When CM coach John DiBiaso addresses his football team, he’s preaching to the choir

Team camaraderie has increased with linebackers Liam Conlon and Ibrahim Kaba, receivers Caleb Garrity and Isaiah Simmons, tight end Charlie Todd, and BC-bound seniors Marcelino Antunes Jr. and Mac Fitzgerald joining the chorus. CM coach John DiBiaso adds that Kennedy Jones, a 6-foot-4-inch freshman defensive lineman, sounds like Barry White.

“It’s not a stereotypical thing for a football player to do, but I don’t really care what others think about that,” said Fitzgerald, a ferocious 6-4, 275-pound defensive tackle.

“Going there with my teammates kind of put less weight on my shoulders when worrying about what people might think,” added Antunes Jr., a towering 6-8, 300-pound left tackle who sings bass.

Along with Flannery, several CM players are interning with A Shot For Life, a sports-based nonprofit that funds health and cancer research initiatives. The entire team plans to participate in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer fundraising walk in Boston on Saturday.

Last April, lineman Jack Holland (’25) and senior center Donovan Burke led the CM speech & debate club to a sixth straight state championship, with Burke earning an individual title.

“You don’t want people to think you’re just one thing,” said Flannery. “For me, it’s always been important to value things other than football. It’s important to have other parts of your identity, and being well-rounded.”

Catholic Memorial has a community service requirement for students and its community is often ready to help others. Last May, Fernandez and his family lost their Braintree home to a fire and were living in hotel rooms, or in their vehicle, before classmates Jaiden Johnson, Jackson Tucker, and Amar Skeete were able to house their classmate through the end of the school year.

Fernandez stayed with his sister in Florida last summer, his grandmother in Braintree last fall, and moved into a West Roxbury home with his mother in January. Off to a great start with two interceptions, including a pick-6, Fernandez credits the Lundy family and the CM staff for supporting his family during a tough time.

“The community gave us everything and it was a huge blessing, so I could focus on academics,” said Fernandez, who holds Division 1 offers from Merrimack and Stonehill. “Through all that adversity, I had to keep my head up. Being down isn’t in my character. I like to push people to go further and inspire others.”

Fernandez said it’s been great to see some of the younger players follow the lead of the seniors by joining the choir, which has effectively doubled this year to 30 students.

Friday night, the Knights (3-0) are at Brockton before opening league play in pursuit of a seventh Catholic Conference title under DiBiaso’s watch. The program has been incredibly successful since DiBiaso took over in 2018, going 68-8, but the veteran coach is equally proud of what his student-athletes have accomplished off the field.

“There are lots of success stories [at CM] and because it’s a small school, everybody knows each other, and they get support from different groups,” DiBiaso said. “We try to make the kids well-rounded. Most of these things aren’t required, but it’s encouraged, and it’s great to see the kids participate in all these activities.”