Fenwick offense comes alive in 24-13 win over Niles Notre Dame

RIVER GROVE — Marek Hill relied on his short-term memory to change the tide of Fenwick’s game against Niles Notre Dame on Friday.

The Friars couldn’t build any momentum offensively on their first four drives, only building frustration. But once Fenwick started playing mistake-free football, the offense started playing to its full potential, leading to a 24-13 win.

“I’m really proud of the guys, the way they fought back and some really horrible throws by me,” Hill said. “They did their job and that’s what happens when we do our jobs on this offense: create points.”

Fenwick (4-1) kept getting in its own way as it tried to build drives early. The Friars failed on fourth down on two drives and fumbled the ball away with 6:53 left in the second quarter. Once the defense ended the Dons’ drive, Fenwick and Hill started throwing the ball the way they wanted.

The Friars only needed three plays to go 85 yards, scoring on a 40-yard pass from Hill to Emmett Romeus with 3:35 left in the second quarter to take a 7-6 lead. On the next drive starting from its own 16, Fenwick moved the ball upfield, ultimately scoring on a thee-yard pass from Hill to a leaping Nathaniel Marshall who came in on offense to make the catch against two defenders to give Fenwick a 14-6 lead with 16 seconds left in the second quarter.

“Clear it, flush it,” Hill said of his start. “I’ve got plenty of time left, we’ve got plenty of time. With the guys that I’ve got, they’re going to make stuff happen on one play, really two plays. We can score pretty easily.”

Fenwick kept it going with a 41-yard touchdown pass to TJ Smith to make it a 24-6 lead with 5:34 left in the third quarter.

Hill completed 26 of his 40 pass attempts for 323 yards. Romeus finished the day with 130 receiving yards while Avion Brown added 42.

“I’m really proud of the guys, the way they fought back and some really horrible throws by me. They did their job and that’s what happens when we do our jobs on this offense: create points.”

—  Marek Hill, Fenwick quarterback

The offense could had time to figure things out after another impressive showing for the Friars defense. Led by Marshall on the defensive line, Fenwick continuously applied pressure and didn’t let the Dons build any offensive momentum.

“It’s just one part of 11,” Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia said. “It’s a puzzle piece and they’re all doing their job. When all 11 are doing their job, it’s really special that group.”

Niles Notre Dame (2-3) took a 6-0 lead when Leo Fraterrigo founds Evan Diblich for a 2-yard pass with 2:27 left in the first quarter. Fraterrigo completed a nine-yard touchdown pass to Brendan Fletcher during the final seconds of the game. He completed 19 of his 29 attempts for 120 yards.

Despite the touchdowns, missed opportunities throughout the game hurt Niles Notre Dame.

“We didn’t score when we needed to score,” Niles Notre Dame coach Mike Hennessey said. “We had some opportunities to do something in the second half, even in the first half. You have to put points on the board.”

The Dons will play St. Ignatius on Friday while the Friars will play neighborhood rival Nazareth.

Although some might not be impressed with the Roadrunners 1-4 record, the Friars know how good Nazareth is and how tough of a fight Friday will be.

“It’s going to be a great game against great players,” Hill said. “I think we can stick it out.”