By Mike Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
To put it simply, the cancellation of the 2020 ISL football season was a devastating blow.
Thanks to the vaccine roll-out and progress made across the country throughout the past year, fall sports will be returning to the ISL starting this week.
As there are for every ISL football program, there are many unknowns for St. Sebastian’s after a year away from the gridiron. The Arrows will need to replace some big holes on offense with tight end Louis Hansen (Michigan) and receiver/defensive back Sam Frisoli (Tufts) both graduating.
Thankfully, the seemingly never-ending pipeline of Frisoli brothers to St. Sebastian’s will continue in 2021. Leading the Arrows into battle will be three co-captains: senior wide receiver Ben Frisoli, senior wide receiver Cormac Wright and junior offensive/defensive lineman Ryan Donovan. Ben follows in the footsteps of his brothers Jack, Will and Sam, all of whom played and captained the school’s football and lacrosse teams.
“We are an unknown team,” said Frisoli when asked about his team’s general expectations for 2021. “We lost a lot of really good players from the 2021 class, but we are coming to prove that we are a top team in the ISL. In the preseason poll we were ranked seventh, which we are all taking to heart. Not a lot of people expect us to be good, which just fuels us. Even our senior class is pretty unknown, and this year we are all making names for ourselves.”
Along with Frisoli and Wright, the Seb’s offense will also return several key skill position players: senior quarterback Braedon Donovan, senior running back PJ McKeigue, senior receiver Aidan McGuire and junior running back/receiver Zion Simmons.
Joining Ryan Donovan in anchoring the offensive and defensive lines are juniors Jordan Atkinson and Quincy Pickett, and senior John Cox. Anchoring the linebacking corps is junior Landon Bailey, who will also serve as a running back on offense.
Frisoli says despite he and his teammates not competing together in two years, the motivation level of this group is the best of any team he’s ever been a part of.
“None of us have played a real game in two years and I’ve never seen a team ready to come out and hit kids the way we are,” said Frisoli. “We are a mean and aggressive team just dying to hit people and make plays.”
Seb’s will open up the 2021 season at home against Governor’s Academy on September 25 at 1 p.m.
For funny and incisive sports analysis as well as video highlights of games, follow Mike Flanagan on his personal Twitter and Instagram handles @flano0.
