A simple wrinkle in practice during the week paid off big dividends for Fenwick on Friday, Sept. 4, when it faced Bowen.
During drills, the Friars’ defensive backs switched over and worked as wide receiver, while the receivers practiced with the defensive coaches.
On Friday, Friars’ defenders Brian Doyle and Patrick Rafferty made like receivers and both returned interceptions for touchdowns during Fenwick’s 41-0 victory over the Boilermakers at Morton West in Berwyn.
More Top Picks Bushnell Core S 4k
“My coaches thought it would be a good idea to throw something different at them,” Friars coach Gene Nudo said. “After a long summer, (we wanted) to have a little fun with the kids.
“Obviously the defensive backs learned a lot from their wide receiver drills, because they caught the ball pretty well. Normally defensive backs are put in there because they cannot catch the ball, but they did a very nice job.”
Doyle, a senior, picked off a Boilermakers pass early in the first quarter and returned it 51 yards for a score to give the Friars a 14-0 lead.
“It is a great feeling, but it is all about being in the right place at the right time and listening to our coaches,” Doyle said. “We are playing in the right spot because of what we do every day in practice.
“I looked straight to the end zone after I caught it; I wanted to get there. I saw a lot of my guys giving me a wall and I just tried to follow behind it.”
Doyle felt that working as a receiver in practice helped him defend against Bowen (0-2).
“It definitely got my hands working this week,” Doyle said. “I will have to give my credit to coach (Brien) Rooney.”
Less than two minutes later, Rafferty took an interception for a 25-yard score, boosting the Friars to a 21-0 lead.
Rafferty also added an interception toward the end of the first half after Fenwick (1-1) had already built a 35-0 lead.
“Brian was able to make a big play early on; it really gave our team a spark,” Rafferty said. “Our coaches have us in the right position to make plays.”
In practice and games, the Friars are committed to forcing turnovers.
“We do our classic interception drill where we break on the ball,” Rafferty said. “Every practice we go in with the mentality to get four turnovers. If we do not get those, we do up-downs. We try to get four turnovers a game, then we should win that game.
“After a tough loss last week (40-16 to Phillips), we came into this week with a hard work ethic,”
Offensively, the Friars were also prepared against Bowen.
Jacob Keller (5-of-9, 140 yards) tossed a 54-yard touchdown pass to Conner Lillig on the second play of the game. Keller also threw a 39-yard scoring strike to Will Lattner, who added a 66-yard touchdown run.
Patrick Kelly is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.