Tucked in a classroom above the locker room at Don Bosco Prep on Wednesday, the offensive linemen intently studied a big-screen television.
With two days left before the nonpublic Group 4 state championship game in New Jersey, Chuck Granatell, the offensive line coach, repeatedly hit play and rewind while he cursed and barked at his players about the importance of protecting the quarterback who helped get them this far.
Matt Simms, the quarterback, sat off to the side, quietly spinning a football in his palm and listening to the sort of game planning he has heard his whole life.
Simms is the youngest son of the former Giants quarterback Phil Simms and the brother of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms. He is a junior at Don Bosco of Ramsey and has led it to the title game in both of his years as a starter.
In a state with two NFL teams, top-level high school games are still the prism through which many fans view football. The private-school championship is expected to draw upward of 15,000 fans to Giants Stadium on Friday night to see Don Bosco (11-0) take on St. Peter's Prep (11-0). The appearance of Simms has turned the game into a marquee event.
Last season, Simms was at the helm when Don Bosco faltered, 13-10, in a defensive struggle against rival Bergen Catholic in the state final. This year, he is determined to win his first state championship.
"I didn't play that well," Simms said of last year's season-ending loss. "I kind of struggled in the beginning and I wasn't prepared because of my age."
Bergen Catholic coach Fred Stengel, whose team lost to Don Bosco this season, 24-14, said Simms had greatly improved over the past year.
"There was no doubt that he got rattled as a sophomore," Stengel said in a telephone interview. "The dramatic improvement was his growth and understanding of the game and developing an unflappable demeanor. That is something you would expect with someone with the name Simms."
Simms leads the state in touchdown passes with 30 -- nine more than the runner-up -- and passing yards with 2,579. Greg Toal, the Don Bosco head coach, was the defensive coordinator at Ramapo in 1997, when Chris Simms led the Raiders to the North Jersey Group 3 state title as a junior.
"He is as good or better than his brother at the same age," said Toal, who has taken Don Bosco to the state final in six of his seven years as coach and has won two championships.
The Simms brothers say they have a friendly competition in everything from video games to basketball in their driveway. They talk after their games, comparing performances. Matt was 5 years old when his father retired after a 14-year career with the Giants.
"I think it's true the big brother looks over the younger brother," said Phil Simms, who misses many of his sons' games because he is on the road as a commentator for CBS Sports. "I know that they both care what the other one does. Matt worries about his older brother, and I know his older brother worries as much about him."
Phil Simms keeps his distance, with exceptions. He bought the Don Bosco team pizza after a practice at Giants Stadium earlier this week.
"Phil has never made one suggestion since he has been here," Toal said. "He is just a parent."
That does not mean Simms is not protective of his sons. In October, Chris Simms was criticized by ESPN's Steve Young, who questioned Simms' mental toughness and attributed that flaw to growing up in "laissez-faire" atmosphere. Phil Simms blasted Young during a conference call promoting the Denver-Dallas game on Thanksgiving Day.
"I think maybe it's harder as a father than it was as a player," said Phil Simms, who declined to discuss the Young incident in a telephone interview Thursday.
Matt Simms said that after games, his father was just like any other father. "He says, `Great game,' and he's proud of me and all that stuff," Matt said. "Just like family is all it is."
Freddie Freeman homered and drove in four runs, Shohei Ohtani also went deep and Roki Sasaki earned his first major league win as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 10-3 on Saturday night for their seventh straight victory. The Dodgers have won the first two games of the series to improve to 5-0 against Atlanta this year. Los Angeles’ three-game sweep at home early in the season left the Braves 0-7. Sasaki allowed three runs and six hits over five innings. The 23-year-old right-hander gave up a home run to Ozzie Albies, but received plenty of offensive support in his
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for
Bayern Munich on Sunday were crowned German champions for the 34th time, giving striker Harry Kane his first major trophy, after second-placed Bayer 04 Leverkusen drew 2-2 at SC Freiburg. Bayern’s 3-3 draw at RB Leipzig on Saturday, when the Bavarians came from two goals down to take the lead before conceding a stoppage-time equalizer, meant defending Bundesliga champions Leverkusen needed to win at Freiburg to delay the title party. Leverkusen were two goals down before scoring twice in the final 10 minutes, but Xabi Alonso’s side could not find a third, as Bayern reclaimed the title at the first attempt after
THRILLER: Raphinha gave Barca a 3-2 lead with two minutes remaining of regular time, but Francesco Acerbi equalized the game in the second minute of added time Davide Frattesi on Tuesday fired Inter into the UEFA Champions League final with an extra-time winner that gave the Italians a stunning 4-3 triumph over Barcelona, 7-6 on aggregate. Italy midfielder Frattesi won a tie for the ages under a downpour in Milan when he lashed home in the 99th minute, sending a packed and rocking San Siro wild with joy. Simone Inzaghi’s team will face either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this month in Munich, Germany, where they would feel they have a great chance to be crowned kings of Europe for a fourth time after