It’s no secret that when it comes to giving credit to football players, offensive linemen often fall under the radar. But when a team is 9-0 and gearing up for the Division 7 North final like the St. Mary’s Spartans are, individual accolades don’t matter.
Senior Kyle Bernardini, a right tackle and defensive tackle/end for the Spartans, is one of those linemen that flies under the radar despite playing a key role for his team. In his third season as a varsity starter for St. Mary’s, Bernardini has been as critical a player as anyone else in opening the lanes for a Spartans running attack that has driven the team’s offense this fall.
“Our running game is very important,” Bernardini, a Lynn native, said. “We’re a predominantly running offense. Our running backs have been great this year. Our offensive line has been phenomenal this season. We have three or four new starters and that was a question mark coming in but our guys have stepped up. Our offensive line deserves a lot of credit.”
Although quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers score the bulk of the touchdowns, in the end the goal is to win games. That’s why Bernardini and his fellow linemen aren’t phased by flying under the radar and playing their roles quietly.
“Being on the offensive line is a tough position but that doesn’t matter,” Bernardini said. “The other players on offense get the credit but that doesn’t matter. We work hard and we focus on winning. If they’re doing well and getting credit, that means we’re doing something well too. It doesn’t necessarily matter to us that we’re not getting that credit.”
For Spartans coach Matt Durgin, having a reliable offensive line takes a load off his shoulders as head coach. Given that Durgin likes to rotate his skilled running backs in a run-heavy offense, having talented linemen like Bernardini winning the battle at the line of scrimmage is an important aspect of the game.
“It’s very important,” Durgin said. “I’d say Kyle’s the leader of our offensive line. He works hard every day, he’s a good student and he plays with a lot of emotion.
“He plays physical,” Durgin added. “He has good feet and he’s smart. The biggest thing in sports is giving an effort every day. Kyle gives that effort every day and works hard.”
Bernardini also plays an important role as one of the team’s four captains. His leadership on and off the field, Durgin said, is what makes Bernardini a unique player.
“He leads by his actions,” Durgin said. “He’s very dedicated in the offseason workouts. He leads in those workouts and he’s a leader in school. His most important quality is his dependability. You can always count on Kyle to work hard.”
Coming into the season, Bernardini and the Spartans knew they had a tall task ahead of them in replacing the core of seniors they lost to graduation from last year. But as the season has taken its course, Spartan players have stepped into big positions and the team has found its rhythm.
“We lost a lot of seniors from last year,” Bernardini said. “I could tell that with the players we had coming back and the hard work we put in over the offseason, I knew we’d have a great year. I could see it coming together, especially with the seniors we have this season.
“I think we’re all coming together as a team,” Bernardini added. “Everyone’s stepping up to big roles. Guys are all contributing. Our team’s really family-oriented. All the players rely on one another and succeed with one another, and that includes the coaches too.”
At 9-0, the Spartans have cemented their bid in Friday night’s Division 7 North final at Manning Field against Brighton. St. Mary’s, the top seed in the bracket, has outscored its opponents 90-0 en route to the final. The No. 2 Bengals thumped Boston City League rivals O’Bryant in the quarterfinals (38-6) and Latin Academy in the semifinal (28-6).
“We know Brighton’s a very fast team,” Bernardini said. “They have a lot of speed. They have a great offensive line. We haven’t faced that type of speed yet but if we come to play, we’ll be alright. It starts in practice. If we come ready to work hard every day, we’ll be alright.”
Bernardini, along with the members of this year’s team who were on the roster in 2016, haven’t forgotten how last season ended. The Spartans fell to East Bridgewater in the Division 3A final, 34-8, at Gillette Stadium. The loss still stings for the Spartans, but the team’s focused on earning a shot at redemption.
“It would be awesome to get another chance,” Bernardini said. “We didn’t get the job done last year. Not many kids can say they’ve been to Gillette Stadium and played there. It would mean a lot to get another chance at it. I’m confident that if we go back, we’ll get the job done.
“We’re ready to go,” Bernardini added. ‘We’re looking forward to playing hard these next few weeks and hopefully it starts with a victory on Friday night.”
