High School SportsUpdated: Dec. 02, 2025, 3:14 p.m.|Published: Dec. 02, 2025, 3:13 p.m.
The Petrides varsity football team huddles up during the PSAL 1A Championship game on Nov. 29, 2025.Michael O’Brien
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Except for the upcoming CHSFL All-Star game and the Fugazzi Senior Bowl, the 2025 high school football season has literally been put in the history books.
And here’s a look at 10 interesting fun facts after we inputted the final records into each team’s archive, kept by the Advance/SILive.com.
Head coach Rocco Del Priore and Monsignor Farrell enjoyed their best season in years, but fell to Iona Prep in the CHSFL AAA championship game. (Advance/SILive.com | Jason Paderon)(Advance/SILive.com | Jason Paderon)The 10 Island varsity playing teams posted a 73-39 record this seaon with Petrides (13-0) and Tottenville (12-1) leading the way. Two other teams (Farrell and Curtis) had nine-win seasons. In all, four Island teams reached their respective championship games with only one winning. That team was Petrides which captured the PSAL 1A Conference city crown in the league’s lowest tier. Tottenville (PSAL 4A), Monsignor Farrell (CHSFL AAA) and St. Joseph by-the-Sea (CHSFL AA-1) all came up short in their title games. Factor in the two JV team championship losses — Farrell in the CHSFL AAA and Sea in the CHSFL AA — and the Island was 1-5 in title games this season. Petrides’ unbeaten season was the first in school history since the school began playing varsity football in 2008. It was their second PSAL crown and lifted the school’s record to 108-72 in 18 seasons, all under head coach Dave Olah, who picked up win 100 earlier this season.Tottenville’s 12-1 campaign was the school’s best winning percentage since the Pirates’ 2003, 13-0 city championship season, one of two city crowns for the Pirates.Pirate head coach Brian Neville improved to 80-33 as head coach, giving him an Island-best 70.8 winning percentage among active coaches. Neville, however, is 0-3 in title games.In 18 seasons at the helm, Curtis head coach Peter Gambardella has compiled a sensational 143-62 mark — a 69.7 winning percentage. He has four PSAL crowns to his credit. Previous coach Fred Olivieri also has four as the school has racked up an Island-best eight PSAL crowns.Also, in 113 seasons playing football, Curtis has compiled a 536-407-32 mark.Port Richmond head coach Lou Vesce, who stepped down as head coach of the Raiders at the end of the season after 20 years, finished with a 104-99 record, winning a city crown in 2008 with a 13-0 mark. Susan Wagner, once the most dominant force in PSAL football with six PSAL crowns, is three wins shy of 300 program victories. The majority of those victories came under legendary head coach Al Paturzo (223-131-2).
Joe D’Amodio is the Sports Manager for SILive.com and oversees the sports web content. Joe also writes about a variety of sports with a primary focus on HS sports and bowling. He also strives to tell stories… more