Young Crusaders Team Exceeds Expectations

Bergen Catholic head coach Larry Fierro thought he had reasonable expectations of his Crusaders bowling squad entering the season. Now it's beginning to look like he underestimated them.

Coming off last season's state sectional championship, the young Crusaders approached a rebuilding season. However, a quick 2-0 start and third-place showing in FDU's Holiday Classic tournament  have proven a welcome surprise.

Led by the strong play of Charles Long, who bowled a 220 average, the Crusaders shook off early game jitters and played strong until they were downed by Howell in the semifinals.

"I didn't think we would qualify," said Fierro, "and then we went toe-to-toe with one of the state's best (Howell). We've come a long way in a week."

The young squad, which entered a tournament that featured several strong teams, including Howell and eventual tournament champion Walkill Valley,  emerged as Bergen County's best team in the field.

"We have talent and it showed out there," said Fierro. "But when you get that close to winning you get a little disappointed, and that's good thing."

At season's start, the Crusaders were projected to finish 10^th in Passaic/Bergen county.

"Our ranking is nice since it will allow us to fly under the radar," said Fierro.

That may no longer be possible, especially following a week that featured wins over second-ranked Paramus Catholic and a strong showing this afternoon.

Still, Fierro tried to keep perspective.

"It's small steps and trying to win our division, but then we need to compete against the best to get better," he said. "We know there is a learning curve, but if we work hard we can play with anyone."

With confidence being a key element of solid play from three new starters, Fierro looks to senior captain Patrick Henry for help.

"I have expectations for Patrick. He's a contender to be All-County and looks to be our top bowler. He was hurt most of last year so even he'll need to get back into the swing of things," said Fierro.

Fierro added he will be looking to his captain to keep the young team prepared and loose before matches.

"We do what we can to keep their nerves down," said Fierro. "We don't get to practice a lot so we don't get to spend time together outside of our games. So there is some nervousness since we prepare on the fly."

Fierro said the team is focused on the little things that lead to winning results.

"Coming off their first week of bowling we look prepared and during the offseason we practiced spares," he said. "Strikes are nice, but picking up our spares will be the difference in our record."