Chesney prepares for when games resume

Did the editor forget to blur it out?

I hope so!

Season is silent, but Holy Cross football coach Bob Chesney prepares for when games resume

By Jennifer Toland
Posted Sep 11, 2020 at 4:11 PM
Updated Sep 11, 2020 at 4:11 PM

The last time the Holy Cross football team was on Fitton Field, the Crusaders were celebrating their 2019 Patriot League championship. Holy Cross shut out Georgetown, 24-0, to capture the title, and HC players, coaches, families and fans Chu Chu-ed, Rah Rah-ed, and reveled in the great accomplishment.

It was a much more serene scene when Holy Cross coach Bob Chesney stopped by Fitton Field one day last week. Chesney stood alone on the field, plush, perfectly manicured and emerald green, but without yard lines. The stands were empty, too, and, except for the light rustling of trees in the background, was silent.

"It's as pristine as ever," Chesney said Friday, the eve of what was supposed to be HC's 2020 home opener. "Standing on that grass — there's nothing like it. Being there, even though you're so far away from actually playing on that field, just standing there puts you in a position mentally that gives you hope there will be a return to normalcy in the near future.

In July, the Patriot League announced the cancellation of competition for the 2020 fall season due to the coronavirus pandemic.


The Crusaders were scheduled to open their 125th season last weekend at Merrimack, and host Patriot League foe Lehigh Saturday.

Chesney spent part of last Saturday mowing the grass in his own yard.

"I was just trying to keep myself busy," he said. "Emotionally it was, honestly, tough. I have not ever had in my life a Friday or Saturday in the fall when I was not at a football game. That was the first one ever in my 43 years on this earth. It was sort of surreal and difficult a little bit."

Chesney expects this Saturday to be similar — a morning jog, a few things around the house, and, most importantly, hanging out with his family

"I want to spend the time that way, invest it that way," Chesney said, "because we won't have many more of those opportunities once (football) picks up again."

After the Patriot League canceled the fall season, there was still hope members of the football team could be together — in small groups, anyway — for the first time since March with strength and conditioning and other practice opportunities when they returned to campus for the fall semester.

In August, though, Holy Cross announced it was shifting to a remote learning model for the fall semester.

"It's just constant adapting," Chesney said. "We're still in a place (with the pandemic) where no one knows. We're preparing for all of it."


A couple of football players, Chesney said, are among the limited number of students living on campus this fall, and a few more have off-campus apartments in Worcester. Additionally, about 15 or 20 players live within an hour of Holy Cross.

"Eventually we'll be able to get them in and start working with them a little bit," Chesney said.

Chesney said Monday was the original day the "here or near" players, as he calls the group, would be able to start working out on campus, but that date has been bumped back a week.

"They are all in testing protocol right now with the school, and they've been approved access to use the facilities," Chesney said. "We will ease back into it and make sure everybody is safe, make sure everybody is in shape because we just don't know 100 percent where everybody is at this moment because we haven't seen them yet. When we do get back, we're making sure we're responsible with exactly where everybody is at."


There is the possibility of conducting Patriot League fall sports competition and championships next spring, but nothing is guaranteed.

"We're going to prepare for it," Chesney said.

Over the last six months, Chesney has praised his players' resilience.

"We're onto month six of these Zoom meetings," Chesney said, "and for us, it's just a matter of 'How do we continue to keep our eye on the prize?' Eventually, we will be back playing football. Our guys understand that and know that there is no time to sit back and relax and say, 'We're not playing, so let's just do nothing.' There will be a time when this is lifted."

Of course

So...This is all you can think of? Sad!!!!