Unfinished business is not a term usually associated with a season that is by far one of the most successful of any program in recent area history.
The frustration in the voices of the Father Judge players and coaches is not the kind usually heard from a team that made it to a state final the year before - and didn't lose.
But the effects of the epic and historic scoreless tie against Central Dauphin, the PIAA Class AAA state cochampion, are lingering.
The bad taste - the awkward feeling of that final game on Nov. 21, 2009 - is still there.
And the Crusaders enter this season determined to make it go away.
"It was just terrible the way we ended last season, with a tie," senior forward Kevin Bushbeck said. "The team, the parents, the alumni, everyone, we all feel the same way - there definitely is unfinished business."
Five Crusaders were named all-Catholic League selections in 2009. But Bushbeck is the only one returning this season.
That number is telling. And it represents the biggest obstacle standing between Judge and a chance to redeem itself this November in Hershey.
Though the Crusaders field 14 seniors this season, many of them did not see regular game action last year.
For all intents and purposes, Judge coach John Dunlop sees his squad as one trying to find itself. Dunlop is looking for Bushbeck and senior defender Derek Ross to supply leadership on a team filled with new starters.
"To go from the bench to a starter is not easy, but the good thing is that all of these kids know the system," Dunlop said. "I'm not asking them to fill anyone's shoes. I'm just asking them to be themselves and know their role.
"Everybody is going to have to pitch in on this team."
Unlike last year's squad, superstars are few and far between for Judge. Instead, Dunlop points to the team's bench as being crucial to its success.
"We could go probably 20 guys across the board with the play staying the same," he said.
That depth is most apparent on the team's defense, where Ross leads a corps that includes two transfers from North Catholic, which closed its doors after last school year.
Two North Catholic products, sophomore back Kevin Lockhart and sophomore midfielder Justin Hiltwine, began the season as starters for the Crusaders.
"I'm trying to make sure that we pick up right where we left off last year," Ross said. "But I'm also trying to make sure that the younger guys and the new guys come around, too.
"They're always practicing with us, and I think it's going really well so far. We're going to need them this year."
It's a new look for Father Judge this season, but the goals have stayed the same and so has the attitude - recent success notwithstanding.
"We're basically saying it's not finished. We have unfinished business to take care of this year," Dunlop said. "The guys who return this season are going to get the opportunity to produce, and hopefully we can finish what we started last season."
