PEABODY — Behind a solid defensive effort and a balanced attack on the offensive end, the Bishop Fenwick football team kept its perfect record alive on Friday with a 28-7 win over Catholic Central League foe Austin Prep at Donaldson Stadium.
“The guys are really playing well and really coming together,” said Fenwick coach Dave Woods. “(The coaches) were talking about it earlier and we realized that we haven’t had a bad day of practice with this group yet. It’s great that they’re all adapting well and listening to the coaching and executing the game plan out there.”
Quarterback Steven Woods had a solid game under center, completing 10-of-19 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Receiver Costa Beechin had one rushing and one receiving touchdown, while receiver Jason Romans also added a receiving touchdown. Running back Troy Irizarry rushed for one touchdown in the win.
“We were able to spread Jason and Costa out wide, and there aren’t a lot of teams who can stick with both of those guys out there all game long,” said Woods. “It was nice to be able to move the ball through the air efficiently like we did.”
After struggling to a three-and-out on its first offensive possession, Fenwick came right back with a few big plays near the end of the first quarter.
After a solid punt return set up the Crusaders inside the Austin Prep 30, Woods dropped back and connected with Beechin on a 29-yard go route for a score to make it a 7-0 game.
The Crusaders added to that lead early in the second quarter thanks to a pair of great plays from Romans. Backed up in their own territory, Woods hit Romans on a quick screen that Romans turned into a 45-yard run-and-catch. On the very next play, Woods found Romans up the sideline for a 27-yard touchdown to put the score at 14-0 Fenwick.
After another solid defensive possession, Fenwick got the ball back with less than two minutes to go and a chance to extend the lead further. The Crusaders did just that, as Woods threw a pair of quick strikes to get deep in Austin Prep territory. After a three-yard touchdown run from Irizarry, Fenwick took a 21-0 lead into the halftime break.
Austin Prep was able to avoid the shutout with a touchdown late in the third quarter, but when Fenwick got the ball back to start the fourth, the Crusaders went on a 14-play marathon drive that ate up more than 10 minutes of game clock. After Beechin capped the drive with a 27-yard touchdown run, the Crusaders coasted to the 28-7 victory.
Fenwick (3-0) hosts rival St. Mary’s — which knocked off previously undefeated Bishop Feehan Friday night — next Friday (7).
“We know we’re going to have our hands full, they’ve got a ton of talented athletes and they’re obviously playing really good football right now,” said Woods. “It’s always great to go up against them in a rivalry game, and we know we’re going to have to put in another good week of practice to get ready for them.”
