While most of the off-season talk about the Fenwick High School football team centered on who will lead the offense, it is the defense that will be the Friars’ strength this season.
With seven starters and several other experienced veterans returning on that side of the ball, Fenwick figures to be tough to score on. Considering how inexperienced the offense is, a stonewalling defense will be a necessity.
“There are ingredients for us to be successful,” Fenwick coach Gene Nudo said. “We’re going to lean heavily on our defense out of the gates. We’re not big but we’ve got guys that can fly around.”
Three starters return on the defensive line, as senior defensive ends Harry Bell and Justin Rodriguez return along with two-year starter and 2013 all-conference pick Chris Hawthorne at defensive tackle. Look for Brett Moorman, a 6-2, 210-pound sophomore, to contribute on the line or at linebacker.
Inside linebackers Michael Krecek and Scott Stibich are back, while Connecticut commit Aaron Garland and fellow senior Patrick Honan anchor the secondary, which also includes safety Mike Cahill, who will do the kicking and punting.
The picture is not as clear across the line of scrimmage, where the Friars have to replace most of their skill players, chief among them quarterback Gino Cavalieri, now playing baseball at Illinois Wesleyan.
But Fenwick does have four quarterbacks who all got substantial reps during the summer, including a pair of transfers in seniors Jack Beneventi and junior Gavin Graves. The 6-6 Beneventi, an Iowa commit, was a two-year starter at Benet, where he led the Redwings to the Class 7A state semifinals two years ago, while Graves was a two-year starter at Mundelein.
The addition of Beneventi has led many pundits to speculate that Fenwick will use more of a pro-style passing attack, but Nudo said that isn’t so.
“We’re more of a blended team that many people think we are,” Nudo said. “Gino Cavalieri threw 45 touchdown passes the last two seasons and last year we averaged 22 passes a game. Outside of blowout games when we’re just running out the clock, I’d say our split is 55-45.”
Regardless of what plays are called, Nudo has confidence in Beneventi.
“I like everything I see about him,” Nudo said. “Jack has grasped the offense very well and showed a lot of leadership.
“He’s fit in with our guys, which is always a concern when you get someone new coming in. He’s embraced our program and our kids have embraced him. Everything will work out.”
After a great sophomore season, Beneventi regressed last season as Benet lost its top running back to injury and didn’t have the strong receiving corps it did in 2012. Nudo thinks neither will be a problem for the Friars.
Running back Pat Donahue had a great summer and Josh McGee and Will Lattner will get a lot of touches. Wide receivers Joe Buzinski, Franklin Taylor, John Showel, and possibly Garland present inviting targets for Beneventi.
“I think these guys will carry the load at tailback,” Nudo said. “We’re also blessed with some rangy receivers.”
The offensive line is still up for grabs, though the Friars do have a future prospect in 6-0, 240-pound sophomore Joe Calcagno, who is a nationally ranked long snapper.
The Friars have won conference titles in each of Nudo’s first two seasons, going 10-3 last season and reaching the second round of the 7A playoffs. But continued success will be anything but easy thanks to a killer schedule.
The new Catholic League Green Division consists of Fenwick, Montini, St. Francis, Marmion and De La Salle, all of whom made the playoffs last year.
Montini, a five-time state champion, won four straight 5A state titles from 2009-12 and was second last season, while St. Francis won the 5A title in 2008 and Marmion was runner-up in 6A in 2010. De La Salle was a state semifinalist in 1993. Fenwick has one state semifinal appearance, an overtime loss to Maine South in 1995.
The non-conference schedule includes dates with Loyola, the 1993 state champ and 8A runner-up in 2011 and 2013, and Carmel which won a state championship in 2003 and made 12 straight playoff appearances before missing out the past two years. Dallas Bishop Lynch, which Fenwick edged on the road last year, visits for the Sept. 6 home opener.
Even so, Nudo said the Friars have lofty goals that include winning another conference crown.
“[The recent success] has come with a lot of hard work from a lot of different people,” Nudo said. “Nothing came easy. We’ve put a lot of hard work in this summer. We’ve made a lot of progress so we’re excited.
“Like anything else, you’ve got to work hard, avoid injuries and maybe be a little lucky and if all those things happen, we should be fine.”