Fenwick rallies to defeat Austin Prep

READING – Bishop Fenwick came up big when it counted in a 23-22 come-from-behind win over Austin Prep Thursday at Reading. This was the 35th meeting between these schools,While Fenwick was quiet offensively for most of the game (other than an 83-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Fran Hannon to Charlie Maistrellis), the Crusaders had two drives in the final six minutes that helped steer the Crusaders to the win.Austin Prep scored on Connor Duffy’s keeper to give the Cougars a seemingly comfortable 22-8 margin with 6:04 left in the game, but Fenwick’s Hannon and Rufus Rushins would not give up.The Crusaders’ spread offense and passing game kept them in the hunt. Hannon ran 32 yards around the left end to give the Fenwick offense a first-and-10 into Austin Prep territory. This seemed to ignite the Crusaders’ sideline.”Fran was telling me that play was there,” coach DaveWoods said. . “He said let’s run it, but we couldn’t get the ball to run it. It was exactly what he thought it would be.”The Crusaders were able to convert two more first downs on the drive before Rushins sliced Austin Prep’s advantage to 8 with a 1-yard run. Nick Bona made the extra point – a point that proved to be critical because it allowed Fenwick to face a seven-point deficit instead of being forced to attempt the two-point conversion. If the Crusaders were able to score another touchdown, a successful two-point conversion would give Fenwick the lead.Fenwick performed a squib kick on the kickoff. With the ball bouncing towards the Crusaders, they appeared to gain control of the ball, but the officials ruled that Austin Prep recovered.Austin Prep would need to get at least a couple of first downs to clinch the win over their Thanksgiving and Catholic Central Large League rivals. The Fenwick defense held firm. Austin Prep was unable to gain yards on the first two plays from scrimmage. The Crusaders stopped senior tailback Nicholas Vitale for a loss of two yards.On third-and-10, Connor Duffy took the keeper to the outside on the right hashmark before he was brought down out of bounds for just a 4-yard gain. This forced the Cougars to punt the ball . Nicholas Mulcahy’s high-booming kick allowed his gunners to get down the field and stop Fenwick for no gain on the return at the Crusaders’ 30.With Fenwick having to go 70 yards in just two and a half minutes, both sides of the stands were feeling a bit uneasy. In front of a raucous crowd at Father Seymour Field, Hannon’s first pass was just a bit overthrown. Razney (who had a crucial interception in the first half) caught a 6-yard pass from Hannon.The next pass fell incomplete. On fourth-and-four from their own 36, Fenwick just needed a big play to keep them alive. Rushins gave Fenwick hope with a 15-yard gain to the Cougars’48.”They were putting seven defenders in the box,” explained Woods. “I said we’ll see if they can tackle him.”Fenwick got another first down to the Austin Prep 38. Mulcahy sacked Hannon back to midfield. Facing a second-and-22, Hannon failed to connect with his receiver. A 15-yard facemask penalty provided the Crusaders with a first down, but an unsportsmanlike penalty on Fenwick kept the ball at the 50-yard line.Nick Bona caught a 15-yard pass to give Fenwick a first down. On the following play, Hannon found senior James Traversy streaking down the middle of the field. Traversy got behind the Cougars’ defense and dove emphatically into the end zone.”We went to an empty set,” said Woods. “When we went empty, we ran trips to the left. James was able to run right down that seam.”Fenwick still trailed 22-21 and they would need to either kick the extra point or go for the lead. Woods decided to roll the dice and go for the two-point conversion. Rushins ran up the middle and he crossed the goal line.”We just ran a zone,” said Woods.