LYNN– Perhaps there weren’t many who thought the Bishop Fenwick and St. Mary’s boys lacrosse teams would both be undefeated when they met for the first time in 2019. But every game between the Crusaders and Spartans carries high stakes and this one’s no different. St. Mary’s (6-0) and Fenwick (7-0) will clash against one another Saturday (noon) at Donaldson Stadium.
“The St. Mary’s-Fenwick rivalry transcends all sports,” Crusaders coach Steve Driscoll said. “It’s a healthy rivalry. I respect (St. Mary’s coach) Josh (Field) and the program he runs. His kids work hard. It’s good that two schools so close to each other are off to great starts.”
The last time the two Catholic Central League rivals met, St. Mary’s ended Fenwick’s season with a 12-11 overtime win in the first round of the Division 3 North state tournament.
“It’s a new year, a new season,” Field said. “The rivalry with the schools is always there. That’s always exciting. The kids are always excited to play this game but it’s a new team. Last year doesn’t have any bearing on this year.”
Fenwick, however, still has last season’s postseason exit on the back of its mind.
“They got the best of us,” Driscoll said. “We didn’t work as hard as them. I know for a fact that Garrett (Ruszkowski), Derek (DelVecchio) and Brian (Harrington) looked for the St. Mary’s game and the Danish Cup when the schedule came out. This is what high school sports are about, rivals pushing one another. If both teams are good it’s only better for both schools.”
The Spartans were off and running from their first practice of the season. In six games, St. Mary’s has scored 98 goals with Brendan Laundry (18 goals), Zach Barden (18 goals) and Nick Napolitano (15 goals) leading the charge. Goalie Kaden Quirk continues his progression in net.
“The kids came in ready to play lacrosse this year,” Field said. “They were in shape. The stick skills are a lot further ahead than they were in the past. That allowed us to work on playing lacrosse as opposed to throwing and catching. I think we’re a bit further ahead than some other teams.”
Driscoll points to senior leadership as the key to Fenwick’s rapid start. Senior goalie Ruszkowski has backboned his team with 112 saves in seven games. Diego Alvarez-Segee (25 goals), Stefano Fabiano (16 goals) and Nick Muzi (12 goals) are the Crusaders’ leading scorers.
“A big key is our senior leadership in Garrett, Derek and Brian,” Driscoll said. “Brian’s out with injury but he’s been a huge part of it. Derek’s one of the hardest working players I’ll ever see. Garrett’s really coming into his own. The hard work and team mentality goes from the top all the way down to the last guy on the bench. It’s very important that we all start playing that way.”
Field and his Spartans don’t want to do anything different in looking to defeat Fenwick. As long as they pounce on their looks at net and maintain their composure, they’ll feel confident in their chances.
“Fenwick has a great goalie (Ruszkowski) in net,” Field said. “We have to be smart with shot selection. We have to take advantage of our opportunities. We have to play solid team defense, not do anything crazy and let the game come to us.”
The Crusaders will aim to dictate the tempo of the game, leaning on their athletic offense to keep the ball away from St. Mary’s. But before they can make that happen, they’ll have to win possession.
“Our league has really improved over the past couple years,” Driscoll said. “Everybody’s kind of loaded up. Both teams are offensive teams. Being able to force the pace is going to be really big for us and that starts with the face-offs. Christian LeBert and Davis Kinne did great against us and they controlled possession. Being able to dictate the pace and control possession is going to be huge for us and that starts from the opening face-off.”
Both coaches agreed that Saturday’s battled of undefeateds speaks volumes to how quickly their programs have evolved.
“Lacrosse in the North Shore in general is heading in the right direction,” Field said. “These are the games we love to play. It’s a league game. You have two really good teams going up against one another. It’s going to be fun to watch.”
“Josh and I have a really good viewpoint of building good cultures and putting the accountability on our student-athletes,” Driscoll said. “It’s great that St. Mary’s and Fenwick are playing such a meaningful lacrosse game at this point of the season. I don’t think that 10 years ago anybody would’ve thought St. Mary’s and Fenwick would have great, sustained lacrosse programs.”
