“Fight Fenwick, fight to the end; fight Friars, fight till we win …”
That is how the second stanza of Fenwick’s school song begins. After falling behind by 18 points at Montini in the third quarter of a Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Conference White Division football game, Sept. 19, the Friars did indeed rally and fought until the very end.
However, the heroic effort came up short as Fenwick failed to convert a two-point conversion at the end of regulation time. Instead of going into overtime with all the momentum, the Friars were left with a tough 31-29 defeat.
“We weren’t mentally prepared, being that it was our first time facing adversity,” said Fenwick senior co-captain Tommy Thies. “We just turned it on too late. We’ve got a better job of facing adversity and having a ‘next play’ mindset.”
On fourth and six from the Fenwick 20, midway through the first quarter, Noah Sur executed a successful fake punt, running for eight yards and a first down. On the next play, Jamen Williams (23-of-40, 333 yards, 3 TD, INT) hit Raphiel Stewart (three receptions, 101 yards) in stride for a 72-yard touchdown that gave Fenwick (3-1, 0-1 in CCL/ESCC White) a 7-0 lead. But Montini (4-0, 1-0) countered with a three-yard touchdown run from Isaac Alexander (13 carries, 65 yards).
Things still looked good when Sur booted a 36-yard field goal with 3:39 left in the half to give the Friars a 10-7 lead. But disaster struck with 11.7 seconds remaining as Montini’s Payton Nelson intercepted Williams at the Fenwick 32 and turned it into a pick-six, giving the Broncos a 14-10 halftime lead.
“That’s the difference in the game right there,” Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia said.
Twice in the third quarter, Fenwick went for it on fourth down just past midfield but failed to convert on either, and Montini took advantage of its gifted field position both times.
Montini quarterback Israel Abrams connected with Damacio Ortegon for a 57-yard score at the 5:26 mark of the third quarter. After the Broncos’ defense stopped the Friars again on downs, Abrams hooked up with Nico Castaldo for a 28-yard touchdown and a 28-10 lead.
“Montini’s a well-coached team and they were definitely ready for us,” Thies said. “They had a good game plan and took advantage of some of our weaknesses. We’ve got to do a better job on defense, and offensively we’ve got to establish the run.”
But Fenwick went on a three-play drive that took just 33 seconds to get back into the game. Jimmy Watts (six receptions, 139 yards) grabbed a 32-yard reception. Stewart followed with a 14-yard catch, and Williams hit Will Tomczak for a 29-yard score. The two-point conversion run failed, but the Friars cut their deficit to 28-16 after three quarters.
Things again looked break after Johnny Louise’s 41-yard field goal with 8:40 left in regulation gave Montini a 31-16 lead. But the Friars refused to yield and marched 70 yards on seven plays, with Jake Thies’ 4-yard touchdown run making the score 31-23 with 5:41 to go.
Fenwick’s defense stiffened on Montini’s next drive, posting three consecutive negative plays. Odin Ferjak dropped Johnny Neustadt for a two-yard loss on first down, then Tommy Thies and Liam Cahill notched back-to-back sacks. Following a punt, the Friars had the ball back on the Montini 44 with 2:49 left.
Williams patiently drove Fenwick downfield, and on the final play of regulation, he found Mike Murphy for a 5-yard touchdown. The Friars needed two points to tie the game and force overtime. From the Montini 3-yard line, Williams dropped back and saw Stewart breaking open in the middle of the end zone. But the pass sailed through Stewart’s hands, ending the contest.
“The game’s not on Raphiel, it’s on the whole team,” Tommy Thies said. “Football’s a team sport and there are a lot of things that went into us losing that game.”
“We have not even come close to playing our best football,” Battaglia said, “so if we learn from this and play our best, it’s worth it.”
Fenwick visits De La Salle, Sept. 26, at 7:30 p.m.