Fenwick senior wide receiver Michael O’Laughlin caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Danny Cronin to pull the Friars within 14-7 of host Loyola with 8:30 left in the second quarter of Saturday’s Chicago Catholic League crossover.
But, the Ramblers dominated the action the rest of the way, outscoring Fenwick by 27 points to notch a 41-14 victory on Sept. 22 in Wilmette.
Last season, Loyola rocked Fenwick 52-21 en route to a 13-1 record and Class 8A state finals appearance.
This time against Loyola, the West Virginia-bound O’Laughlin had the Friars’ best performance offensively with eight catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns. The team’s other top playmakers, Cronin (10-for-20, 144 yards, 3 interceptions, 2 touchdowns) and senior running back Jason Ivery (8 carries, 43 yards) were held in check. Fenwick rushed for 56 yards on 18 carries.
Loyola quarterback Quinn Boyle completed 20 of 29 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns and ran 17 times for 115 yards. His dual threat effectiveness coupled with senior running back Hamid Bullie (16 carries, 62 yards, 2 TDs) caused Fenwick problems.
John Lynch had two interceptions for the Ramblers.
Defensively for Fenwick, sophomore defensive lineman Jacob Kaminski had 7.5 tackles and Lorenzano Blakeney (4 tackles, interception) played well. Solomon Singleton (team-high 9.5 tackles), Joe Rafferty (8.5 tackles), Michael Leopold (8 tackles, 2 pass deflects) and Max Forst (6.5 tackles) also contributed for the Friars.
Fenwick hosts Marmion on Friday, Sept. 29. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Triton College in River Grove.