By Marc Thaler
Staff Writer

HIGH-SCORING HAWK – Cawley’s Brendan Covey (No. 41) looks on while teammate Cormac Fitzpatrick soars and pours in two of his team-high 22 points against Hampstead on Thursday, Jan. 20, at Cawley Middle School. (Marc Thaler Photo)

Every athlete’s toughest test, according to Cawley Middle School boys basketball coach George Roy, is the ability to remain competitive and charismatic in the face of a frustrating campaign.

“We haven’t won a game all season,” said Roy, following the Hawks’ ninth loss in as many games. “Still, they all want to compete, and that’s all I can ask of them. As long as they’re willing to give their best, they’re gonna go out there and learn something.”

And what his boys are learning, Roy said, is how to go all-out, play hard for 32 minutes, and conduct themselves with class.

Just because the Hawks are undersized compared to many of the teams they’ve faced during the 2004-05 season, it isn’t an excuse to quit.

Quite simply, it’s the coach’s belief that how his players learn to cope with tough times on the court will only make them mentally stronger and better able to adjust to the curveballs life might throw their way.

“I try to teach the boys life skills,” Roy said. “And the biggest life skill they’re learning is what you put into something is what you’ll get out of it.”

Roy likened the basketball court to the classroom, where every athlete is learning the fundamentals and the importance of playing within a system and working with teammates to meet goals.

Game days are the tests, he added. This squad however, doesn’t grade itself on a scale from “A” to “F.” Instead, it’s a “pass-fail” scale.

As a result of his players’col-lective ability to turn the season’s trials into smaller forms of success, every athlete on the roster has made the grade, Roy said.

“You’ve gotta have heart and some intestinal fortitude,” the coach said. “These boys have both.” Hosting Hampstead on Thursday, Jan. 20, the Hawks proved their coach’s observations were completely correct.

After one quarter of action, Cawley’s crew quickly found itself trailing by double digits.

Despite the Hawks’slow start from the field where they were held to six first-quarter points, CMS rebounded nicely in the second, found a rhythm, and poured in 16.

Although the Hawks’grasp on the game slipped away in the second half – CMS was simply overmatched by a bigger bunch – the hosts continued to hustle for every loose ball, contest every Hampstead pass and, at times, employ an impressive full-court press.

“Most of the teams we play, they outweigh us, they’re bigger than us,” Roy said. “It’s difficult because in this game, you can’t give up anything. You have to fight for everything and learn from mistakes.

“At this level, it’s not about winning, but how much each of them grows (as a basketball player) and learns (how to correctly play the game),” Roy added.

Against Hampstead, the Hawks’offensive attack was led by Cormac Fitzpatrick’s 22 points, followed by Christopher Ouellette’s 14.

The complete 2004-05 team roster includes eighth-graders Anthony Cecilio, Nicholas Florence, Brian Frechette, Ouellette and Jacob Tremblay; and seventh-graders Jose Alicea, Christopher Beauchesne, Cody Cookson, Brendan Covey, Fitzpatrick, Stephen Maccini and Bryan Medeiros.

“These kids are great,” Roy said. “With the season we’re having, it’s amazing they’re always in a good mood, they have good attitudes and good behavior.”