Melrose star Fennell happy for one last run
Brendan Fennell didn’t really need a football season. While many other stars across the state were on pins and needles the last several months with their seasons in jeopardy, the Melrose senior quarterback has been plenty busy. He was the Middlesex Liberty MVP for the Red Raiders hockey team. He has a lacrosse season to prepare for. And with no football in the fall, he even hit the links for the golf team.
His last football game was played at Gillette Stadium, where he helped the Red Raiders win the Div. 4 Super Bowl.
But if you think that he’s not itching to get back under center, then you don’t know Brendan Fennell.
“I always played a ton of sports growing up and I just love to compete,” said Fennell. “A lot of guys in Melrose are like that. We love to compete.”
That mentality has made Fennell a special player ever since he took the reins of the Red Raiders offense midway through his sophomore season. Veteran Melrose coach Tim Morris admits that his 5-foot-9 signal-caller may not be the biggest or fastest, but he finds a way to get it done with a mix of natural athleticism and desire.
“He is one of those kids that is just a winner,” said Morris. “Hockey player, lacrosse player, probably could have been a baseball player, great golfer — he’s one of those guys that can just do anything.”
Fennell did lots of winning as a junior. The dual-threat QB, who predictably can also be found at strong safety in key spots, was the trigger man for a squad that averaged 37 points per game en route to a 12-0 mark, the second perfect season in three years for the Red Raiders.
He capped things by carrying the load in the Div. 4 Super Bowl with stud running back Chris Cusilito sidelined, running for 108 yards and a touchdown and throwing for another in a 28-13 win over Plymouth South.
“He just made plays,” said Morris. “Whether it was throwing the ball or running it, he came up with plays in the big moments.”
A captain in football, hockey and lacrosse, Fennell has developed into the type of leader that is critical for a program, especially at quarterback. “I’m in the locker room in all three sports and get to be around a bunch of guys,” said Fennell. “Having a good locker room environment and being a close-knit group as a team means a lot in the long run.” For the rare four-sport standout, his athletic future likely lies on the ice as he will spend a postgraduate year at Avon Old Farms, a Connecticut prep hockey powerhouse. But there is no way Fennell would miss out on one final opportunity to put on the Red Raider helmet, beginning this Saturday at Woburn.
“Football is the ultimate team sport,” said Fennell. “Melrose has had a good amount of success. We have great culture, great coaches, and hopefully we can keep that going. It’s a new team, a different team, and we have something to prove.”