HC ready to prove ’em wrong
WORCESTER — Picked to finish in the middle of the Patriot League pack, Holy Cross hopes to prove many people wrong this football season.
Coming off a 4-7 campaign, including 2-4 in the league, the Crusaders were picked to finish fourth in the 2017 preseason poll behind Lehigh, Fordham and Colgate, and ahead of Bucknell, Georgetown and Lafayette. Senior linebacker Nick McBeath
(106 tackles in 2016) was named to the preseason allleague team.
“I think you’re always starting off looking to win all your games and then win a championship. I think the leadership that we have coming back is a big strength for us. I’ve been impressed with how well the offense has performed so far. The defense has been impressive with their intensity. They’ve been able to give the offense everything it can handle. So, we hope it’s all starting to come together,” said coach Tom Gilmore, who enters his 14th season (70-76) with the Crusaders.
The key to the Holy Cross attack is fifth-year senior quarterback Peter Pujals. Pujals’ 2016 season was curtailed after only four games when the 6-foot-2 gunslinger broke his left fibula against Dartmouth. Through that first month, Pujals was stellar, completing 111of-175 passes for 1,110 yards and 10 touchdowns. In Pujals’ absence, three backups handled the quarterbacking chores: Geoff Wade, Blaise Bell and Emmett Clifford. All three return for this season, with Bell listed as a wide receiver.
“Sometimes on offense when you’re doing things early with a couple of new players in there it takes a while for the offensive side to shake off some early rust there but with Peter back, there didn’t seem to be any rust there. Everything has gone relatively smooth,’’ Gilmore said about preseason camp. “Peter has been a leader for us back there. He’s so physically talented. He’s confident. He’s really the key to our expectation.’’
Pujals will have plenty of protection behind mammoth seniors Nick Piker (6-5, 305 pounds), James Murray (6-5, 304), and Charles Steele (6-8, 316).
The ball-lugging chores will be done by committee, but senior Gabe Guild, who played only one game last year due to injury, could emerge. Fellow senior Diquan Walker will provide a change-of-pace option. Top receivers Brendan Flaherty, Jake Wieczorek, and Lucas Nikolaisen graduated so Richie DeNicola (49 catches, 4 TD), Jordan Montgomery (22 catches, 2 TD) and Darrius Lacy (14 catches) must step up.
Gilmore gained renown when he earned Ivy League Player of the Year at Penn for his tenacious style of play on the defensive line. Last year, Gilmore felt that his team had gotten away from its customary blue-collar style. After watching camp, Gilmore thinks the grit has returned, sparked by strong senior leadership.
“I think it’s something that we’ve talked about, our work ethic. We want to be the hardestworking team in the country. I think we got away from it a little bit last year but now I think we’re back. I like our grit. It’s the mentality and it’s because we have great senior leadership. It’s really good to see,’’ said Gilmore.
Senior defensive back Mike McCaffrey of Winchester agreed.
“We’re very excited. We have a lot of young guys coming up and we have a lot of veteran guys with playing experience. It’s a good mix. Now, we just have to go out and play fast, physical and smart,’’ said McCaffrey. “Definitely, last year was a disappointing year. But, you can’t change the past. You just have to realize why you are sacrificing and why you are doing all the work.’’