Hafley Announces Team Captains for 2020 Season
Andy Backstrom
Staff Writer
When Jeff Hafley went on ACC Network’s morning show, Packer and Durham, on Aug. 18, he shared a story from training camp—a brief anecdote that encapsulates what Hafley believes it means to “sacrifice for one another.”
“I had everybody look at the seniors and said, ‘If you don’t want to be here, I’m good with you. Honestly, you’ll still have your scholarship, let’s come back when everything gets better. But if you want to be here, let’s do this right, and let’s do this for each other,’” Hafley said.
The team listened. It’s followed COVID-19 protocol to near perfection. And after Labor Day Weekend, the players rewarded its veterans with a more concrete honor, casting their team captain ballots. Hafley announced the results on Wednesday morning, revealing the team’s leaders for the 2020 season: Zion Johnson, Ben Petrula, Travis Levy, Marcus Valdez, and Max Richardson.
All five are are first-time captains and going into at least their fourth year of their respective collegiate careers.
“Through COVID-19 and everything else, the leadership had to come from the team, or else it wouldn’t have worked,” Hafley said after Wednesday’s practice, per BC Athletics. “We wouldn’t be where we are right now. And I think these five guys have probably been some of the biggest ones to get it done.”
Senior offensive linemen Johnson and Petrula were both named to the All-ACC Preseason Team last week.
Even though Johnson only started seven games last season, he played 90% of the snaps at left guard, earning ACC Offensive Linemen of the Week on three separate occasions. The Bowie, Md. native came over from Davidson in 2019, where he made 19 starts on the O-Line while playing under two different head coaches. He’s arguably BC’s best O-Lineman and, in less than two years, he’s carved out a leadership role within the program.
“It’s awesome,” Johnson said. “I feel great that my teammates respect me that much, and that’s just going to make me want to work harder for them. I’m ready to ride this year. I’m ready for us to go out and give our all and fight for BC.”
Unlike Johnson, Petrula has been a mainstay in the Eagles’ trenches the past three seasons. In that span, the versatile Freehold, N.J. native has started 37 games. He kicked off his BC career by filling in for then-starting center Jon Baker in Week 2 of the 2017 season, despite having never played the position before. He held down the fort in the middle of BC’s line the rest of the year before switching over to right tackle in 2018. Petrula even played some guard in training camp this summer. The 6-foot-5, 315-pounder only allowed one sack at RT last year.
Levy never hesitates to praise the big men up front, but on Wednesday, he, too, was recognized by his teammates. The scat back/return man is heading into his fourth year at BC. He has appeared in 38 career games, however, he did his most damage as a sophomore, when he scored two critical touchdowns at Virginia Tech and finished the year with 375 scrimmage yards. In 2019, he was primarily used as a returner. He made the most of his touches, accounting for 1,059 all-purpose yards, the second-most on the team.
“It’s truly a blessing,” Levy said of being named co-captain. “I’ve really gotta thank all of my teammates for believing in me to lead this team. But it’s a collective effort, and we’re going to just keep pushing. I just love my guys, and I appreciate my brothers for this opportunity.”
On the other side of the ball, Valdez is a player that generated a good bit of buzz in training camp. Shedding seven pounds this offseason, the redshirt junior is expected to bring some speed off the edge. The defensive end rounded out the 2019 campaign with 26 total tackles, including 7.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble.
Richardson is the undisputed leader of the Eagles’ defense, though—on and off the field. He led BC in practically every statistical category last season. The Duluth, Ga. native racked up 72 solo tackles, tied for the eighth-most in the country, en route to earning All-ACC Second-Team honors. Richardson posted 14.5 TFLs and 3.5 sacks, both good for tops on the team.
The veteran linebacker came back to Chestnut Hill for a fifth year instead of declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft. Now more than ever before, Richardson has been a prominent voice in the locker room, stimulating discussions about COVID-19, the upcoming presidential election, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Hafley credits his staff for helping him pull everything together. But he knows that this season, which hinges on self-discipline, wouldn’t have been doable without the student-athletes.
“We wouldn’t be able to get through this, we wouldn’t have had all the negative tests, we wouldn’t have gotten through the difficult times without the leadership of the players,” Hafley said.
