By Ray Hamill — Robert Sirrine is embracing a new role with his team this year, and so far so good for the St. Bernard’s senior.
Sirrine was instrumental in the Crusaders’ season-opening victory over St. Vincent de Paul over the weekend, in a game that was sloppy to say the least and a St. Bernard’s performance that left much to be desired.
But despite their flaws and six team turnovers, the Crusaders somehow found a way to win, edging the perennial North Coast Section contenders 21-20 in thrilling fashion after rallying from a late deficit with a touchdown and two-point conversion in the dying seconds.
The good news for the Crusaders is that they appear to have the talent and aptitude to make the necessary improvements, and they certainly appear to have the team leaders to hold their younger teammates accountable.
“We struggled a lot on offense, but I think our defense held together really well, especially for the amount of time we were on the field,” Sirrine said.
The senior standout was instrumental in the win and looks set for a big season at middle linebacker.
The team leader set the tone for his teammates in the face of adversity, both with his play and words.
He finished with a game-high 14 tackles, including 12 solo, as well as four tackles for a loss, a sack and a forced fumble.
“Robert Sirrine was the reason we won that game,” St. Bernard’s head coach Matt Tomlin said. “It seemed like every time we needed a stop he was the guy who made the play. He played above and beyond.”
Sirrine was far from the only standout on defense, but he was the biggest difference maker.
It’s a new role for the senior in his final season of high school ball, but it’s one he’s embracing.
“I want to be the captain of the defense,” he said. “As a middle linebacker, that’s kind of your job.
“It’s my senior year and it means more to me this year, and I would love to take on more of a leadership role.”
So far so good.
Sirrine also believes the Crusaders will learn from their mistakes and benefit from the tough early-season challenges, which also include another tough game against Division-1 Heritage (2-0) this weekend.
Tomlin deliberately scheduled tough opponents to start the season, believing that his players will benefit from that competition when league play rolls around.
And Sirrine echoed that sentiment.
“I think it was probably a good morale boost for our team,” the senior linebacker said of the win. “St. Vincent, they’re really well-coached, and I was glad we got to play a team like that.”
Sirrine also likes a lot of what he’s seeing from his teammates and believes the Crusaders are well positioned to challenge the best teams in the H-DNL this fall.
In particular, the collective attitude of the players has impressed him, and the fact that none of his teammates were getting down on each other despite the opening-game struggles.
“This year’s team, I think we have a really good sense of brotherhood,” he said. “We’re really together.”
He also is expecting a battle against Heritage, a school that is 12 times the size of St. Bernard’s and is coming off a pair of big wins over two D-1 schools, James Logan (30-10) and Castro Valley (33-13).
“It’s going to be pretty tough. They’re a really big school,” he said. “We’re going to have to contain their edge and beat their speed, and if we do that I think we’ll have a chance in this game.”
Saturday’s game at Crusader Field is set for 2 p.m.
