Just a few minutes into the game, a palpable feeling permeated throughout the Fenwick sideline and stands that the Friars could actually upset reigning Class 8A state champion Loyola. That belief was created when Fenwick senior quarterback Jacob Keller rolled out left buying himself just enough time to complete a 5-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Alec Polston which put the Friars up 7-0.
Cue Friar Nation bedlam.
However, unlike Fenwick’s previous wins against state champs Montini (6A) and Phillips (4A) this season, the seasoned and highly skilled Ramblers had more than enough in the tank to topple the Friars. In fact, after the Friars’ impressive first scoring drive, Loyola essentially controlled the action en route to a 52-21 victory in a Chicago Catholic League crossover game at Triton College.
“Loyola is a great team,” Fenwick coach Gene Nudo said. “We weren’t quite ready for prime time. We had a couple of mistakes and then we started making a few plays, but it is what it is.”
Despite the lopsided score, the Friars showed flashes of their talent which has powered them to a 4-1 start this fall and the thick of CCL Green contention.
After the Ramblers reeled off 17 unanswered points on their next three possessions, the Friars responded with an 8-play, 80-yard drive, capped off by Keller’s 5-yard TD toss to wide receiver Mike O’Laughlin to make the score 17-14 with 4:51 left in the second quarter.
Keller completed 14 of 27 passes for 209 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Loyola tallied two touchdowns in the final two minutes of the first half on an 11-yard run by senior running back Kyle Rock and senior quarterback Tommy Herion’s 12-yard pass to wide receiver Jack Martinus (6 catches, 50 yards) to seize a suddenly commanding 31-14 halftime lead.
“We didn’t do our keys, we didn’t handle our responsibilities,” Fenwick defensive lineman Adrian Nourse said. “Loyola is a good team but I don’t think they are all that. Our aggressiveness was a little bit down thinking, ‘Oh, this is Loyola.'”
Although Fenwick moved the ball well at times, turnovers proved costly.
Loyola defensive back Ryan Lin-Peistrup had two interceptions in the first half. The second pick was particularly timely, setting up Martinus’ TD.
“Loyola is a great team, fundamentally sound across the board,” Fenwick linebacker Marty Stein said. “A loss like this though isn’t the end of the world. It kind of puts us back in place and shows that we aren’t invincible.
“We are definitely going to come out hard in practice and watch film to get ready for Marmion.”
Loyola (5-0) added another score on Hamid Bullie’s 4-yard scamper into the end zone, extending the lead to 38-14 at 9:25 of the third quarter.
Keller-Polston combo scores twice
To the Friars’ credit, they stayed invested in the fight as evidenced by Keller’s second TD pass to Polston (6-yard reception). Keller connected on with Jack Henige on a successful pass to convert a two-point conversion, making the score 38-22 with 2:39 left in the third quarter.
With Keller, running back Conner Lillig and wide receivers Jack Henige, Sherman Martin, O’Laughlin and Polston, Fenwick has options galore offensively. Lillig rushed 12 times for 58 yards and caught two passes for 49 yards, while Martin (4 catches, 91 yards) and O’Laughlin (4 catches, 37 yards) also played well against Loyola.
Defensively, Lorente Blakeney led the Friars with eight tackles, followed by senior defensive end Ellis Taylor (7 tackles) and senior defensive back Ryan Chapman (6.5 tackles)
“I think our offense is stacked,” Chapman said. “You’ve got Jacob at quarterback and then (running back) Conner is really fast plus a great receiving corps. We have a lot of weapons and we showed tonight that we can move the ball.
“Defensively, we played a lot of zone with some man-to-man mixed in tonight. I don’t think Loyola was as physical or fast as Phillips, but they are so fundamentally sound. That’s why they win.”
Duke-bound tight end Jake Marweade (5 catches, 80 yards) and Rock each scored on TD runs in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring at 52-21 as Loyola won its 22nd game in a row.
Herion turned in an incredibly efficient performance under center, completing 20 of 24 passes for 239 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Rock (12 carries, 97 yards, 3 TDs) and Bullie (13 carries, 92 yards, TD) led Loyola in rushing. Wide receiver David Terrell, the son of former Chicago Bears player David Terrell, had six receptions for 92 yards.
After surviving stiff tests against Maine South and Mount Carmel earlier this season, the Ramblers rolled into River Grove ready to go.
“We knew Fenwick was going to be a tough team so we really prepared for this game,” Loyola senior linebacker Graham Repp said. “We practiced even a little bit longer than usual and got a lot of reps in this week. We gave up a couple of big plays, but then we came back, played more physically and did better.
“Defensively, we just tried to keep Keller in the pocket because he’s a very athletic quarterback. Fenwick is an up-and-coming team and has improved a lot since we played them last year.”
Fenwick takes on host Marmion Friday, Sept. 30. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. in Aurora.
“Tonight doesn’t really change anything,” Nudo said after the Loyola loss. “Our No. 1 goal is to win conference so Marmion will be a big game for us. We got a little dinged up so hopefully we get our guys healthy and back to action.”
