PEABODY — The No. 3 Bishop Fenwick football team took care of business against the No. 14 Maynard Tigers Friday night, advancing to the Division 5 quarterfinals with a 49-14 win at Donaldson Stadium.
It was a banner night for senior quarterback Steven Woods and senior receiver Jason Romans. Woods completed 10 of his 13 passes for more than 250 yards and six touchdowns. Romans had a combined four touchdowns and more than 100 yards receiving.
Fenwick coach David Woods was pleased with the performances he got from his two seniors.
“Jason (Romans) is a tough kid to cover,” he said. “He is a special athlete for sure and Steven (Woods) is having fun playing quarterback. He did throw a couple of perfect balls (tonight).”
The Crusaders’ defense came to play as well, forcing a three-and-out on Maynard’s opening drive and Woods’ offense started the drive on its own 44 with about 10 minutes left in the opening quarter.
Fenwick quickly moved down the field, driving 56 yards in less than two minutes. This was mostly done through the air, with Woods throwing for 36 yards in the opening drive. The Crusaders’ success culminated in a six-yard touchdown pass to Romans as Fenwick jumped out to a 7-0 lead after a successful point-after attempt from Romans.
Fenwick’s defense continued to stonewall Maynard, as it was forced to punt with a little more than four minutes left in the first quarter. The Crusaders ended up blocking the punt and regained possession on their opponent’s 45-yard-line.
Woods continued to dominate in the air, finding Mike Zaimi in the end zone from eight yards out. The senior quarterback ended the first half completing five of his six passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns. After another successful PAT from Romans, Fenwick had a 14-0 lead.
The night continued to get worse for Maynard as it mishandled the ensuing kick return and the Crusaders gained possession in the red zone with 48 seconds left in the opening quarter. This time, the Tigers defense was able to stop Fenwick in its tracks and forced a turnover on downs with 11 minutes left in the second quarter.
Maynard was unable to make anything happen on the ensuing drive, as senior quarterback Connor Capone was picked off by Luke Connolly and the Crusaders regained possession on their opponent’s 43-yard-line.
With 7:56 left in the half, Woods unleashed a 40-yard bomb that was caught by senior Chris Faraca, who scampered into the end zone for what eventually was a 22-0 lead after Romans turned a mishandled snap into a two-point conversion.
The Tigers took the ensuing kickoff to their own 30-yard-line and finally wore down Fenwick’s defense. The drive lasted more than six minutes, with Maynard marching 70 yards down the field and eventually scoring after Capone threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Andrews. Abraao Alencar converted the PAT to shorten the deficit to 22-7 with two minutes left in the second quarter.
Fenwick started its next drive on the 30-yard-line but quickly found the end zone with Faraca maneuvering his way through the Tigers defense for a 74-yard touchdown catch. Another successful PAT gave the Crusaders a 29-7 lead, which they took into halftime.
While Maynard head football coach Nick Pileeki described his offense as ground and pound, the team did quite well through the air.
“He (Capone) gets better every week,” said the coach. “He is learning to read coverages a little bit better, but he is putting the ball for the most part in the right place.”
It didn’t take long for Woods and the Crusaders offense to get going in the second half as the senior quarterback threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Romans on the first play on the opening drive of the third quarter. The PAT from Romans was good and Bishop Fenwick had a 36-7 lead with more than 11 minutes left in the third quarter.
With the Crusaders having a sizable lead, Troy Irizarry got a heavy dose of carries. Still, Fenwick found the end zone through the air as Romans caught another touchdown and converted the PAT to give the Crusaders a 43-7 lead with just over four minutes left in the quarter. Romans found the end zone a few minutes later as he took an interception back to the end zone to give Bishop Fenwick a 49-7 lead.
Maynard made the scoreline look a little better as Capone threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Mateo Arellano with four minutes left in the game. Alencar converted the PAT to make it 49-14 in what was eventually the final score.
Bishop Fenwick (7-2) will take on either No. 6 Austin Prep or No. 11 Hudson in the Division 5 quarterfinal round next Friday.
