WHITE PLAINS – Stepinac is already in hurry-up mode.
The season-opener is coming early, so the Crusaders are closing out the first week of practice with more urgency than usual.
Fordham Prep will be here August 29 for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.
“Our big thing is putting our kids in situations where they’ve got to adapt and figure things out because there’s never going to be a perfect circumstance,” second-year head coach A.J. Magee said. “I think that was one of the biggest (issues) for us last year. Consistency is great, but what happens when you get thrown a curveball?”
Stepinac regained some traction last season, finishing 6-5. Three straight losses to close the season dulled the early momentum but not the enthusiasm.
Offensively, the returning players
are more familiar with the system and the Crusaders are hoping senior quarterback Dylan Wrona, a transfer from New Jersey power Don Bosco, and junior running back Nahum Pierre, a transfer who ran for 1,500 yards and 21 TDs last season at East Ramapo, will make headlines.
Names to know
Prince Akoko, Sr., DB; Gio Bowley, Sr., WR; Max Bucci, Sr., C; Jeron Byam, Jr., OL; Daniel Davitt, Sr., OL; Dean Gaughran, Jr., LB; Jayden Gonzalez, Sr., WR; Nick Harrison, Jr., WR; Issac Muniz, Sr., DB; Nahum Pierre, Jr., RB; Sam Richardson, Sr., DL; Dyaln Wrona, Sr., QB.
Schedule
Aug. 29 vs. Fordham Prep
Sept. 4 at CBA-Albany
Sept. 11 vs. Immaculata, N.J.
Sept. 26 vs. St. Joseph by the Sea
Oct. 2 at Monsignor Farrell
Oct. 10 at Chaminade
Oct. 17 vs. St. Peter’s
Oct. 24 vs. St. John the Baptist
Oct. 31 vs. Iona Prep
Takeaways
A pair of close losses to Chaminade last season have to be revisited in conversation because the next step for this program is winning those games where two or three critical plays make the difference. "I think our record could have been very different," Magee said. "A lot of guys in that locker room lived through last season and kind of some turmoil at the end, and they get to bounce back from it now. They know what that feeling is like and they don't want to end the season on a loss."
Gaughran was busy in 2025 getting in on 89 tackles, but it's unclear who the other defensive playmakers are. Getting multiple hats on the ball is the right approach, but success in this league demands multiple impact players with enough size and speed to win individual matchups. They might very well be in place. We just haven't been properly introduced yet.
There are two cornerstone offensive linemen standouts returning in Bucci and Davitt. Last season, the Crusaders only completed 11 touchdown passes. Wrona or Jahmai McNeil will need space and time.
Talking points
“I found a great place to come and play football,” said Wrona, who was behind Carson Schoen at Bosco. “l feel like we’re really building something good with the team, getting the team chemistry down and just having a lot of fun out here so I’m just really excited to play with my new brothers and looking forward to a really good season.”
“What gives us optimism? Just the talent in the room,” Muniz said. “When we look around we don’t see players. We see family. … We stick together and that’s what makes us promise better things.”
“Last season, it felt better,” Harrison said. “We played better. We followed the standard. … (Winning) feels beautiful. You move on to the next game feel good.”
“You put (Wrona and Pierre) around the guys that we have and the talent that we have, I’m excited to see them go play now, the whole group” Magee said. “We’ve watched them come together over the last few days and really bond, so now it’s, what can they all do on Fridays and Saturdays?”
Mike Dougherty covers high school football for The Journal News/lohud.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Stepinac football is starting fast and hoping to finish strong
