Fenwick football rolls into Division 5 North final

PEABODY – It’s been 13 years since Bishop Fenwick won a State level championship game. The Crusaders now have that chance following Friday night’s 28-12 Division 5 North semifinal win against Catholic Central Large foe Austin Prep at Donaldson Field.The Crusaders (9-0), who last won a Super Bowl in 2000, meet the winner of today’s match-up between Northeast Regional and Manchester-Essex for the North Sectional title next weekend at home (tbd).In the absence of offensive centerpiece Rufus Rushins (elbow), Fenwick incorporated a number of wrinkles into the attack. In the end, senior quarterback Nick Bona provided the stability, rushing for 105 yards and two scores and passing for a third to subdue the determined Cougars (6-3).”I’m glad we don’t have to play them a third time. That’s a tough team, just like St. Mary’s, just like Spellman and they played their hearts out,” said Fenwick coach Dave Woods, whose club dismantled Austin in October, 48-18.Presented two glittering scoring opportunities in the game’s first six minutes – the first on a Charlie Maistrellis punt block which the Crusaders covered on the AP 12 and the second on Matt Renzulli’s fumble recovery at the AP one – Fenwick cashed in the second on Robert Carillo’s three-yard plunge and first of Kyle Russell’s four PATs for a 7-0 lead.Austin struck on the final play of the first quarter when quarterback Connor Duffy delivered a 51-yard scoring strike to Jonathan Saurman well behind the Fenwick secondary. The two-point conversion failed.The Crusaders opened the second period with a 12-play, 60-yard scoring march highlighted by Bona’s 15-yard scramble and his 11-yard pass to Maistrellis. Facing 4th-and-10 at the AP 25, Bona escaped the Cougars’ clutches after a designed screen pass got blown up and took it the distance for a 14-6 lead midway through the quarter.Fenwick rebuffed Austin’s next possession on Eric Razney’s end zone interception of Saurman’s halfback option pass on 2nd-and-9 from the Crusaders’ 15.The Crusaders opened the second half at midfield after recovering Austin’s onside kick. On 4th-and-10, the punter Razney’s throwback pass to tight end James Traversey went for 30 yards. Then, on 4th-and-20, Bona rolled right and found Razney open on a crossing pattern that took a long time to develop but produced a 30-yard score and a 21-6 lead.”The last thing we wanted to do was go three-and-out to open the half and we certainly didn’t want to give them the ball at midfield,” said Woods. “We’ve practiced that (fake punt) play every day for the last four years and had used it once. I had faith in Eric and James.”Austin countered with a mega drive that got the Cougars back into the game but ultimately proved their undoing. It took 19 plays, covered 73 yards and consumed 11:23 before Nick Mulcahy banged in from a yard out to make it 21-12 with 6:22 to play. When the two-point conversion failed, AP still needed two scores and was essentially finished.Bona made sure of it with his second score from 13 yards with 2:30 to play.