PEABODY– Sometimes a down season does wonders for a team moving forward. The Bishop Fenwick football team went 4-7 last fall and missed the state tournament, which isn’t a norm for the Crusaders.
This year, however, the Crusaders are on the cusp of a tournament run at 5-1. A major piece of Fenwick’s success this fall has been the emergence of junior running back/kicker David Cifuentes, who has grown into a key piece of the team’s offense. Cifuentes, an Everett resident, has logged 72 carries for 586 yards and 10 touchdowns while splitting the uprights on 19 of his 21 PAT’s.
“David’s very explosive,” Fenwick coach Dave Woods said. “He’s the type of kid that would rather run you over than outrun you. He’s got that second gear and he really accelerates through contact. He has that ability to accelerate right at the point of contact and be explosive. It’s fun to watch.
“He brings a ton of energy to practice,” Woods added. “He’s not playing a lot of defense right now. He’s on the look team during practice and he makes the defense get after it. He loves it, the kids have fun with it. We get to games and most weeks the tailbacks aren’t as good as the one we face at practice so that helps a lot.”
Cifuentes is also a playmaker in the passing game, having hauled in nine receptions for 226 yards and one touchdown.
“It makes us very difficult to defend,” Woods said. “We have four receivers that are all great pass catchers. To have a running back that can catch out of the backfield makes the defense have to worry about that too. We can line him up as a wide receiver if we go on an empty set. He has a unique skill set that puts pressure on defenses.”
Although he likes where he stands six games into the season, Cifuentes feels there’s still room for improvement.
“I feel good,” Cifuentes, in his second season on the varsity team, said. “I like how I’ve been consistent but I feel I can do better. I think I can improve on supporting my team on defense when I’m not on the field. I’m on the sideline cheering on the team, that’s my main concern right now. Defense wins game and we’re a team so we have to support each other like they support me.”
He attributes part of his success to the work he and his teammates dedicated to improving their crafts during the offseason. Cifuentes, using last season’s 4-7 finish as a source for motivation, worked with a trainer over the summer and felt much improved when he took the field for preseason practices in August.
“When you lose, you get better every game and that’s how we feel,” Cifuentes said. “We all worked out very hard in the summer. We worked as hard as we could. I worked with a trainer and that helped me a lot. I think I improved twice from where I was last year.”
The main goal, Cifuentes said, is delivering a state tournament run for his senior teammates.
“I think it’d mean everything because we worked so hard in the summer, before school, after school and during practice,” Cifuentes said. “The seniors bring so much to the team by motivating everyone. If someone’s down our seniors pick them up. They always make sure we’re having fun and they bring great chemistry.”
At 5-1 this season, the Crusaders are right where they hoped to be with one regular season tilt remaining before the state tournament.
“We feel good,” Cifuentes said. “We’re all playing as a team and we’re all working hard. All the practices are very good and we’re all putting in the effort to be a very good team.
“Since the first game all we’ve been doing is improving,” Cifuentes added. “Every game, we have more competition and we prove everyone wrong with the scoreboard.”
The Crusaders host Catholic Central League rival Cardinal Spellman Friday night (7) at Donaldson Stadium. Spellman, 2-3 this season, defeated Arlington Catholic last week.
“We’re going to bring it all,” Cifuentes said. “We’re not going to leave anything behind. We’re all going to fight as hard as we can and get that win to be the best seed we can be in the playoffs.”
FRIDAY GAMES:
Mashpee at St. Mary’s (7): The Spartans (4-2) welcome the undefeated Falcons (6-0) to Manning Field for a rematch of last year’s Division 8 state semifinal. St. Mary’s enters Friday night’s game in hopes of rebounding from last Saturday’s 27-20 loss to Archbishop Williams. Jalen Echevarria rushed for 114 yards and scored two touchdowns.
English at Winthrop (7): Matt Severance and the Bulldogs (5-1) made quick work of Salem during last Friday’s 41-14 win. Severance ran for two touchdowns and tossed touchdown passes to Mathias Fowler and Prince Brown- who was among the Northeastern Conference leaders in receptions last season. Winthrop (2-4) came close in last Saturday’s 20-14 loss at Saugus but missed opportunities came back to haunt the Vikings. Winthrop scored just two touchdowns, both by quarterback Bobby Hubert, despite stringing together five possessions to the red zone.
Marblehead at Danvers (7): The Magicians (6-0) took care of business last Friday at Gloucester in a battle between two undefeated teams. Quarterback Chris Gally threw for 201 yards and ran for 109 yards. Running back Tim Cronin continued his stellar season with 78 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Danvers (5-1) suffered its first loss of the season last Friday night with a 19-13 loss to Beverly.
Revere at Somerville (7): The Highlanders (0-6) host the Patriots (3-3) in hopes of earning their first win of the season. Revere saw its three-game win streak come to an end last Saturday with a 27-7 loss at Swampscott. Darius McNeil scored Revere’s lone touchdown.
Swampscott at Saugus (7): Marvens Jean was unstoppable last week, rushing for two touchdowns and 164 yards in a 20-14 Saugus win over Winthrop. The Sachems, hosting their annual night game at Stackpole Field, are 2-4 this season. Swampscott’s 5-1 after last week’s 27-7 win over Revere. Graham Inzana sealed that victory with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Arturo Vasquez.
St. John’s at Bridgewater-Raynham (7): The Eagles have picked themselves up after Week 3’s loss to Everett. St. John’s, on a three-game win streak, answered that loss with wins over Westford Academy, Catholic Memorial and BC High. The Eagles have outscored opponents 109-39 during that stretch. Bridgewater-Raynham lost to Barnstable last Friday and is 2-3 this season.
SATURDAY GAMES:
Peabody at Beverly (1): After losing three in a row, the Tanners have found their footing. Peabody had no trouble with Malden last week, earning a 42-12 win over the Golden Tornadoes to even their record at 3-3. Beverly (2-4), on the other hand, enters Saturday’s game after a huge win over Danvers last week.
Lynnfield at Hamilton-Wenham (1): The Pioneers (1-5) earned their first win of the season two weeks ago over Manchester-Essex but slid back into the loss column with last week’s defeat to Ipswich. Anthony Floramo tallied 135 rushing yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns, while quarterback Clayton Marengi was 9-of-16 for 132 yards. Hamilton-Wenham is 4-2 this season.
Minuteman at KIPP (4): Panthers (3-3) coach Jim Rabbitt made a tough decision two weeks ago when he handed command of his offense to freshman Pierro Canales. The decision has paid dividends, however, as Canales has been stellar under center for KIPP. In last Thursday’s 26-16 win over Keefe Tech, Canales ran for 129 yards and scored three touchdowns. Daniel Oluwasuyi carried the ball 12 times for 115 yards and scored one touchdown. Minuteman defeated Chelsea last week and is 2-4.
Chelsea at Tech (7): A battle between Commonwealth Athletic Conference rivals, this one’s also a clash between two head coaches who were once teammates. Tech’s James Runner and Chelsea’s Rasi Chau played together at Classical. Tech (4-2) defeated Georgetown, 43-15, on the road last Friday. Chelsea (0-6) continues its hunt for its first win of the season.
