While the first day of practice in MIAA football is always filled with optimism, there were plenty of reasons for additional excitement at BC High.
BC High took the field Friday afternoon to begin the 2024 season with a talented roster and renewed excitement under the leadership of new head coach Paul Zukauskas.
The Eagles hope this combination will enable them to compete for their first Division 1 state title since 2011.
It won’t be long before Zukauskas gets his roster’s support. Before spending five seasons in the NFL, he was a standout tackle while wearing the uniforms of BC High and Boston College.
If his playing career raises doubts, his coaching record certainly does not, as Zukasas boasted a 44-13 record with four ISL championships in seven seasons at Lawrence Academy.
“When BC High reached out to me, I was a little hesitant at first, but then I decided I really wanted to come back here and help,” said Zukauskas, who graduated from BC High in 1997. “The first thing I did was meet with the returning guys and ask them what they thought was going well about the football program and what could be better.”
While the excitement surrounding Zukauskas is justified, the Eagles’ hopes also rest on the return of talent to the field. Senior quarterback Carter Carroll has put up eye-popping numbers and is headed to William and Mary.
Running back Brenden Ryan will be alongside Carroll in the backfield. Eli Alcorn-Crowder will set the tone up front, while Conrad Babka will provide flexibility in the passing game.
“We now have the strongest and largest graduating class that is fully committed to learning and adapting to Coach (Zukauskas’) system,” Carroll said. “After making a playoff push last season, we are primed and ready to get back into the state championship conversation because that’s where it belongs.”
In terms of hardware, the Catholic Conference has never been in a better position.
Over the past five seasons, three of the Eagles’ main rivals — St. John’s Prep, Xaverian and Catholic Memorial — have combined for five Super Bowl titles. During that same time period, the Eagles have only two postseason victories. But Zukauskas is no stranger to playing against the region’s best.
His success so far will serve as a model for Morrissey Boulevard.
“As a coach at Lawrence Academy, we’ve played against kids that go to Michigan and Notre Dame, so I’m pretty familiar with a competitive schedule,” Zukauskas said. “One thing I always think about is not the other teams, but who you are as a team. So I’m just focused on what we can do to be the best team we can be this year. The foundation of the program is identifying talent, putting them in the right position and being a physical football team.”
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