Bishop Eustace senior rallying team on, off field

By Mark Zimmaro

Correspondent

A long ride to school can pass by pretty quickly with the right company.

Bishop Eustace Preparatory School senior Mekhi Simmons has a daily half-hour commute to his school in Pennsauken. It can be longer if there’s a snag in traffic.

But that’s OK. It allows another few minutes to enjoy some quality time with his grandmother, who drives him to school.

“She’s one of my biggest supporters,” said Simmons, who is a four-year starter on the Crusaders’ football team. “You’ll hear her in the stands. She’s loud.”

Simmons’ fan club has been growing strong since he burst onto the scene as the Crusaders’ leading rusher during his freshman year. He followed up with a breakout sophomore campaign with more than 1,400 yards and five touchdowns. Last season, he contributed 650 yards and eight touchdowns in just six games. But football is just one of the conversations on the morning commute. 

“We talk about school, sports, life. I enjoy it,” he said.

Simmons holds a 3.42 grade point average in the classroom and is also a key member of the Crusaders’ track and field team, running the 100- and 200-meter dash. Mekhi had the 12th-fastest time in both events at the Non-Public B State championships in June. But football is his passion, and Simmons is looking forward to a big senior year.

“He’s had an excellent three years since starting as a freshman,” said first-year coach Sal Racobaldo. “What I can tell you is he works his tail off in practice. He sets the whole tone for the team. He’s more of a silent leader. You’re not going to hear him much. But when he says something, everyone listens.

“He’s going to land somewhere in college, we’re just trying to figure that all out right now.”

Helping figure out Simmons’ future is just one of the major boxes to check this season for Racobaldo. The 1990 Eustace graduate is taking over a program that went 4-4 last season, but two of those losses were by forfeit after the Crusaders couldn’t safely field a team for a couple of weeks due to injuries affecting an already small roster. Racobaldo shows a lot of pride from behind the clipboard, as he was a former star athlete at Eustace and is in the Crusaders’ Hall of Fame for both football and baseball.

“We focused on the guys who were already here,” Racobaldo said. “We put them through a rigid summer program, and we found some positive reinforcement behind it. The players are telling their friends, and the numbers started increasing. We’re up to about 30, but now we have a scout team and the excitement is back.”

Part of that is thanks to Simmons.

“I get to motivate my younger classmates and get them ready for the years to come,” Simmons said. “I think with Coach Sal, we’ll be in good hands. More people are coming out for the team. I think that’s good for us. We started with 28 people this year. Maybe in the next few years, there will be 50. That would be great for the program.”

Simmons is making sure the Crusaders on the current team are doing their part to help build a program that has won six sectional championships in the past, but hasn’t seen a winning season since 2017.

“During our preseason camp, we’ve been working and hustling and implementing our new stuff,” Simmons said. “I think we’re ready for this year. We’re excited, and I think we can have a good season if we keep the consistency up.”

Bishop Eustace has a chance to start off strong, as its first four opponents (Palmyra, Lindenwold, Mastery and Buena) went a combined 5-31 last season. Simmons believes Eustace could do something special throughout the season.

“I think we can go undefeated,” Simmons said. “I just need the rest of the team to believe it.”