CCL football: 3rd-generation Marist legacies Jake Fleming, Conor Fleming bring brotherhood to the gridiron

Whether it was at the Marist football field or in the front yard of their Mount Greenwood home, Jake Fleming did the throwing and his younger brother Conor Fleming was always there for the catch.Third-generation Marist students, Jake and Conor grew up around the football program and still recall their memories of sitting in the bleachers watching varsity games. Teammates since Conor was in fourth grade, the brothers looked up to former Marist standouts, including Dermot Smyth, Ryan Sims and Mike Donegan, who’re all playing collegiately.The brothers have been dear to Marist coach Mike Fitzgerald since his days working alongside their father Pat as assistant coaches on Pat Dunne’s staff. Conor even served as the team’s ball boy for six years until he arrived at Marist for the start of his freshman year. Pat Fleming, a 1998 graduate, is now Marist’s athletic director. Their grandfather Patrick was in the school’s inaugural graduating class.“The kids were always around,” said Fitzgerald, M