October 24, 2026

Pope Francis Cardinals take on Wahconah in first round of Western Mass

REGIONAL
By Josh Mitchell

(IObserve photo/credit Wendy Harrington, Pope Francis Preparatory School)

SPRINGFIELD — The number one seeded Pope Francis Preparatory School’s boys soccer team is gearing up for the Western Massachusetts Class B tournament Sunday, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. at the school on Wendover Road. They will play Wahconah Regional High School in the quarterfinal matchup. Head coach Mark Richards is in his 6th season with the team. He said this program has come a long way from when he started coaching. 

“In my first year we were in division 4. We played in the Churchill (division). We didn’t have nearly as many soccer players as we have today. I think most of our team were hockey players back then. Our team has certainly developed into more soccer players. We have about 15 kids who play club year-round. Just the talent level has definitely improved over the course of the six years,” Richards said. 

When speaking about what makes this team stand out above the other ones he has coached, he said that this team has been focused and determined even before the season started. This is especially true when it comes to veteran players of the roster. 

“This senior class has been especially locked in. I haven’t had an issue whatsoever with the leadership. We have so many leaders on this team. Whether it would be our captains or seniors, they were so ready for this season. I can remember as soon as our season ended last year, I was getting emails and texts about what we can do to improve leading up to this season. These guys were just totally engaged from the spring really,” Richards said. 

One of those players Richards speaks highly of is senior captain Braedan Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald has been a captain since the fall of 2025. He said his teammates have been ready to make an impact on the season from the very beginning. 

“It all starts preseason. During the summer, I feel like we, as a team, put on a lot more work than all these other teams. I never seem them practice, but ours are pretty intense. Especially leading it, I’m always pushing our guys. Especially during the summer, doing hills, sprints out here, and 7 am always doing running and also footwork, but fitness is where it starts,” Fitzgerald said. 

In their final game of the season, the Cardinals tied the West Springfield Terriers 0-0. But their record is 14-1-1.

“I honestly was expecting it to be good, but maybe not this good. I mean, definitely a big step up from last year. I think maybe we had 7 wins. This year I think we are 14-1-1. So, it’s a big accomplishment. Especially for this program,” Fitzgerald said. 

With the focus of the team shifting to the post season, both Fitzgerald and Richards believe the team needs to stay locked in on their next opponent, rather than the playoffs as a whole.

“Were just looking one game at a time. We can’t look too forward. We are all looking to win Western Mass and states. But, we gotta get to that first game first. We can’t be looking ahead too far,” Fitzgerald said. 

“We want to stick to our high standard. We don’t want to drop in form. We know that this time of year is tricky because it’s right before the post season. We’re kinda of excited for the post season. We could overlook some of these games. But with how the state rankings look now, we know how important every game is. So, we got to perform day in and day out to continue to have a high ranking in the state,” Richards said.