BANGOR – Looking back, the end of the 2005 season may serve as the unofficial start of the 2006 season for the John Bapst Crusaders.

The Crusaders expected to be in the thick of the playoff chase last fall, but early struggles took them out of it. However, a 21-20 season-ending win over playoff-bound Orono ended John Bapst’s 3-6 season with a bang, one that coaches hope continues to reverberate throughout this season.

“That game could start a ripple in our program,” said Bapst coach Dan O’Connell. “To beat them in the last game with not much on the line for us really set us up for our offseason.”

O’Connell is optimistic the momentum and excitement created by that win will carry over into the regular season, even more than 10 months later.

The fourth-year head coach has many other reasons for optimism. The Crusaders have one of the LTC’s biggest offensive lines, averaging 261 pounds per player. They also have depth, good senior leadership, and experience despite being a relatively young squad. They also have so much speed at the skill positions, they’re switching offensive formations for the third time in three years.

The I-formation replaces the wishbone, but it’s a bit of a misnomer because Bapst will run a lot of wing offense out of it.

That’s not the only offensive tweaking going on. Quarterback Kyle Gallant is now wingback-tailback Kyle Gallant, Nick Smith is also wingback-tailback, and the new quarterback is Charlie Merritt. All three are part of the big junior contingent of players on the squad.

“We’ve moving Kyle to better take advantage of his athleticism along with Nick. They’ll alternate at the two spots, allowing us to run more misdirection,” O’Connell explained. “The formation is different, but we’ll be running many of the same plays we ran last year out of it.

“The whole idea behind this wing is to get as many of those good skill position players on the field as possible.”

Some of those other skill players include senior tight end Justin Frye, senior captains/split ends Zac LaPierre and Anthony Ortiz, and junior split end Ryan Moriarty.

Fronting them will be center Brent Hutchins, left guard Jimmy Ouellette, right guard Micah Raymond, left tackle John Kelly and right tackle Steve Kelly. With the smallest lineman weighing in at 240 and the biggest (Raymond) at 305, this could be Bapst’s most physically punishing line in years. Ironically, size is also a Bapst weakness.

“Our size, except for our offensive line and tackles on defense, and the fact we have two first-year starting middle linebackers, are our areas of concern to start the season,” O’Connell said.

Those would be Merritt and fellow junior Colin Gagnon, but O’Connell expects them to pick up the offensive recognition and defensive play-calling duties quickly in Bapst’s 4-4 scheme.

“It makes us solid up the middle and lets us use more speed on the edges because we have our two big guys [Steve Kelly and Raymond] clogging up the middle,” O’Connell explained.

After going 1-3 against the LTC’s four playoff teams last season and playing all of them close except eventual champ Foxcroft Academy, the Crusaders come back confident and determined.

JOHN BAPST CRUSADERS

2005 results: 3-6

Head coach: Dan O’Connell, fourth year

Key players: Kyle Gallant, TB-WB-FS, Jr.; Jim Ouellette, G-DE, Sr.; Zac LaPierre, SE, Sr.; Anthony Ortiz, SE-FS, Sr.; Brent Hutchins, C-DE, Sr.; Micah Raymond, G-DT, Jr.; John Kelly, OT-DT, Sr.; Steve Kelly, OT-DT, So.; Charlie Merritt, QB-MLB, Jr.; Nick Smith, TB-WB, Jr.; Ryan Moriarty, SE-LB, Jr.; Colin Gagnon, FB-MLB, Jr.; Shane Hass, CB-KR, Fr.; Justin Frye, TE, Sr.; Tyler Chamberlain, FB, So.

Outlook: The Crusaders’ sights are set firmly on the playoffs after beating one playoff team and losing to two others by a combined six points last year. Motivation won’t be an issue for this squad.