Andy Backstrom
Staff Writer
When Jeff Hafley went on ACC Network’s morning show, Packer and Durham, on Aug. 18, he shared a story from training camp—a brief anecdote that encapsulates what Hafley believes it means to “sacrifice for one another.”
“I had everybody look at the seniors and said, ‘If you don’t want to be here, I’m good with you. Honestly, you’ll still have your scholarship, let’s come back when everything gets better. But if you want to be here, let’s do this right, and let’s do this for each other,’” Hafley said.
The team listened. It’s followed COVID-19 protocol to near perfection. And after Labor Day Weekend, the players rewarded its veterans with a more concrete honor, casting their team captain ballots. Hafley announced the results on Wednesday morning, revealing the team’s leaders for the 2020 season: Zion Johnson, Ben Petrula, Travis Levy, Marcus Valdez, and Max Richardson.
All five are are first-time captains and going into at least their fourth year of their respective collegiate careers.
“Through COVID-19 and everything else, the leadership had to come from the team, or else it wouldn’t have worked,” Hafley said after Wednesday’s practice, per BC Athletics. “We wouldn’t be where we are right now. And I think these five guys have probably been some of the biggest ones to get it done.”
Senior offensive linemen Johnson and Petrula were both named to the All-ACC Preseason Team last week.
Even though Johnson only started seven games last season, he played 90% of the snaps at left guard, earning ACC Offensive Linemen of the Week on three separate occasions. The Bowie, Md. native came over from Davidson in 2019, where he made 19 starts on the O-Line while playing under two different head coaches. He’s arguably BC’s best O-Lineman and, in less than two years, he’s carved out a leadership role within the program.
“It’s awesome,” Johnson said. “I feel great that my teammates respect me that much, and that’s just going to make me want to work harder for them. I’m ready to ride this year. I’m ready for us to go out and give our all and fight for BC.”
Unlike Johnson, Petrula has been a mainstay in the Eagles’ trenches the past three seasons. In that span, the versatile Freehold, N.J. native has started 37 games. He kicked off his BC career by filling in for then-starting center Jon Baker in Week 2 of the 2017 season, despite having never played the position before. He held down the fort in the middle of BC’s line the rest of the year before switching over to right tackle in 2018. Petrula even played some guard in training camp this summer. The 6-foot-5, 315-pounder only allowed one sack at RT last year.
Levy never hesitates to praise the big men up front, but on Wednesday, he, too, was recognized by his teammates. The scat back/return man is heading into his fourth year at BC. He has appeared in 38 career games, however, he did his most damage as a sophomore, when he scored two critical touchdowns at Virginia Tech and finished the year with 375 scrimmage yards. In 2019, he was primarily used as a returner. He made the most of his touches, accounting for 1,059 all-purpose yards, the second-most on the team.
“It’s truly a blessing,” Levy said of being named co-captain. “I’ve really gotta thank all of my teammates for believing in me to lead this team. But it’s a collective effort, and we’re going to just keep pushing. I just love my guys, and I appreciate my brothers for this opportunity.”
On the other side of the ball, Valdez is a player that generated a good bit of buzz in training camp. Shedding seven pounds this offseason, the redshirt junior is expected to bring some speed off the edge. The defensive end rounded out the 2019 campaign with 26 total tackles, including 7.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble.
Richardson is the undisputed leader of the Eagles’ defense, though—on and off the field. He led BC in practically every statistical category last season. The Duluth, Ga. native racked up 72 solo tackles, tied for the eighth-most in the country, en route to earning All-ACC Second-Team honors. Richardson posted 14.5 TFLs and 3.5 sacks, both good for tops on the team.
The veteran linebacker came back to Chestnut Hill for a fifth year instead of declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft. Now more than ever before, Richardson has been a prominent voice in the locker room, stimulating discussions about COVID-19, the upcoming presidential election, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Hafley credits his staff for helping him pull everything together. But he knows that this season, which hinges on self-discipline, wouldn’t have been doable without the student-athletes.
“We wouldn’t be able to get through this, we wouldn’t have had all the negative tests, we wouldn’t have gotten through the difficult times without the leadership of the players,” Hafley said.
