PEABODY— Bishops Fenwick’s postseason mission came to an upsetting halt – literally and figuratively – at Donaldson Stadium Friday night. The No. 5 Crusaders bowed out of the Division 5 tournament in a 35-14 loss to No. 12 Norton.
But win or lose this time of year, Fenwick coach Dave Woods looks back with a smile.
“I think we had a great season so far with still a couple of games left,” he said. “I thought the kids – from day one – gave it everything they had and we faced some injuries and things, but overall, I thought it was a great season. The kids were so locked in and so into it and so much fun to coach right from the first game when we beat Marblehead at home.”
Speaking of the Marblehead game, it was one of Woods’ favorite memories from the past few months.
“That was a huge win and from there, I thought the kids had a lot of fun and played locked in pretty much all year,” he said. “I think we played great and our offensive line and our running backs really took control late in the game, so that was a memorable game for sure and a sign that we were a really good football team.”
A lot of players stepped up for the Crusaders, who sport a record of 7-2. And from there, opportunities were taken advantage of.
“We had a lot of guys stand out this year. I think Dylan Patterulli and Tyler Connolly played really great for us defensively. They were our two inside linebackers, both juniors, and I thought they both had great years,” Woods said. “They both run with the ball on offense, too, and then Aidan Silva really had a great year, doing everything for us. Whether it was kicking, punting, playing linebacker, playing safety, or playing receiver, Aidan really had a phenomenal year.
And, of course, the men up front.
“Our offensive line played pretty well, too, with Tyler Santos, who is a senior, playing really well on the line and Aidan Byrne, our center and senior captain,” Woods said. “It was his (Byrne) third year playing on the offensive line and, again, both of those guys had great seasons.”
Fenwick had a tight senior class that bonded well – both on and off the field.
“I hope the seniors formed some tight relationships with their friends, which I know they have. Coming into the season, that was definitely one of our strengths – that they are a very tight group and that they won together, lost together, celebrated together, cried together, and are just a great group of kids and I just hope they had a great experience with it,” Woods said. “I know they wanted to be playing at Gillette, but only two teams get to do that and we’re not one of them this year. But again, I just hope they had a great experience and had a lot of fun playing with their friends, which I think they did.”
Now, the big one. Fenwick travels to Lynn on Wednesday, Nov. 27. Waiting for the Crusaders will be a traditional archrival, St. Mary’s, with kickoff slated for 6:30 p.m. at Manning Field.
“Any time you can play a (Catholic Central) league rival on Thanksgiving… people get fired up on both sides and get jacked up and ready to play. They bring out the best in us and we bring out the best in them,” Woods said. “Hopefully, both teams play a great game and I’m sure it is going to be a tight game with a lot of big plays on both sides, so we are looking forward to it and I’m sure they are, too. I have talked to coach (Sean) Driscoll a couple of times and they are disappointed they are not in the playoffs, too, but I’m sure they will be ready to play on Thanksgiving.”
Owen Finn is a student at Endicott College studying journalism
