Bishop Guertin goes out of division, on the road to face Catholic Memorial

The Bishop Guertin High School football team is good, but it doesn’t hurt to sometimes get a little bit of luck.

Late in the first half of last Friday’s game at Merrimack, the Cardinals were driving for what would be their third touchdown in the final 5:32 of the half. But the drive was in trouble, until a pass interference call on Merrimack gave Bishop Gueritn a first down.

On the next play, a Tomahawks defender dropped an interception that would have ended the half. The Cardinals scored on the following play, on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Steve Cuipa to Peter Fucci, making it a 21-3 game at the half.

“We didn’t play well in the first quarter and a half,” Bishop Guertin coach Tony Johnson said. “We were not making good reads. We sputtered offensively. We got into a better rhythm with about six minutes left in the half. And we were a little lucky.”

The quick scores broke Merrimack and Johnson felt the Cardinals played much better in the second half.

“We did a great job in the second half,” he said. “But that was almost by necessity.”

After playing a big division game on the road, Bishop Guertin steps outside Division II to play another big road game on Friday, this time against Catholic Memorial. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in West Roxbury, Mass.

Having tried for years to get a series started against the Knights, Johnson was finally able to get Catholic Memorial on the schedule last season. A year ago, the Knights came to Stellos Stadium and fell to the Cardinals 52-13.

Johnson is expecting a closer game this year, and despite the fact the contest won’t count for his squad, he wants to get a win.

“We want to win the game,” he said. “We finally have a good matchup with a Catholic school in the Boston area. We want this to be a 10-year commitment. The schools want to continue to play this for years to come.”

In some ways, playing Merrimack the week before helped prepare Bishop Guertin for Catholic Memorial. The Knights run a similar option offense as the Tomahawks, although they throw the ball more and they’re bigger up front, according to Johnson.

“They’re a team that we don’t match up very well with because we’re not big,” he said. “We have to hope our speed counters their size.”

Cuipa returned at quarterback last week, after missing the win over Spaulding on Sept. 17, and played well, completing 10-of-15 passes for 151 yards and the touchdown pass to Fucci. He also ran for 48 yards and a touchdown. Alex Eaton added 186 yards on 45 carries for the Cardinals.

Johnson expects those guys to be ready to get the Knights’ best shot.

“Every game we play is a big game,” Johnson said. “Everyone views us as the game. We’re always under the gun to perform. The good news is, I don’t really think the team gets that nervous.”

The Cardinals will find out when they kickoff  at 7 p.m. Friday at Catholic Memorial.