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<\/p>\nSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — It was just another day at the office for Petrides and its defense! <\/p>\n
The No. 2-seeded Petrides Panthers posted their seventh shutout of the season as they punched their second ticket to the championship game in three years with a dominant 30-0 win over No. 3 seed William E. Grady in the PSAL 1A Conference semifinals Saturday. <\/p>\n
Head coach Dave Olah, whose team dropped the 2023 title game, and his group will look to win its second championship since 2019 next Saturday, when they play the No. 4 seed East Harlem Pride at 10 a.m. at Eagle Academy II in Brooklyn. East Harlem Pride knocked off No. 1 Mott Haven 22-0 Saturday.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
1\/57<\/p>\n
HS Football: PSAL 1A Semi-Final Game: Petrides vs. William E. Grady, at Petrides Complex, on Sat. Nov. 22, 2025<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t seen them outside of film but they\u2019re going to be a good team,\u201d said Olah. \u201cThey\u2019re well-coached and it\u2019s going to be a good championship game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Petrides\u2019 defense wasted no time putting its fingerprints on the game as its pressure on the defensive line caused Grady to botch the snap on a punt on the first drive of the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe defense has carried us all year,\u201d said Olah of his defense. We did a really nice job of stuffing the run and made teams have to throw the ball. Our secondary is good and tough so we make it tough on other offenses.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Panthers took over inside the 10-yard-line where quarterback David Lee was able to rush it in for a score and take a 7-0 lead.<\/p>\n
Senior Michael Giordano did it all as he made plays offensively, defensively and even kicking. <\/p>\n
Giordano not only rushed for a touchdown, but had an interception, caught a 40-yard pass and was 4-4 on extra points. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was very determined and motivated,\u201d said Giordano of his performance. \u201cMe and my teammates were ready to play and we came and made it happen. I give all the props to my coaches who put me in the right position to make a play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Petrides and its defense continued to make timely plays as they forced a fumble on Grady\u2019s 5-yard-line in the third quarter.<\/p>\n
The Panthers capitalized as Joshua Okwuabueze, who finished the day with 126 rushing yards, scored his first of two touchdowns on the day. <\/p>\n
The defense cemented its dominance with a goal line stand at the start of the fourth quarter followed by a forced fumble. <\/p>\n
Okwuabueze rushed in a 10-yard-score after quarterback Lee tossed a 40-yard bomb to Giordano. <\/p>\n
\u201cThose two are our seniors and captains so they step up and make big plays when they need to,\u201d said Olah of Okwuabueze and Giordano. \u201cYou can count on those guys to make a play when it counts.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Panthers capped off the day with a safety to end the game as they held Grady to 135 total yards, a blocked punt by Elias Hardt and recovered by Kaden Manguel, two forced fumbles and two sacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cReally good game and that\u2019s a great team over there,\u201d said Olah of Grady. \u201cNothing came easy. We knew they were going to tackle well, not a lot of big plays so we had to grind it out and it was a great win.\u201d<\/p>\n
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