At Judge, a feather in Condron's cap

Passing along some city high school football tidbits . . . 

In an era when teams often appoint four, five, even SIX captains, Eric Condron is Father Judge's one and only.

After a practice during training camp, Condron, a 6-1, 245-pound center and defensive tackle, said he was called aside by coach Tommy Coyle and told he'd be "one of the captains."

He continued. "Then, for our first game [with Northeast], he sent me out for the coin toss and I didn't see anybody walking out with me. I thought, 'This is pretty cool. I'm the only one.' We seem to be getting all the same refs. They recognize me now."

Coyle said he and his assistants unanimously voted to honor only Condron "because he's the guy who gets things done. Through the years, I guess we've had anywhere from two to five captains. This year Eric's head and shoulders above the rest."

Surprisingly, Condron is not exactly Mr. High-Volume Chatterbox.

"I don't really say much," he noted. "I lead more with how I do things on the field. When I do talk to the guys, it's just as teammates. Mostly just, 'You're playing good. Keep it going.' "

Right before the game, the Crusaders gather for a chanting session that helps them get hyped.

"I always say the first few words, then the guys repeat after me," Condron said. "Tim Mills does the last part, when everybody's going crazy and screaming."

As Condron knows, he could soon have company.

"I'd like to see somebody join me," he said. "I mean, I like the honor of being the only captain, and my parents think it's cool, too, but this [arrangement] is really surprising me. Guys like Raul [Quinones] and Matt Smalley are having good seasons . . . And we have a few more guys who'd be eligible for a captain's role."

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