Crusaders Are Keeping Busy During Offseason

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WORCESTER — The Holy Cross football team won its last four games of 2018, and just as coach Bob Chesney hoped, the Crusaders have taken that momentum into the offseason.

“It’s very strong,” Chesney said. “At the end of the season, we won a couple games playing with such toughness and playing so well together as a team that now they understand that’s the norm. I think now we can push things a little harder and a little farther than maybe we could have a year ago.”

In Chesney’s first season, HC went 5-6 and tied for second place in the Patriot League at 4-2. The Crusaders finished the year with victories over Lehigh, Lafayette, Fordham and Georgetown.

Currently, players are working hard in their winter conditioning and lifting programs, and obviously looking forward to Aug. 31 when they open the 2019 season at Navy.

Chesney said in year two, returning players’ knowledge of him, his staff and how they run things has helped.

“They know what they’re getting into with us,” Chesney said. “They’ll understand the way we practice, they understand the way we expect them to play, they understand the way we expect them to lift, all of those things that come into play. It doesn’t necessarily become easier, but it is more familiar.”

It’s a busy time for coaches, too.

On National Signing Day last Wednesday, Holy Cross added seven players to the team’s incoming class for the 2019 season. HC added 14 players during the early signing period in December.

The freshman class will include 5 defensive backs, 4 wide receivers, 3 offensive linemen, 2 defensive linemen, 2 specialists, a linebacker, a quarterback, a running back, a tight end and an athlete.


“The recruiting has been very strong, which we thought would be the case,” Chesney said, “and I think we were able to fill some depth and fill some voids.”

The Crusaders will return 11 starters from last year’s team. Wide receiver and defensive line are among the positions that will take a hit with graduation.

“We’re graduating five receivers and three defensive linemen, and that needs to be filled in,” Chesney said. “A year ago, we knew this would be happening based on their graduations, so we felt like we brought some guys in that could help fill those voids, and hopefully it’s not just with freshmen we’re doing it.”

Looking ahead, running backs Miles Alexander and Domenic Cozier will be seniors this season. HC brought in three running backs last year, including Peter Oliver of Auburn at St. John’s High, and one in the incoming class.

“The desire for us it to fill current and future needs,” Chesney said, “and also try to improve the level of play as we improve the level of depth, which we had a decent opportunity to do.”

There will be several changes to the HC staff for 2019.

Assistants Anthony DiMichele (running backs) and Charlie Noonan (defensive line) left to join former Holy Cross coach Tom Gilmore’s staff at Lehigh. Ari Confesor (pass game coordinator, wide receivers) recently accepted a position at Air Force.


Chesney said that Mike Pucko, the former Holy Name and West Boylston High coach who served on Chesney’s staff at Assumption, is helping out with the defensive line.

Spring practice begins next month.

“We’re going to keep staying ahead of everything,” Chesney said, “keep improving, keep motivating our guys each and every day and try to take this program to the next level.”