HAMILTON – Some days, you just can’t catch a break. Such was the case Saturday afternoon for the Bishop Fenwick football team, which dropped its season opener to host Hamilton-Wenham, 21-0 at Stadium Field.
The Crusaders went into the game undermanned without the services of 6-1, 290 senior captain Jaycob Reynoso. Junior quarterback Cory Bright, also a captain, lasted just two series before being lifted by head coach Dave Woods. Bright is still shaking off an injury suffered in the Crusaders’ first preseason scrimmage in late August against Peabody.
As if that wasn’t enough of a challenge, the Crusaders lost the services of yet another starter when Dylan Mullen was ejected after incurring consecutive unsportsmanlike conduct penalties late in the second quarter.
“No doubt, not having Jaycob hurts us, and we knew that Cory was really just a week away from being 100 percent, but he wanted to go, so we gave him a shot,” said Woods. “But it’s a long season, and everyone knows it was better for him in the long haul if we want him to be at his best. We are a young and inexperienced team to begin, and you just cannot replace game time experience, especially against a good team like Hamilton-Wenham.
Fenwick got off to a great start with a sustained6½-minute drive after receiving the opening kickoff, marching 43 yards in 10 plays into Generals’ territory at the 42 only to turn the ball over on downs. Running back Louis Naranjo carried the brunt of the load, rushing for 38 yards on five attempts.
The Generals needed only three minutes to put up the first score of the game, driving 60 yards in six plays, the final play being a highlight reel 29-yard touchdown reception by senior Jake Lanciani, who added the point after to stake the Generals to a 7-0 lead with a little more than a minute to go in the first quarter.
After Hamilton-Wenham forced a 3-and-out, the Crusaders’ defense returned the favor and got the ball back on downs at their own 33. Once again, Fenwick had no trouble driving down field, but the drive stalled at the Generals’ 40, forcing the Crusaders to punt the ball away with less than three minutes to go in the half.
Starting at its own 18, Hamilton-Wenham drove to the 36 in three plays, then Lanciani turned the game around with a 42-yard catch down to the Fenwick 22-yard line. Fenwick was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, moving the ball to the 12. It went from bad to worse in a hurry when the Generals received another freebie prior to the snap of the next play when Mullen was ejected, moving the ball to the 6-yard line. Senior Andrew Riccio took the handoff from junior quarterback Billy Whelan and waltzed untouched into the endzone. Lanciani split the uprights on the point after to make it 14-0 Generals with just 1:20 left in the half.
Fenwick gambled with an onside kick to open the third quarter, but the ball went out of bounds, with Hamilton-Wenham declining the penalty and taking over on its own 47. The Generals converted two third down plays and drove to the Crusaders’ 2-yard line. Once again, the Crusaders couldn’t catch a break when the Generals converted a broken play. Whelan fumbled the snap and scrambled left, then dove past the left pylon into the endzone to, for all practical purposes, put the game out of reach at 21-0 after Lanciani tacked on the extra point.
Fenwick freshman Angel Martinez gave the Crusaders something to cheer about when he returned the ensuing kickoff 36 yards to the 50-yard line, giving the Crusaders a short field. Fenwick drove to the Generals’ 23-yard line, the big plays being a 10-yard pickup by Naranjo, a 10-yard pickup on a rollout by junior quarterback Derek DelVecchio and an 8-yard run by Martinez, who stutter-stepped his way past three tacklers all the way down to the 23. That was as close as the Crusaders would get, however, as the Generals’ defense stuffed David Cifuentes on the next two plays to get the ball back on downs at their own 19.
The bright spots for Fenwick were 3-fold; first, the play of varsity rookies Naranjo (10 carries, 60 yards) and the freshman Martinez (7 carries, 45 yards), and second, the play of DelVecchio (7 carries, 36 yards), who was pressed into service under center after Bright was taken out of the game.
“We definitely need to work on our blocks and assignments, and we did that successfully in spurts, but we had some good things happen in that Angel ran great off tackle and did great, and also Louis early on did well. Derek also came in and played a smart game and showed good control for the most part. Unfortunately for us, though it was hit or miss, and that’s what you get with a team that is as inexperienced as we are.”
Fenwick outgained Hamilton-Wenham, 174-106, on the ground, while the Generals enjoyed a huge edge in the air. Whelan completed 7-of 12 passes for 157 yards, compared to Fenwick, which completed just 1-of-5 attempts for eight yards, with senior captain Michael Sellards hauling down the only reception.
Next up for Fenwick is another non-league clash Friday night against Dedham, while Hamilton-Wenham travels to North Reading for a Cape Ann League contest, also Friday night.
