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# With few seniors, Bishop Guertin football looking to other classes to help lead way
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/with-few-seniors-bishop-guertin-football-looking-to-other-classes-to-help-lead-way/
- Published: 2021-08-21T11:00:38.000Z
- Updated: 2021-08-21T11:00:38.000Z
- Description: NASHUA - Charlie Bellavance remembers what it was like to be a freshman in the weight room. It can be a scary place for someone new to high school, and in some cases, hasn't even set foot in a classroom. But when the Bishop Guertin High School football team was finally able to get back to working o
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, Bishop Guertin, football, NH High School Sports Insider, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

NASHUA - Charlie Bellavance remembers what it was like to be a freshman in the weight room.

It can be a scary place for someone new to high school, and in some cases, hasn't even set foot in a classroom.

But when the Bishop Guertin High School football team was finally able to get back to working out as a team during the offseason, Bellavance was pleasantly surprised to see how many newcomers there were.

"There was a lot of help toward the younger kids," Bellavance said. "I didn’t expect that many to come in (to lift). A lot of people are intimidated to come in the weight room. They think there will be all these big dudes pushing weight and it’s kind of scary at first. I remember coming in as a freshman and being nervous."

What the junior also remembers about that time was how the biggest benefit was getting to spend time with his new friends and teammates.

"I didn’t expect to meet people but I met people," he said. "That was probably the best part, just getting to know people. You see your new friends playing, it’s easier to perform."

For program that doesn't have a big senior class, those younger players coming out for the Cardinals for the first time are going to have to learn on the fly. They'll at least have a solid group of juniors to watch.

"We have a real strong junior class and those kids feed off each other," Bishop Guertin coach John Trisciani said. "There’s a little bit more confidence and they seem to enjoy each other’s company.

"Just trying to take it day-by-day and live in the moment. As a coach, I love the sport of football as much as the kids do, so we’re just trying to take it all in, and realize, just because things are starting off well, we’re not guaranteed anything."

The Cardinals were able to play all of their scheduled games in 2020, but there were times they were missing players due to COVID-19 protocols. While things are close to normal in regards to the preseason schedule, players and coaches aren't taking anything for granted.

"We learned a lot about staying healthy," Bellavance said. "We had starters who were quarantined for big games. Other guys stepped up. All of our coaches have said, they don’t expect us to not see people outside of football, but really when you think about, what’s your priority. You’ve got to put the team first. I’m not going to say I don’t see anybody, but it’s in my mind a lot if I go see a friend. I’m not going to see 20 people."

The team still isn't using its locker room and has tried to go outside for as much of the preseason as possible.

"I don’t want to, and I don’t want the kids to be living in fear," Trisciani said. "But like anything else, can we make small conscious decisions to put ourselves in a better spot. I think everybody is really excited to have some sense of normalcy. Obviously, COVID is still a thing, which a lot of people forget. Obviously, we’re happy just to be out here, like everybody else."