The St. Mary’s Spartans can say a lot about themselves this season. They can say they’re 11-1 overall, 5-1 in the Catholic Central Conference, and undefeated on the road with nearly 400 total points scored.
And in short time, they can say they’ve played football at Fenway Park and Gillette Stadium in back-to-back weeks – something even Brady and Ortiz can’t mimic.
It was a Turkey Day treat for the Spartans last week, playing at Fenway with the green monster looming over them.
Just 10 days before their Division 6 Super Bowl against Stoneham at Gillette, they defeated Austin Prep 34-21 in the matinee with Nick Sacco, Derrick Coungales, Tyler Guy, and Joel Maggs leading the way.
“Seeing them play there [Fenway] and how it worked out will probably help us this Saturday,” St. Mary’s head coach Sean Driscoll said.
After the Thanksgiving-Eve win, senior Jack Marks said he’ll “always remember” playing at Fenway, while Coulanges added that “it feels good to just be here” when talking about the famous ballpark.
Driscoll calls Fenway and Gillette pieces of “sacred ground” and understands the emotional appeal. However, once the whistle blows, he says it’s all the same yardage, same goalposts, and same everything.
St. Mary’s has had a challenging postseason schedule – to say the least. The Spartans defeated Archbishop Williams 37-13, Lynnfield 20-6, and Rockland 15-14 – the third being an impressive victory on a chilly Friday night in Walpole against who Driscoll calls the best team in Division 6 (Rockland).
“As a team, we really rose to the occasion at this point,” Driscoll said.
Now, the Spartans are onto a stadium where, to say the least as of recent decades, touchdowns are expected. Brady, Belichick and company have won six championships playing home games at Gillette, and now, the Spartans hope to snatch a victory of their own against Stoneham.
“It’s absolutely unbelievable,” Marks said. “I’m definitely gonna walk out, wherever we walk out, look around, take it in, and hopefully the main goal is to win a state championship. That’s all we’re really looking forward to do.”
St. Mary’s athletic director Jeff Newhall said the players seem to be relishing the opportunity, and will especially adore the experience in 15-20 years.
“The words ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ get thrown around a lot in sports,” Newhall said. “But to be able to compete in those two venues in two weeks is unheard of.”
Gillette Stadium in Foxboro was built in 2002 and holds nearly 66,000 people. As for Fenway Park, the baseball stadium was built in 1912 and is widely-regarded as one of the most iconic sports venues in the world.
For his players, Driscoll believes these games are memories that will never drift away – regardless of what the scoreboard reads once it’s all said and done on Saturday. For all the marbles, the game between St. Mary’s and Stoneham kicks off at 3 p.m.
“It’s gonna be a memory no matter what. They’re always gonna remember that,” Driscoll said.
