Tommy Thies sparked the offense and Jake Thies sealed the deal during Fenwick’s Senior Night game against Benet at Triton College on Friday.

The Thies brothers combined for four rushing touchdowns, while senior quarterback Jamen Williams threw for 210 yards and a score as Fenwick dominated Benet 48-7 to clinch an automatic playoff bid. Tommy Thies, a senior and Miami (Ohio) commit, scored twice in the first half and gave the Friars an early lead with a 5-yard, first-quarter touchdown run.

“We’re taking it one day at a time at practice,” Tommy Thies said. “A lot of our practices have been low-energy, low-effort and we need to pick that up. It’s a great feeling to go back to the postseason. It’s another guaranteed game with our brothers and it’s been a goal for us this entire season. Having that 10th game guaranteed is a great feeling to have.”

Tommy Thies took the ball four times for 29 yards on Fenwick’s opening series. Although the Friars gained the early advantage, Benet (3-4, 1-1 CCL/ESCC Purple) punched right back, executing a trick play where wide receiver Ben Albert took a short pass from quarterback Ben Clevenger and fired a strike to wide receiver John Ericson for an 80-yard score.

It was the longest play from scrimmage for either team and the biggest play of the night for the Redwings, who otherwise struggled to move the ball against a Fenwick defense that settled in during the second quarter, where the Friars outscored Benet 25-0 to take over the game. Special teams mistakes also plagued the Redwings, who had a chance to take a 10-7 lead late in the first quarter, but missed a 30-yard field goal.

“It starts with our defensive coordinator, coach [John] Grayson,” Tommy Thies said. “He’s great at putting us in positions to make plays, mixing up the defense and showing different coverages. We kept our composure and we knew we had to go through adversity and move one step at a time. We just need to get better every day and be ready to practice.”

Fenwick (6-1, 1-1 CCL/ESCC White) capitalized on the missed field goal, using quick screens to receivers like Will Tomczak and Raphiel Stewart to move the ball effectively through the air. Tomczak caught six passes for 82 yards, while Stewart added 73 yards on six catches for the Friars, who went ahead 14-7 on an 8-yard Tommy Thies touchdown run in the second quarter. Thies finished with 36 yards on six carries Friday night.

“All credit goes to Fenwick,” Benet head coach Pat New said. “They’re a really good football team in all three phases of the ball. They soundly beat us tonight and we’re really decimated. I can’t yell at my guys for not playing hard. They’re playing hard, but we’re struggling with depth.”

A partially blocked punt that bounced off a player’s helmet led to quality field position on Fenwick’s next series, where Williams connected with tight end Jonathan Pavalon over the middle for a 22-yard touchdown to extend the Friar lead. Trailing 22-7, Benet succumbed to another special teams error, as a blocked punt set the Friars up at the 2-yard line.

Jake Thies, a junior with multiple Division I offers, ran untouched up the middle for the first of his two touchdowns Friday night. A shanked punt out of bounds soon after gave Fenwick plus field position once again, and kicker Noah Sur, a senior and Northwestern commit, blasted a 31-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired in the second quarter.

“We knew it was our Senior Night game, but we treated it like any other game,” Jake Thies said. “We knew what we were capable of and we came out a little slow, but once we get going, we’re a hard team to stop. We missed the playoffs a couple of years ago, so making the playoffs is really special to us. We just have to focus on the next game and keep winning.”

Outside of the 80-yard touchdown on the trick play, Benet posted just 28 passing yards in the first half. But the Redwings received a gritty effort from running back Joe Salvino, who rushed for 54 yards on 11 touches in the first half and sparked the Benet offense early. Salvino finished with a team-high 119 rushing yards on 24 carries in the game.

“It doesn’t get any easier with Nazareth next week,” New said. “We play two 2024 state champions over the next two weeks, but I told our guys that we need to play with pride and we need to have pride in our team and the way we play. Our defense had some key stops and I thought Joe ran the ball really hard. I was impressed with his performance.”

Sur’s 23-yard field goal midway through the third quarter gave Fenwick a 35-7 lead. Action slowed down until Jake Thies, who had 81 rushing yards in the game, burst through the middle for a 67-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. Caleb Reed-Jennings’ interception and a 29-yard touchdown throw from Myles Hill to Nico Scudiero capped off the win for the Friars, who will face Mount Carmel on the road next week.

“We just had to come out and do our assignments,” Jake Thies said. “The results showed on the scoreboard. Our D-line and our linebackers settled in, and they did their jobs. We need to have another good week of practice and have high energy so we can carry that into future games.”