WAKEFIELD — He’s on to Holy Cross.
Bishop Fenwick senior Joe Rivers, a running back/linebacker, made his future plans official last week when he announced his commitment to the Division I Crusaders.
“I saw the coaching staff at Holy Cross as my type of guys,” Rivers, a Wakefield resident, said. “They were honest through the process, they were sociable. They built a new indoor facility there, the Hart Center. It’s awesome every time I see it. I like the fact that it’s a Catholic school. I’ve been going to Catholic school since I was in the first grade. It’ll be great to continue that.
“It’s definitely a relief,” he said. “The rest of the summer I can focus on senior year and focus on being able to perform the same way I did last year.”
Rivers had no shortage of interest from top-notch area programs. He fielded offers from Brown, Bryant, Georgetown and the University of New Hampshire. In the end, Rivers felt Holy Cross offered him the best mix of academics and football.
“I was raised to prioritize academics,” Rivers, who holds a 4.2 GPA at Fenwick, said. “Before you go outside and play with your friends, you have to get your homework done. Education’s very comparable to football. I value them both equally. I feel Holy Cross gives me the best of both worlds. It’s going to be challenging on the field against some of the best players in the country and in the classroom where I’m competing with students at one of the best schools in the country.”
Holy Cross, which competes in the Patriot League, went 5-6 during the 2018 season. The Crusaders went 4-2 against Patriot League opponents and finished the season on a four-game winning streak. With a host of talent joining the program over the next few seasons, Rivers feels Holy Cross is moving in the right direction.
“I feel they’re definitely taking the program to the next level,” Rivers, a two-sport athlete who also plays lacrosse at Fenwick, said. “With all the new facilities they’ve built, they’re trying to bring in a lot of new talent. Hopefully we can bring home a few Patriot League titles over the next few years. I think the program’s on the up and up over the next few years. There have been a lot of great players who’ve made recent commitments. It’s an upward trend and I’m looking forward to it.”
Rivers said he’s looking forward to staying close to home. His parents, father Bob and mother Kris, have supported his athletic career since he set foot on the gridiron at the youth level.
“It definitely means a lot,” Rivers said. “A lot of the other schools were close but they weren’t as close as Holy Cross. It’s about an hour and 15 minutes away from home. My parents have been at every game since I was in the first grade. It means a lot that they’ll have the easiest access to watch me continue my career.”
But before Rivers can make plans on his collegiate career, he has one more season of high school football to play. Rivers and the Crusaders opened eyes last season when they finished 9-2. Fenwick went 6-1 during the regular season and earned the No. 4 seed in the Division 6 North state tournament. The Crusaders opened the postseason with a 55-0 win over No. 5 Greater Lowell before falling to No. 1 Stoneham, 48-20, in the sectional semifinal.
Fenwick opens the 2019 season with a rematch against Stoneham Sept. 6 and starts preseason practices next month.
“I’m expecting the same level of competitiveness we had last year,” Rivers said. “We graduated players at a few key positions but we’re making changes on offense and defense where some of the underclassmen can step up and fill in at those positions. I think we can be just as good this year as we were last year.”
