Another NEPSAC Bowl Win for Lawrence

by John Bishop

With their 25-18 victory over St. Paul’s School in the 2023 Kevin McDonald Bowl, Lawrence Academy’s varsity football team earned back-to-back NEPSAC bowl victories and added yet another piece of high-powered hardware to the trophy case in the Stone Athletic Center.

“The guys were focused,” was Head Coach Jason Swepson’s straightforward answer to questions about the adversity his Spartans faced in the postseason. “That’s what it was — they wanted this win and a win on the seniors’ final home game. I’m just so happy for that group.” from New Hampshire around the frigid turf on Murbach Field. However, Swepson, noting some of the ups and downs of LA’s regular season, knew that nothing in the ISL is a given, especially in postseason play.

One of the players in that group, Mike Landolfi ’24, doubled down on his coach’s words and described the mood in the locker room even before the Spartans took the field.

“You’ve just got to stay focused,” said the coach. “We’ve got a coachable team, and they just executed when we needed to.”

“It’s a bowl game,” explained the Boston College-bound senior. “It’s a championship game, you know? Everyone was laserfocused — we really wanted this one. And there was no way NEPSAC would bring a trophy here and we would let St. Paul’s take it off campus ...We just had to execute, and that’s exactly what we did.”

The Spartans did all that — and then some — as the navy blue, red, and white pushed the formidable Sons of Hobey

However, accolades filtered throughout the lineup. “Start with Tavian Fenderson ’24 with a nice catch to keep a drive going; Cole Nelson ’24 running the ball inside the tackles,” Swepson said, fighting through the on-field adrenaline fog after the win.

“You know, Brady Scott ’27 with the interception at the end; the offensive line and the defense played well.”

But in the end, Swepson’s thoughts quickly returned to his seniors, many of whom played through several lean years and COVID-marred seasons. “You start with four seniors that have been here for four years,” said Swepson as he thought about the 2023 campaign and what he’ll commit to permanent memory. “Dom Selvitelli ’24, Trent Jackson ’24, Tavian, and Mikey Gregoire ’24 ... I’m just excited for them to leave as champions.”