[This post contains video, click to play]
BY MARK JAFFEE
WATERBURY — In 24 days, the Holy Cross High football team will have a new place to call home.
Instead of playing their home games at Municipal Stadium, the Crusaders will begin the 2016 season at a football complex at Alumni Field, adjacent to the school on Oronoke Road.
Holy Cross entertains Kennedy on Sept. 10 at 1 p.m.
“We have a place to defend that we can officially call ours,” said Holy Cross senior Phil Serva, a fullback and linebacker. “It gives us a chance to set the tone and finally put to rest last season.”
Last year, the Crusaders suffered through a 2-8 season, the first losing mark in coach Mike Giampetruzzi’s seven-year tenure. The Crusaders dropped their final seven games, including a 42-0 decision to Wolcott on Thanksgiving.
“That left a bad taste in our mouths,” said junior lineman Albert Nieves. “Everyone was upset by the way things ended. Being 2-8 is not something people should be happy about. We didn’t put enough of an effort into it. We realized that we needed to play more together and take more responsibility as individuals. We all need to do our part to make the team work. I can already see a difference in the way everyone is approaching practice.”
WATERBURY, CT- 17 August 2016-081716EC01- Holy Cross head football coach Mike Giampetruzzi. Erin Covey Republican-American
Nieves also believes that the new field “will bring the student body and entire Holy Cross community together.”
Calling it a new chapter in the program history, Giampetruzzi said having a true home field has been talked about for more than 20 years,
since when he was first a student at the Catholic school.
“I don’t think the kids will fully realize how special it is until they walk out of the locker room for our pregame warm-ups the day of our first game,” said Giampetruzzi. “It’s going to be exciting for them and for me.”
A 1995 graduate, Giampetruzzi joined the coaching staff right after graduation and has moved his way up the ranks, first on the staff of Jerry Ciarleglio and later with Mike Phelan before being elevated to the head coaching spot in 2009.
Even with the tough 2015 season, Giampetruzzi still has compiled a won-loss record of 48-26.
He admitted that while last season was trying, it forced him to learn from the experience to continue to motivate players.
“We graduated two really big classes in a row and we played a lot of younger players, and there were several seniors who were first-year starters,” said Giampetruzzi. “There was a lot of teaching going on. Going into our bye week in Week 3, we spent a lot of time on basic fundamentals.”
The Crusaders beat Wilby the following week to go 2-1, but once the losing streak started, it snowballed. Too many turnovers and missed opportunities plagued the Crusaders.
“We just made more mistakes than our opponents and gave up a lot of big plays,” Giampetruzzi said.
Through it all, Giampetruzzi said he was impressed by the team’s resiliency.
“I think they got it and understood that it’s not easy to win at this level,” he said. “When you win, you appreciate it, and when you lose, you need to be a good loser and learn how to get better. What I liked was nobody quit the team or blamed each other. Everyone has stayed positive. That says a lot about the kids.”
This year, only four seniors are on the roster — Serva, two-way linemen Taevian Whitehead and Donovan Montville and wide receiver-defensive back Adam Razza.
“We have a young team, but they are gaining experience and do have a lot of talent,” said Giampetruzzi. “I’m excited about the season.”
So is Serva. “Our motto is ‘Earn everything we get,’ because we realized no one is going to hand us anything,” said Serva.
Reach Mark Jaffee at mjaffee@rep-am.com or follow him on Twitter @TheRealJaffman