Despite routing Kennedy last weekend in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs, Fenwick wasn’t thrilled about the lack of energy and focus shown.

That changed in a big way Saturday at Triton College. The Friars used a big game from Jake Thies to roll past Rolling Meadows 45-7 and move on to the quarterfinals.

“The boys really did a great job. It was out best week of practice of this season and it really translated today,” Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia said.

The game could not have began more perfectly for Fenwick (8-3). Following a three-and-out defensively to start the game, the offense marched 52 yards on nine plays, with Thies capping the drive with a four-yard touchdown run at the 6:43 mark of the first quarter.

The Friars’ Mike Murphy recovered a fumble on Rolling Meadows’s next possession at the Mustangs’ 25. But Fenwick stalled offensively and settled for a 32-yard field goal by Noah Sur and a 10-0 lead.

Rolling Meadows (7-4) moved the ball deep into Fenwick territory on the ensuing drive. But on 4th and 14 from the Friars’ 20, Joe Brigham’s pass completion to Matthew Sansonetti came up a yard short of a first down, resulting in a turnover on downs.

The Mustangs’ inability to finish off good-looking drives on offense was something Rolling Meadows coach Devonte Amos rued after the game.

“I thought we were able to advantage of some things, but ultimately in this game you’ve got to put the ball into the end zone and we just didn’t do that enough,” Amos said.

On the first play of the second quarter, Thies took a screen pass from Jamen Williams (11-of-15, 219 yards passing), broke a couple of tackles, and scooted 50 yards to the house for a touchdown and a 17-0 Fenwick lead.

Then after the defense again stopped Rolling Meadows on downs, the Friars went 71 yards on seven plays with Williams ending the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run, raising their lead to 24-0 with 4:46 left in the half.

“(Rolling Meadows) has a really good offense,” Battaglia said. “We knew that they would hit us, but not breaking and getting off the field on fourth down was huge.”

Murphy intercepted a tipped Brigham pass on the next drive to put Fenwick at its 48. Five plays later, Thies went in standing up from 18 yards out to give the Friars a commanding 31-0 lead at halftime.

Afterwards, Thies - who finished with 151 yards on 15 rushes and four total touchdowns - didn’t brag about his big game. Rather, he focused on how well his team played.

“Any playoff win is a big win,” Thies said. “O-line played really good, it was easy for me. Nothing that we did on the field surprised me because we did it all week in practice.”

“Jake’s a special player,” Battaglia said. “We want to limit his defensive touches and get some more guys in, and I think he was running a little extra angry with the fact he wasn’t getting to play as much defense.”

The first two second-half plays resulted in another Fenwick score as Cameron Garrett’s 78-yard kickoff return set up Thies’s third touchdown run, this one 21 yards. Then with 3:15 remaining in the third quarter, Williams found Raphiel Stewart for a 23-yard score that initiated a running clock for the remainder of the contest.

“Fenwick’s a great team. They’ve got playmakers on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball and they showed up today,” Amos said.

Rolling Meadows avoided the shutout on a 65-yard touchdown run by Keeling Murray (126 yards on seven carries) with 11:10 left in the game. Brigham completed 19-of-28 passes for 182 yards, while Sansonetti (77 yards) and Sean Kerr (63 yards) each had six receptions.

Despite the disappointing ending, Amos feels the Mustangs had a good season.

“Very proud of these guys,” he said. “We were very senior-heavy this year and they set the foundation for what we need to do moving forward and getting Mustang football back to where it needs to be. I can’t thank these seniors enough; obviously, it never ends the way you want it to, but I’m happy with what we’ve been able to accomplish in such a short time.”

Fenwick is happy to return to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2021, when they won the Class 5A title.

“Last year, we lost in the (7A) second round (13-10 at Downers Grove North), so it feels really good to be back,” Thies said.