Spartans sowed the seeds of victory in the fall

by John Bishop Groton,

Mass. — Given some time to think about his championship season during a traffic-lengthened bus drive home, Head Coach Jason Swepson’s mind drifted to early fall 2022.

After earning a share of the regular season ISL title, Swepson and his team garnered a frenetic 21-20 win over Dexter Southfield in the NEPSAC Todd Marble Bowl in Brookline on Nov. 19. In Lawrence Academy’s first bowl victory since 2017, quarterback Michael Landolfi ’24 scrambled to earn the game-winning score after throwing for two touchdowns (to Jovon Mobley ’24 and Michael Gregoire ’24).

Coach Swepson often quotes legendary Michigan head coach Bo Schembechler, who once said, “Those who stay will be champions.” Schembechler remained in the front of Swepson’s mind postgame.

“Wow,” he said, wide-eyed, still holding the championship trophy (if not his breath) while exiting the team bus after the nail-biter. “You know, we had to bring the team together, and we had a lot of new faces join the program.

“They came in and had instant success,” he added. “And you know what? I’m so proud of our seniors, especially our four-year players here during the lean years. They believed in the program and stayed!”

Some of that tenacity showed up throughout the championship game. “Yeah, we jumped out early,” said Swepson, his smile shortening. “And we had a good defensive plan by putting some pressure on their quarterback. Then we came out after halftime, and they turned the ball over, but we did not take advantage. They capitalized on our mistakes and put themselves back in the game. But in the end, the boys wanted it — they wanted this one. They dug down deep, and we played as a team.”

That kind of character-driven team play has long been a hallmark of Lawrence Academy football, particularly under former head coach Paul Zukauskas and fellow Boston College alumnus Swepson, whose lengthy gridiron resume now includes ISL and NEPSAC titles. Of course, that team character is a facet of the program that makes Coach Swepson very proud, particularly after several challenging years for the Spartans.

“They wanted to be coached,” he explained. “They took coaching from day one until Friday afternoon, the last practice before the championship. Then, it was just a great bunch of kids wanting a bowl championship. They accomplished a goal, becoming an ISL champion, and they wanted to cap off the season the right way.”

Thinking of his seniors, including Gavin Hatfield, William Moriarty, Dash Dunlea, Denzel Khasabo, Stanley Peat, Jake Ward, Luke Miller, Auggie Swartwood, Bryce Thomas, Zain Chaudhry, C.J. Schuster, and Cam Green, Coach Swepson repeated, “I’m just so happy for those guys that believed in Lawrence Academy.

“And having Dom Selvitelli ’24 block a field goal to ice the game never hurts,” he added.