Elijah Fuentes Named NYCHSFL Player of the Week
Syracuse defensive tackle signee Elijah Fuentes was named New York Catholic High School Football League (NYCHSFL) Player of the Week as he helped lead Cardinal Hayes to a week two victory over St. Peter’s. The start of Fuentes’s senior season was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Here is more from the NYCHSFL website:
A year ago, Coach CJ O’Neil’s Cardinals were mere moments away from hoisting a Catholic League State title before a Canisius touchdown pass (and 2pt conversion) with no time remaining on the clock ripped their hearts out…The memories of that loss are now serving as the inspiration behind what very much appears to be the best defensive unit the school has boasted in quite some time…Surrendering just 32 points total during the first two weeks of the 2021 spring (after allowing an average of 22+ in 2019) en route to victories over Monsignor Farrell & St. Peter’s, the defending NYCHSFL Triple-A champs are looking unbeatable at the halfway point of their abridged season…Acting as the heartbeat for these “pillars of pain” is the Syracuse University bound defensive lineman out of the Bronx [Fuentes]…Regarded as one of the top-10 in-state prospects (#8), as well as top-100 (94th) in the nation at his position by 247 Sports, the 6’3, 255-pounder wreaked all kinds of havoc in the aforementioned win last weekend over the StP…Facing an Eagles’ offense that put up “half a hundred” during week #1, Fuentes and the Hayes “D” pitched a shutout in the 1st half, allowing just 80 yards of total offense on their way to the 45-19 triumph…Doing his part and then some, big #99 in the White & Maroon tallied five stops (3 TFLs), including a pair of sacks…He was also credited with a forced fumble…Junior QB, Henry Belin, starred on offense, completing 13-of-20 pass attempts for 233 yards and four TD hurls (2x to Kuno Mendez, once each to Jaden Barrett and Gavin Taylor).