New Coach, Same Bulldog Bite

The Bedford boys basketball team, in its final season playing in Division II, plowed through the playoffs last season only to fall to Portsmouth in the state finale.

This season, the Bulldogs, now playing in Division I, look to emulate the school's football squad, which reached the title tilt in Division-III and -II the last two years, respectfully.

Senior forward James Caparell, who quarterbacked the football team, looks to find similar success on the BHS hardwood. He joins classmate Samuel Thomas, the team's starting center, to captain this season's promising bunch.

The 2012 Bulldogs will be led by Mike Fitzpatrick, who found marked success as as coach at Manchester Central from 1991 through 2000, and more recently Nashua North and Manchester Memorial.

He hopes his intimate knowledge of the D-I landscape, combined with Bedford's undeniable talent, creates a recipe for success at the state's highest competitive level.

"If we improve each week throughout the season we will be as good as any team in Division I," said Fitzpatrick.

George Mokas joins Caparell and Thomas to create an imposing front court; and senior guard Sean Purcell leads a talented back court that includes juniors Taylor Grande, Cam Meservey and Jake Capistran to provide Bedford with a healthy balance to its attack.

Sophomore swingman Ryan Brown is also expected to play a pivotal role, as are junior guard Andrew Gilson, sophomore Tom O'Rourke and talented freshman forward Gardner Gendron.

The Bulldogs look to build off a season-opening 89-74 setback at Bishop Guertin, a perennial contender in Division I.

They'll shoot to even their record when they take a short trek to Merrimack this Thursday night, Dec. 20, to face a Tomahawks squad that finished the 2011-'12 season with a 12-6 record in D-I play.