It’s not difficult to find a Bedford influence on the Trinity High School football team.  On offense, on defense and on special teams, Connor Lyons is a leading Pioneer.  The senior running back, defensive back and place kicker from Bedford hopes to find his team back in the postseason.

In 2008, Trinity reached the Division V semifinals.

“He’s an incredible athlete,” said Trinity head coach Gary Leonard, also a Bedford resident. “He does everything so well, and when he’s on the field there’s so much attention on him that it makes our other skill players that much better.”

And Leonard said his star athlete can kick field goals as long as 50 yards, though Lyons hasn’t needed to yet.

During last year’s regular season contest with St. Thomas, Lyons kicked a short field goal in overtime to defeat the team that eventually knocked Trinity from the playoffs.

Colin Bouchard is the other Bedford resident likely to start for Trinity; he’ll block for Lyons from his offensive line spot and play on the defensive line as well.

Bouchard, just a freshman, brings size to the line of scrimmage at 5-foot-11 and 255 pounds. Leonard said Bouchard and the rest of the offensive line are critical members of the team, though they receive little glory.

“Our skill people have lots of speed, but we have to get them into the open field,” said Leonard. “Once our backs are sprung free, they’re as good as any back in any division, but we need the line to get them there.”

Three other Bedford residents earned spots on the team. Nick Harrington, Joe Pratte and Dan Pratte hope to make their way onto the field as the season progresses.

The Pioneers have a difficult start to the 2009 campaign, taking on perennial D-V heavyweights St. Thomas, Bishop Brady and Pelham in the first three games of the season.

“We’re considered a top team, which is great,” said Leonard. “We need to prove it in these games.”

After losing to St. Thomas in the playoffs last year, Leonard said his squad is ready to finish what it started. “We had beaten them two weeks before, so that was a bitter pill for us to swallow,” said Leonard, in his first year as head coach. “We want to get the job done this time around.”