The Bishop Hendricken football team split its two out-of-state contests to start the season 1-1. The Hawks fell to Monsignor Farrell of Staten Island, New York in a 31-27 decision, but would turn around and beat Londonderry, New Hampshire 40-20 the following week at home.

The Hawks held a 20-10 lead over Monsignor Farrell early in the fourth quarter, but would fall victim to a late push to see the lead slip away in the final minutes.

The Hawks, however, would wrap up a comeback win of their own against Londonderry, when they fell behind 14-0 early but went on to roll the rest of the way to get the win.

“I’m glad things played out the way they did in that we lost the first game but were able to come back and win the second. It’s a learning process, and they learned how to finish a game,” said Hendricken head coach Keith Croft.

After a summer-long quarterback battle, junior Jayden Falcone emerged as the winner and shined in each game, including passing and rushing for scores against Monsignor Farrell. Returning running back Oscar Weah has also impressed early, picking up rushing touchdowns as well.

“That group is starting to come together and we have settled in on our positions, Jayden has definitely settled in as quarterback and has looked really good. He put in a lot of work in the off-season and I have seen a lot of progress in the last four or five weeks, he is a true dual threat quarterback. Oscar looks really good, as does Ronjai (Francis). Our offensive line has been very consistent which we are going to need, too,” Kroft said.

The Hawks have played a handful of out-of-state teams the past two seasons, and the coaching staff plans to continue the tradition as it feels that it helps strengthen the program each time out.

“The preparation for playing these out-of-state teams is different, but that is why I think it is good for us to play them because it puts us all in uncomfortable positions,” Kroft said. “You have to be able to think on your feet and adapt on the fly. That is why these games have been very important for us and the quality of play has been really good.”

Hendricken will now flip the page and get ready for its league competition, and has a big matchup this Friday night when it travels to take on Division I contender North Kingstown on the road. Kroft is looking forward to seeing how his team handles its first divisional contest of the fall.

“This is like a playoff game this week. North Kingstown has given us a lot of problems the last few years and is one of the best teams in the state,” said Kroft. “Our guys have to be locked in. You want to make a statement early on in the season.”