don't know if this game is going to make it any bigger. The proximity of the schools, the alumni knowing each other from both schools, you have the addition of e-mail and online papers, I think more people will know about [Thursday's game] than 15 years ago. It's a big game no matter what."
It's the game in a week filled with huge matchups between the schools.
"Rivalry Week II" began Sunday with St. Joe's upsetting Canisius, 4-2, for the Monsignor Martin boys soccer championship. Canisius won the team title Sunday at the All-Catholic cross country meet, while Chuck Mule of St. Joe's won the individual title.
The Crusaders beat St. Joe's on Monday night for the Catholic league's volleyball title in five hard-fought games before an estimated 500 at Hilbert College.
Canisius senior outside hitter Luke Klee, like so many athletes from both schools, has been a participant and a fan in the rivalry. He was at St. Joe's on Sunday and shared in the Blue and Gold's disappointment but was thrilled to be among the throng of players and fans celebrating on the court Monday night after the 2-hour, 15-minute match finally ended, as the Crusaders celebrated their 10th straight playoff championship. And, yes, beating St. Joe's made it even sweeter.
"It's really special," said Klee, who finished with a match-high 26 kills. "St. Joe's games are always a lot more intense. ... It just makes it a really great atmosphere to play in. Winning makes it all the more better."
Four Canisius-St. Joe's meetings for championships? Is God really on the side of these two schools?
"It's just the way things worked out," said longtime St. Joe's football coach Bob O'Connor of all the title showdowns between the schools. "I think it's a great thing for the rivalry. In the past [in football] it's always been basically St. Francis and St. Joe's for the championship. ... That's what it's been until two years ago."
That's when Canisius, under Harris' guidance, started stepping up its game. The Crusaders have earned title game spots at The Ralph the last two seasons. While they lost in the final to St. Francis in 2007 and '08, the Crusaders started punching back at St. Joe's in what had been a one-sided rivalry, winning four straight games against the Marauders — including a pair of postseason semifinal wins. Canisius won last month's regular-season showdown, 41-28.
The Marauders have won five straight since losing to the Crusaders. St. Joe's leads the all- time series, which began in 1921, 43-29-3 and won 25 of 27 meetings from 1983 to 2006.
This will be the 12th time in the 61-year history of the Catholic league it will crown a postseason champion. St. Joe's won the first playoff title in 1956. Canisius won the next three (1975-77).
Since the postseason format returned to the league in 2002, St. Francis has won three titles at the expense of Canisius, while beating St. Joe's twice. The Marauders won playoff titles in 2005 and '06.
Just how much does Thursday's final mean to Canisius? Alum and former New York Giants receiver Phil McConkey addressed the team Monday before practice.
The importance of victory in this rivalry between the schools, regardless of the sport, was summed up on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the Robert T. Scott Athletic Complex of St. Joe's.
While soccer isn't the most popular sport in this country, an estimated 1,500 fans showed up for the big game. St. Joe's-Canisius was the final game of a Catholic league tripleheader and the fans didn't start pouring in until the main event. When it ended, hundreds of St. Joe's students rushed the field and celebrated wildly in front of the Canisius bench.
"I had never seen that big of a crowd for a soccer game," O'Connor said. "That's what the St. Joe-Canisius rivalry is all about, no matter what the sport."
Canisius enjoyed its celebration Monday, although it looked as if the Marauders and Rowdies would get the last laugh.
The Crusaders (22-6) cruised to a 2-0 lead and rallied in the third game from a 20-16 deficit to earn a match point, 24-22. St. Joe's stayed alive by winning the next four points, taking advantage of some hitting errors and rode that momentum to an easy 25-19 win in the fourth game behind fabulous blocking from Tom Escott (13 kills, 10 blocks) and hitting by Aaron Mycek (21 kills).
But Canisius' Dan Muscarella and Zach Jehle came up huge in the decisive game. Muscarella had three blocks and a kill, while Jehle had three kills and a block.
C.J. Coatsworth finished with 25 kills and two aces for Canisius.
"[St. Joe's] is the best team we've played all year in our league," Canisius coach Tom Weislo said. "It's great. It's exciting."
Just as a rivalry should be.
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