When Al Costabile made the difficult decision to leave Bishop Fenwick after the 1997 season to take over at Shawsheen, one of the few things that made the move easier was the fact that he had an assistant coach on the staff ready to take over.

Twenty-four years and 200 wins later, Costabile was right about David Woods.

Woods became the 58th coach in state history to reach that milestone Saturday afternoon when the Crusaders defeated Bishop Stang 39-7 to improve to 2-0. Less than 24 hours after the accomplishment, Woods reflected on the wins.

“To get 200 wins means you’ve been lucky to be at one place for so long and I’ve been lucky,” Woods said. “I’ve gotten great support from so many people and I’ve been lucky to have a lot of really good players.”

Costabile is thrilled to see his former assistant get his moment in the sun. He isn’t surprised in the least that Woods has been able to sustain a level of excellence at the school for nearly a quarter-century.

“I knew that David really had an abundance of qualities as a coach and a person – something I think it’s really important not to lose sight of,” said Costabile, who has 221 career wins to his credit. “There are a lot of facets to the game that David is good at but there is the personal side of it and that’s to have a positive effect on the kids’ lives and David has that.”

When Woods officially took the reins in 1998, he quickly realized that there is a difference in being the No. 2 man as opposed to the No. 1 guy. His attempts to change the offense was a struggle at first to say the least, something Woods can laugh about now.

“Al ran a stack I with two tight ends and I went to more of a pro-style offense,” Woods said. “We didn’t score a touchdown in the preseason and we didn’t score in the first half of our first game against Marblehead. At halftime, I’m thinking if we don’t score soon, they aren’t going to believe in this.

“We ended up scoring some points in the second half and wound up winning the game something like 20-7.”

To be that successful, it’s more than just players responsible for the run. Woods credits the men he worked for before becoming a head coach.

“I was very lucky to have been an assistant for three phenomenal coaches in Skip Bandini at Don Bosco, Tom Kasprzak at Reading and then Al here at Bishop Fenwick,” Woods said. “The one thing that Al did which always stuck in my mind was his ability to make everyone feel important. He would treat the last player on the team like they were a superstar.

“I’ve tried to do that here at Bishop Fenwick. I’m sure I don’t always succeed but I’ve always tried to treat every kid well and hope they have a good experience here.

O’Connor exonerated

Former Haverhill head football coach Tim O’Connor earned some long-awaited redemption last week when he was found not guilty of charges stemming from a hazing incident two years ago. O’Connor received the news Thursday afternoon in Haverhill District Court that his two-year ordeal was finally over.

O’Connor’s nightmare began in December of 2022 when he was charged with intimidation of a witness, failure to file a 51A (reporting alleged child abuse or neglect) and failure to report hazing. He was placed on administrative leave, was ordered to stay away from the school and has not been able to teach or coach since.

SWEET 16

1. Xaverian (2-0): There is no truth to the memory that Vincent Busa is still running.

2. St. John’s Prep (3-0): Held off a spirited challenge from nonleague rival Central Catholic.

3. Catholic Memorial (1-1): Knights won’t refuse a win any time, but would have rather gotten it on the playing field.

4. King Philip (3-0): The count is 16 straight wins with no immediate end in sight.

5. Needham (3-0): Different wins, different stars, same results.

6. Marshfield (2-1): Another challenge this week as Mansfield is on the docket.

7. Duxbury (3-0): Survived the rainy conditions and Hanover to remain unbeaten.

8. Scituate (3-0): Could this be the best team Herb Devine has had here?

9. BC High (2-0): Eagles get a crack at a struggling Everett squad.

10. Andover (2-0): Late rally boosts Golden Warriors past Chelmsford.

11. North Attleboro (3-0): Red Rocketeers handled previously unbeaten Taunton with relative ease.

12. Milford (2-1): Defense was the difference against Wellesley.

13. Methuen (1-1): Rangers back in business against Chelmsford.

14. Barnstable (3-0): Defense pitches a shutout against New Bedford.

15. Dartmouth (3-0): Had no trouble with Durfee, rolling to a 37-point win.

16. Weymouth (3-0): My man John Papas (co-host of The Rant podcast) says don’t sleep on the Wildcats so we won’t.