Auburn recruit Nate Marshall, Fenwick dominate Benet in matchup of 5-1 teams

LISLE – This one just needs to be forgotten, just one game in a season in which Benet has already earned a playoff appearance for the first time in five years.

In a matchup of 5-1 squads Friday night, the Redwings turned the ball over three times in the first half and never recovered as visiting Fenwick claimed a dominating 42-7 win in Lisle.

The Friars — who are 6-1 heading into next week’s showdown with Mount Carmel — forced a three-and-out on Benet’s first possession and then needed just two plays to jump ahead 8-0, with Jamen Williams completing an 11-yard pass and then a 33-yard touchdown to Andrew Bjorson. The Friars’ Auburn-bound Nate Marshall then ran in a 2-point conversion.

The first of Benet’s three fumbles did not lead to any Fenwick points as the Friars turned the ball over on downs deep in Redwings territory, and the score remained 8-0 heading to the second quarter. But the next two miscues helped Fenwick add two more touchdowns and two Noah Sur field goals as the game got away from the Redwings.

With Marshall and the Friars defensive line wreaking havoc on Benet’s offense, running back Jalen Morgan took over the game on offense for the winners, finishing with 121 bruising yards and two scores on 15 carries.

“We just got to put that one behind us,” Benet’s junior linebacker Jack Clevenger said. “We just have to put that behind us and come back to work on Monday. He [Morgan] is good, but we have Nazareth next week so it doesn’t get any easier.”

Benet quarterback Ryan Kubacki did manage to throw for 199 yards with Luke Wildes hauling in 7 passes for 85 yards and Luke Doyle adding six catches for 70. But the hosts couldn’t get on the board until John Ericson’s 9-yard run made the final 42-7 after the Friars led 42-0 after three quarters.

“That’s a great team and we know we play nothing but good opponents,” Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia said. “But as I’ve been telling this squad since the beginning, our toughest opponent is ourselves. We still have our best football in front of us.”

It’s hard to imagine Marshall can play much better than he did on Friday. He batted down passes at the line, was in on a couple sacks, added tackles for loss on run plays, and took advantage of his brief stint on offense.

“We knew what we had to get done and we got it done,” the 6-foot-4, 245-pound defensive lineman said. “I try to get in on offense every time I can, but our offense was pretty hot tonight. I didn’t need to get in much. Jalen is a bowling ball out there, and we were just running down the field there.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20241011/prep-football/fenwick-frustrates-benet/