PEABODY — Bishop Fenwick boys lacrosse coach Steve Driscoll looks back on last season as a major step forward for the Crusaders. Fenwick had to win its final three games of the season to clinch a berth in the Division 3 North state tournament. The Crusaders did just that, finishing the season at 10-11 before falling to Newburyport in the first round of the tournament.
With a playoff appearance under their belts, the expectations turn up a notch this season for the Crusaders.
“It was my first state tournament appearance as the coach here,” Driscoll, entering his third season at the helm of the Crusaders, said. “We missed it by one game in 2016. It was nice to have that playoff mentality. It was a nice feeling and it’s stuck in our players minds. We qualified last season, now it’s time to win a game or two and push a little bit further in the tournament.”
It helps Fenwick’s cause that, unlike most other area spring teams, the Crusaders have held outdoor practices since the preseason started March 19.
“We brought a snowblower outside and we were able to get some space,” Driscoll said. “We had Donaldson Field plowed last week. It’s been great. We got pretty lucky. We have a pretty resilient bunch that wanted to get out there even if there was snow. It’s definitely an advantage that we’ve been able to be outside this entire time for sure.”
Key returners for the Crusaders this season include captains Brandon Kenney, a senior midfielder, and Derek DelVecchio, a junior midfielder. Junior attacker Brian Harrington, who led the team in goals with 42 and dished out 22 assists last season, also returns. Seniors Tyler Layton, a midfielder, and Chris Russell, a defenseman, round out the group of key returners.
“I feel really good about our returners,” Driscoll said. “They’re a group of guys that know me and what we’re expecting as a coaching staff. They’re hungry to show the younger guys what we’re looking for at Fenwick. I preach doing the small things right. I have a really good feeling about this group.”
In net, the Crusaders will rely on junior Garrett Ruszkowski to keep opposing offenses off the scoreboard. Ruszkowski gets the nod after serving as Fenwick’s backup goaltender for the past two seasons.
“Garrett was our backup for the last two seasons,” Driscoll said. “He has definitely taken over full strength. He played lacrosse all offseason to get ready for this season. He’s definitely somebody that we’re going to be leaning on to help us win some games.”
With a deep core of returners, the expectations have been clear from the early stages of the preseason. Driscoll has stressed heavy conditioning for the past week and a half and the players have responded positively.
“We’re pretty lucky because we have 16 returning varsity players, which is great,” Driscoll said. “We have a lot of guys that been in our culture. We kind of got off running. We’ve worked on conditioning a lot more this year in the early going. Last year we lost a lot of close games late. One of the things we’re focusing on is conditioning. We’re feeding into our culture and working on doing the right things.”
Driscoll foresees the Catholic Central League will be competitive from top to bottom this spring. The benefit of being in a competitive conference is Fenwick expects to be battle tested when the state tournament rolls around.
“The last couple years it’s been between Cardinal Spellman and Austin Prep,” Driscoll said. “Austin Prep’s going to be very good again this year. Williams is always a force to be reckoned with. The CCL is a league that if you play well in, you’ll have a really good shot at winning in the state tournament. We’re looking forward to rivalry games with St. Mary’s. The league will be an uphill battle but we’ve been pretty battle tested over the past couple years. We’re looking forward to it.”
Fenwick opens the season Monday at Swampscott.
“We’re really excited,” Driscoll said. “We’ve had some great practices. The guys are really looking forward to playing in Swampscott. We’re taking it one game at a time. We’ve been outside from the very beginning so we’ve been off and running. It’s a really good group. I’m really excited about where we can be.”
