Notre Dame-Fairfield Football Boasts Athleticism, Speed

On paper, the 3-7 record for the Notre Dame of Fairfield football team last season was nothing to write home about, but the Lancers might have been the best 3-7 team in the state.

Sure, it sounds funny to say that, expect for one thing: Notre Dame's opponents weren't laughing. The Lancers easily could have been 7-3 or 8-2.

In five of their seven losses, the Lancers had the ball in the final two minutes with a chance to win or tie. They just didn't know to win.

Among the tough defeats were a 21-13 setback to Masuk, which finished the year 9-1, and a 9-6 overtime loss to defending Class SS state champion Brookfield in which the Lancers allowed seven total yards and played the Bobcats to a scoreless tie through regulation.

"We were in a lot of games last year," said Joe Beler, Jr, the son of the late Joe Beler, Sr., who is entering his second season as the Lancers' coach. "It's developing the culture of winning here."

The Lancers hope a change of venue also will help their progress, as they are moving their home games from McCarty Stadium on campus to the turf field at Sacred Heart University, which is a short walk across the street.  They will play Saturday evening home games following Thursday's week one opener against Pomperaug.

Among last season's graduates, linebacker-halfback Brody Brandstatter and lineman Kevin Tirella are playing this fall for Western New England College while running back/linebacker Joe Dobbins is suiting up for RPI. Brandstatter rushed for 750 yards and averaged just 11 tackles per game last season in receiving all-state honors

Notre Dame isn't blessed with great depth - there are only 38 players in the entire program - and a lot has to go right after all the close losses a year ago, but this could be a club on the rise.

While the Lancers graduated a big senior class, they have speed, talent and depth at the skill positions, though they do have to improve their offensive production after scoring only 97 points last season.

Senior tight end-defensive lineman Kevin Harrigan, who is 6-6 and 265 pounds, is drawing interest from a few schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision and already has received offers from Central Connecticut, Marist, Wagner and Fordham.

Junior Daquan Coleman, one of the Lancers' two quarterbacks, is a "No. 1 lockdown corner", according to Beler. Sophomore tailback-defensive back Nigel Beckford rushed for 124 yards on 17 carries against Bunnell in his one start as a freshman last year.

Senior guard, Chris Druzbosky, who also doubles as a linebacker, will help anchor the offensive line.

The Lancers boast terrific depth at wide receiver. When Coleman isn't calling the signals, he is used as wideout and is joined at the position by senior Conner Terry, P.J. DeFilippo and sophomore Josh Smith. Notre Dame's other quarterback is Nick Chacho, who has transferred in from Masuk High School in Monroe.

"We're a completely different team from last year," Beler said. "Last year, we were based on power, size and speed because our running backs were powerful. This year, we're built on speed, so you'll see a little bit of a different look from Notre Dame this year."

The Lancers will unveil their new look in a difficult opener on Thursday against Pomperaug, the state's second-ranked team last season.

Notre Dame also plays Bethel, which was in the Class M title game last year, Masuk, which will be led by junior  quarterback Casey Cochran, state title contender Newtown and improved Bunnell.

It is a rugged schedule, but the Lancers can't afford to get worn down physically because the numbers aren't there. They also need to catch a few breaks.

"Our biggest thing is we need to stay healthy," "We've got some pretty good pieces here, but the bottom line is we've got to stay healthy and obviously we need some things blow our way. We've got a lot of kids playing both ways."

The Lancers' first goal is a winning season, though they have loftier ambitions.

"Everybody wants to win a division championship, get a shot at the state, all that good stuff," Beler said. "If we stay healthy, hopefully things will fall our way."

The CIAC's new playoff format - in which eight teams qualify for the state tournament in four divisions - should help the Lancers. In Class S, a record of 7-3 - possibly even 6-4 - could be good enough to grab one of those eight spots.

In the long term, Beler is committed to getting the Notre Dame program back to where it was under former coach Jeff Bevino (now at Foran), who guided the Lancers to a 9-1 record in 2005.

"Hopefully, it's the beginning of turning things around here," Beler said. "If we get back on a Notre Dame path, we'll see the numbers improve here. "