Things didn’t go the way the Fenwick football team planned this year, but that didn’t stop Jack Stibich and the Friars from ending the regular season on a good note.
Stibich ran for three touchdowns to lead Fenwick to a 28-21 triumph over De La Salle in a Chicago Catholic League White Division game Saturday afternoon at Morton West Stadium in Berwyn.
“We just wanted to finish the season strong and end on a good note,” said Stibich, a senior who gained 101 yards on 16 carries. “Now we’re Prep Bowl eligible so we’re looking forward to that. We had a rough season with lots of stuff going on. We just wanted to play for ourselves and get a win.”
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While De La Salle (4-5, 0-3) was trying to keep its Illinois High School Association playoff hopes alive, Fenwick (4-5, 2-1) was playing mostly for pride. A turbulent season which saw after a 42-0 loss to St. Rita in Week 3 bottomed out with a surprising 14-12 loss at Lake Forest Academy in Week 8 that killed its shot at a playoff berth.
Fenwick came out clearly determined to put that crushing loss behind it, scoring touchdowns on its first two possessions versus De La Salle by running the ball exclusively.
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The Friars opened with a seven-play, 39-yard drive, scoring on an 11-yard run by Stibich to jump ahead 7-0 at 6:38 of the first quarter.
The next time Stibich touched the ball he ran for a 30-yard touchdown as the home team built a 14-0 lead with 3:51 remaining in the opening quarter.
“We just wanted to show everybody that we’re a better team than what happened last week,” Stibich said. “We wanted to prove that right when we came out.”
De La Salle scored twice in the second quarter on touchdown passes from Casey Brandtonies to Chris Lisenby on rollouts to the right. The first scoring strike was from 3 yards out and the second was from 4. But Fenwick sandwiched in a 1-yard touchdown run by Pat Hart to hold a 21-14 lead at intermission.
The Friars extended their lead to 28-14 when Stibich turned a stumbled handoff into an 18-yard touchdown run at 5:52 of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Meteors turned to a razzle-dazzle play that began with three exchanges in the backfield before Brandtonies connected with Lisenby for a 61-yard completion to Fenwick’s 1. Two plays later, a Brandtonies’ 1-yard sneak brought the visitors to within 28-21 with 8:06 left.
De La Salle received a final possession with a chance to tie the game. After Fenwick came up a sliver short on a fourth down play, the Meteors took over the ball on their 26-yard line with two minutes remaining. However, the Friars stopped them on downs on that side of the field to preserve their Senior Day win.
“It’s a true sign of the leadership and the seniors on this team that they were able to bounce back because this has been a rough season in many ways, but they’ll have this as a memory that they won’t forget,” Thies said. “I’m really proud of the seniors for pulling it out today.”
Hart, a junior, ran 23 times for 140 yards despite feeling ill.
“We ran the football as well as we’ve run it this year,” Thies said. “I’m so proud of our seniors because this game was for them, and we put it together. Pat Hart and Jack Stibich were just unbelievable.”
Mikale Wilbon ran for a game-high 146 yards on 21 attempts for the Meteors.
Seniors Lemun Tense, Robert Connolly, Stibich and Sam Ainsworth each recorded a sack for Fenwick.
The game contained a playoff-like fervor down the stretch. The Friars even dumped a water cooler on their coach in the closing moments.
“It’s probably one or two of ’em trying to get back at me for running sprints,” Thies joked before turning serious. “I’m just glad that they’re going to walk home tonight with smiles on their faces.”
