It’s a struggle, but Fenwick repeats as Division 5 North champ

PEABODY ? Of the Bishop Fenwick football team’s 26 consecutive wins, this may have been the toughest.Josh Niconchuk’s one-yard touchdown plunge with 7:44 left proved to be the difference as the Crusaders (10-0) won their second straight Division 5 North title, beating Whittier Tech, 20-14, Friday night at Donaldson Stadium.Fenwick’s next opponent in its bid to repeat as state champions will be Abington in the Division 5 semifinals (at a site, date and time to be announced).?Every team is different. Every game is different. But we’re happy to be going back (to the state semifinals),” Fenwick coach David Woods said.The Crusaders’ other two scores came on a seven-yard run by Cody Mullen and a 19-yard pass from Matt Renzulli to Brian Fitzpatrick. Whittier’s touchdowns were a 23-yard pass from Connor Bradley to Sean Thibodeau, and a five-yard run by Jesus Sanchez, the latter giving the Wildcats (7-3) a 14-12 lead with 1:52 left in the third quarter.Fenwick started its ensuing drive from its 27. Behind long runs from running back Rufus Rushins and quarterback Matt Renzulli, the Crusaders moved to the Whittier 34. Renzulli, who aggravated an ankle he injured two weeks ago, gave way to Mike Campatelli, who started the game in street clothes because of a knee injury but dressed when it became apparent Renzulli might need some relief. Campatelli hit passes to Myles Connor for 16 yards and then to Fitzpatrick for 11 yards to move the ball to the Whittier two-yard line.?That was an audible,” Woods said, of the pass to Fitzpatrick. “He (Campatelli) saw that and made the play.”Two plays later, Niconchuk blasted into the end zone as the fullback in a power-I set and Rushins’ two-point conversion rush gave the Crusaders a 20-16 lead.Whittier got good field position at its own 38 after the ensuing kickoff, but on the second play of the drive, R.J. Libby recovered a fumble. The Wildcats never got the ball back again. Using Rushins (119 yards on 25 carries) on nine of 11 plays, the Crusaders picked up three key first downs.?The O-line has a lot of pride, and when the game is on the line like that, they want to run the ball,” Woods said.After recovering a Rushins fumble on the opening series of the game, Whittier scored on its first offensive drive — a 45-yard, nine-play march that featured mostly running out of the old-school, single-wing formation until Bradley connected with Thibodeau, who beat double coverage in the back of the end zone. Jesus Sanchez’s two-point conversion rush was good and the Wildcats led, 8-0, with 5:13 left in the first period.Fenwick answered with a touchdown on its next drive, which featured completions from Renzulli of 22 yards to Fitzpatrick and 22 yards to Mullen, the latter moving the ball to the Whittier seven. Mullen took a direct snap on the next play and dashed into the end zone. The try for two points resulted in an incomplete pass and Whittier led, 8-6, with 1:22 to play in the first quarter.The Crusaders also scored on their next drive, a 64-yarder that again featured some big passes, as the Wildcats stacked the box to stop Rushins. Renzulli connected with Mullen for 13 yards near the sideline, and then found Fitzpatrick at the left numbers for a touchdown that made the score 12-8, with 5:45 left in the second quarter.?Unfortunately, we had to give up some big plays because we sold out to stop (Rushins),” Whittier coach Kevin Bradley said. “But stuff like that is going to happen. We played great. We left everything we had on the field, and I’m very proud of my kids.”Whittier made it to Fenwick’s 10-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs when Bradley’s pass went off Thibodeau’s fingertips in the right corner of the end zone on fourth-and-six. The Wildcats also squandered another great opportunity on the first drive of the second half when Fenwick linebacker David Hurley forced a fumble by Sanchez on third-and-goal from the Crusaders’ one-yard line, with Connor recovering.The Crusaders went three-and