BANGOR – Dan O’Connell admits he had some preconceived notions about John Bapst when he was a standout football player at Bangor High and Bates College in Lewiston.

Then he took an assistant coaching post at the private school last fall.

“Because there are so many different stereotypes [of private schools] they make you want to fight for them,” O’Connell said after a recent hot, humid morning practice. “You don’t really know that until you get involved with them. Once you get here and work with the kids, it makes you want to go to bat for them.”

O’Connell is now the Crusaders’ fifth football head coach since 1998, but he’s hoping to end that turnover trend.

And the players feel the new coaching staff will have a role in any turnaround for the program, which has struggled in recent years.

“There’s a lot more energy on the field, during practice,” said senior fullback Anthony Alvarez. “The coaches have a big thing to do with the changes in attitude. [O’Connell] played college ball, and he definitely knows the X’s and O’s.”

The Crusaders haven’t always drawn a lot of interested student-athletes, but there’s a fairly large group of 45 players, including 11 freshmen, on the practice field.

“I think to some extent we’ve gotten the kids to believe,” O’Connell said. “Hopefully with us teaching them how to do it right, that’s generating some excitement.”

Several key positions are still up in the air.

The Crusaders are in a quarterback quandary, as contenders George Keefe and Keith Nason have both shown promise during double sessions.

Keefe, a junior, was one of the team’s top rushers last year. Nason, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound senior, is more of an imposing figure.

Nason is new this year but is a standout pitcher for the baseball team.

“It’s real close,” O’Connell said of the two contenders. “[Nason] has great size, he’s athletic, and he’s got a great arm. … George is more of an all-around athlete.”

O’Connell said junior Travis Carey should be one of Bapst’s go-to players. Carey played at the tailback position last year but suffered a concussion in the middle of the season and missed some games.

“He’s gotten a lot stronger since last year,” Alvarez said.

John Bapst has some good size on the offensive and defensive lines – O’Connell estimates his linemen average about 6-2, 230 – anchored by center Joe Baillargeon and Alex Desmond, who are two of the three seniors predicted to start for the Crusaders.

“We’ve got a significant line this year,” Baillargeon said. “We have some kids who have really grown over the past year, getting bigger. They’re really impressive.”

Desmond feels the line is one of the team’s strengths.

“Our coach keeps us really athletic and we work harder than anyone on the team,” he said.

The Crusaders have adopted a 5-2 defense and will play offense out of an I-formation instead of a T.

“The 5-2 is the most balanced formation as far as our personnel goes.” O’Connell said of the defense. “We’d rather have a balanced front and play as fundamentally sound as possible.”

JOHN BAPST CRUSADERS

2002 results: 0-9, ninth in LTC Class C

Head coach: Dan O’Connell, first year

Key players: Joe Baillargeon, C-LB, Sr.; Anthony Alvarez, FB-LB, Sr.; Alex Desmond, OG-LB, Sr.; Travis Carey, RB-DB, Jr.; Zach Burnette, WR-DB, So.; Jeff Howard, OL-DL, Jr.; Cody Andrews, OL-DL, Jr.; Corey Pattison, WR-DB, Jr.; Tyler Yeo, TE-DE, Jr.; Tom Carey, TE-DE, Jr.; Mike Tardiff, WR-DB, Jr.

Outlook: The Crusaders haven’t won a game in three years, but optimism is high this season. Desmond said the team feels strong all around, but staying healthy will be key because the front-line talent is concentrated in several areas and thin in other places. Travis Carey and Tom Carey are twins. The Crusaders open against Orono, a rivalry game.