With his St. Francis de Sales football team starting 4-0 for the first time since 1992, veteran coach Dick Cromwell and his team are feeling much better than they did the prior three seasons.
The Knights absorbed the only nonwinning seasons during Cromwell's 25 years (1979-84, 1990-2008) as their head coach, going 3-7 in 2006 and 5-5 the next two years.
This three-year aberration came on the heels of four straight City League championships (2001-04), and eight league crowns in 10 years. For a coach with two state titles (1984 and 2001), a state runner-up finish and one state semifinals appearance on his resume, the dropoff was an eye-opener.
But with a season-opening 27-8 win over defending Division II state champion Southview, Cromwell's 200th victory with the Knights coming Sept. 11, and last Friday's dramatic 7-6 win over rival St. John's Jesuit, normalcy has been restored on West Bancroft.
The Knights got a blocked extra-point from senior Shaun Solly with 22 seconds remaining to preserve the win over St. John's at the Glass Bowl, the type of play St. Francis hadn't been getting the last three seasons.
"It's been a rough three years not being in contention," Cromwell said. "It's nice to think we might be in contention this year.
"It's been hard on the whole program. We've had so many coaches stay with the program for so long, and it was tough on all of us to not be as competitive as we had been the previous 15 years.
"Maybe things just ran out on us. We had good kids, we just didn't seem to get it done. We're not coaching much different than we ever did. It's just a matter of getting things clicking again."
At the heart of a senior group leading St. Francis' turnaround are three multitasking players.
Scott Loy admits football ranks as the third favorite sport he plays at St. Francis. Rated among the top 25 senior lacrosse players in the nation, the center-midfielder has accepted a scholarship offer to play at national power Syracuse University. Hockey, once his first love, now ranks No. 2 for Loy, who is a center for the Knight icers.
"With football, I just love the atmosphere and how intense it is," said Loy, who has 10 catches for 231 yards, four touchdowns, plus 13 tackles and two interceptions on defense.
Loy has seen a distinct transition with the football team.
"You could just tell the last couple years," he said of the decline. "I wouldn't say it was commitment, but the numbers were down. I feel like, this year, we have the mind-set going into every game that we should not lose."
Another busy senior is Pat Dyer, who became the Knights' kicker in 2007, and handled the punting and kicking duties the last two years. Dyer squeezes this work in between his full-time fall commitment as the goalkeeper for the St. Francis soccer team. In the spring, he joins Loy on the lacrosse team.
"It was difficult not seeing the results, especially with some great guys on the team," Dyer said of 2007 and '08. "But we have a great senior class and we're finally starting to see our hard work pay off."
Dyer has kicked one field goal, is 10-for-10 on extra points, has punted 23 times for a 42.3-yard average, and eight of his 16 kickoffs have gone for touchbacks.
"This is amazing," Dyer said. "It's almost like a dream. I never thought we would start off 4-0, but this team is really proving itself."
Dyer also excels in the classroom. His 4.65 grade-point average ranks third in his class and has led to some Ivy League interest.
In keeping with the multitasking theme, Tyler Johnston - also an outfielder and pitcher on the Knight baseball team - is a full-time two-way starter at quarterback and strong safety.
"You just didn't really feel great about playing on a 5-5 team or a 3-7 team," Johnston said. "We didn't like the feeling we got from that.
"Everybody in the program was down a little bit, but I guess we're turning it around a little bit. It feels great. We've got the whole school behind us."
Johnston has passed for 233 yards and two TDs, rushed for 157, and contributed 25 tackles and an interception on defense.
"The difference is we're all working harder, and I think coach Cromwell is leading us in the right direction," Johnston said. "Beating Southview was one of the biggest wins I've ever been a part of. That was up until the St. John's game. I think those games gave us motivation for the entire season that we can play with anybody."
Two other multisport seniors serving football double duty for the Knights are Lee Lukasik and R.J. Rios. Lukasik leads St. Francis in rushing from his tailback spot (66 carries, 437 yards, four TDs), and also plays outside linebacker. Rios starts on the offensive line and at middle linebacker. Both also play baseball. Another two-way senior starter is Alex Kenzie, a center and nose tackle.
"This senior group suffered through those seasons as freshmen, sophomores and juniors," Cromwell said. "They seem to have a nice perspective on things, and the total school excitement after beating St. John's is great."
Contact Steve Junga at:
sjunga@theblade.com
or 419-724-6461.
First Published September 25, 2009, 9:32 a.m.
