When Dan O’Connell played football at Bates College in Lewiston from 1995 to 1998, he learned to cope with lack of success on the gridiron, but he never accepted it.

One of 27 members of his freshman football class at Bates, he was one of only five who played the full four years – and had just three wins in 32 tries to show for it.

“For me it was just the fact that I loved football,” said O’Connell. “I believed week after week that we had a chance to win, but most of the time we just couldn’t get it done.”

Today, O’Connell is sharing lessons learned from his playing days at Bates and before that at Bangor High School as a first-year head coach at John Bapst Memorial High School.

The early returns are impressive.

After going winless for a span of 41 games that began in 1998, the Crusaders are riding a modest two-game winning streak, with a 22-6 victory against Maranacook at Readfield and last Saturday night’s 32-0 victory against Dexter at Cameron Stadium in Bangor.

“We’re just taking it one week at a time,” said O’Connell, who was a John Bapst assistant coach in 2002. “But the kids are starting to believe, they’re gaining the confidence that they can compete from week to week.

“Against Maranacook, the game was 6-6 in the third quarter and the kids realized we were in it, that we had a shot to win. But the next week when we went out on the field against Dexter, we had the expectation of winning, and maybe something to prove because we had beaten Maranacook but they’re only a first-year team.”

That newfound confidence has its roots in junior quarterback George Keefe, who has rushed for five touchdowns and passed for two more scores in the Crusaders’ two victories.

“George was a little unsure of his role early on, because he didn’t know where he was going to play,” O’Connell said. “One week he was at quarterback, and the next week at running back, but he’s such an athlete that he can make things happen no matter where he plays.

“Now he’s settled into the quarterback role, and he’s become even more of a leader than I thought he would be. He’s very confident in his ability to handle a situation, and the other kids are starting to have that same kind of confidence, too.”

John Bapst (2-1) faces a formidable challenge this Saturday night as it attempts to extend its winning streak. The Crusaders will host defending Eastern C champion Foxcroft Academy, which is 3-0 and hasn’t lost a regular-season game since 2001. The Ponies are coming off a 35-0 thumping of Bucksport last week.

“This is the next step for us,” O’Connell said. “We got our first win, and then we proved that wasn’t a fluke by beating Dexter. Now we have to play maybe the best team in the league. It will definitely be a challenge for us because they’re a very, very sound football team.

“We’ve got to try to make some things happen early and then try to hang in there and give ourselves a chance to win, because anything can happen on a football field.”

Hennessey takes Dragons’ reins

The Woodland High School boys basketball team will field a vastly different lineup this winter from the one that reached the Eastern Maine Class D semifinals last February.

The Dragons also will compete in a different class, having been elevated to Class C.

And they’ll be guided by a new coach but a familiar face.

Bob Hennessey of East Machias, a 15-year teacher at the school and a longtime junior high and youth basketball coach, is replacing Mike Look, who stepped down after guiding the Dragons for three seasons.

“When I started at Woodland I was the varsity softball coach, and I’ve always wanted to give varsity basketball a try,” said Hennessey, who teaches junior high computers and high school science. “The last time it opened up, I didn’t apply for health reasons, and Mike did a great job with the team. This time I decided to apply because I felt better and because I didn’t want to be sitting around at 60 years old wondering why I never gave it a try.”

Hennessey is returning to coaching after taking last winter off for health reasons. He underwent gastric bypass surgery in May, and has lost 148 pounds since then.

“I’m feeling the best I’ve felt in years,” he said.

While Woodland will be changing classes, the Dragons’ schedule won’t change, with opponents including Mattanawcook Academy, Calais, Washington Academy, Narraguagus, East Grand, Machias, and Jonesport-Beals.

“With our schedule, in Class D, if we won eight games, we’d probably make a prelim, maybe even get a home prelim game,” Hennessey said. “In Class C, we’ll probably have to win 10 games to reach the prelims.”

Only one starter, 6-foot-3 senior forward Andrew Scott, returns from last year’s team, but Hennessey views that relative inexperience as just another part of the challenge of fielding a competitive team in the Downeast Athletic Conference.

“I have to wait until I see who’s coming out,” Hennessey said, “but my goals this year are for the team to be competitive, hustle, and play good defense,” he said. “If we do that, the rest will take care of itself.”

Skowhegan, Erskine honored

Skowhegan Area High School and Erskine Academy of South China have been named winners of the Win Kelley/Bill Hoch Sportsmanship Awards for the 2002-03 school year, as announced by the athletic administrators of the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference at their September meeting.

Skowhegan was recognized among the conference’s Class A schools, while Erskine was honored in Class B.

Results were determined through evaluations done by coaches for all KVAC contests in all sports during the fall, winter, and spring sports seasons. The awards are named for Win Kelley, former KVAC secretary-treasurer, and Bill Hoch, former athletic director at Gardiner Area High School.

Ernie Clark may be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or eclark@bangordailynews.net