St. Anthony's Football State Co-Champs

It was quite a season for the St. Anthony's football team. The run began in September in Happy Valley and ended in euphoria at Mitchel Athletic Complex with a second straight CHSFL Class AAA championship.

Now for another honor. The New York State Sportswriters Association released its final rankings on Wednesday and crowned the 11-0 Friars, along with Rush-Henrietta, as co-champs of the state Class AA poll.

Rush-Henrietta, from Section V in Rochester, culminated a 13-0 season with a 40-28 win over previously unbeaten Troy in the state Class AA championship game at the Carrier Dome over the weekend.

Longtime Friars coach Rich Reichert called the honor a first. "We've never finished No. 1,'' he said. "They've always bounced us to No. 2. That's a step in the right direction. This time they made us No. 1 during the season, which they've never done before. That's a nice honor. It's nice for the kids."

Newsday crowned the Friars champs of its Long Island Large Schools poll. St. Anthony's finished second in the MaxPreps state poll. And MSG Varsity ranked the Friars fourth in its Tri-State football rankings.

The Friars have won 10 or more games in 10 of the last 11 seasons. They've gone 112-10 and won nine CHSFL titles during that span. Here is a look back at the 2010 championship run:

Sept. 10

Sept. 17

Sept. 24

Oct. 1

Oct. 9

Oct. 16

Oct. 23

Oct. 30

Nov. 6

Nov. 13

Nov. 20