Fenton 23, Riverside-Brookfield 7

For Riverside-Brookfield on offense, it's pass early and pass often.

With Friday's Metro Suburban Conference football showdown against the Bulldogs in mind, Fenton worked a lot in practice to make sure its secondary would be sharp. That extra emphasis paid off as the Bison intercepted 5 passes en route to capturing a 23-7 victory over host Riverside-Brookfield in Brookfield.

Derek Potuszynski and Ricky Prignano each had 2 interceptions while Edgar Chaidez stole another pass. Four of those turnovers led to touchdowns, including a 19-yard runback by Potuszynski late in the second quarter for a score.

"We worked all week on coverage," Potuszynski said. "This was an important win (to stay in the hunt for the conference title)."

"(Defensive coordinator Tim Ineich) did a great job," said Fenton coach Mark Farrell. "He disguised and changed the coverage to get our kids in position to make plays. The defense was flying to the ball."

Prignano offered this take.

"Our slogan this week was nothing deep and nothing cheap," he said. "We worked a lot of defensive back drills."

After a scoreless first quarter the Bison capped a 12-play drive when running back Casey Mohr punched it in the end zone up the middle from 10 yards out. Mohr finished with 78 yards on 19 carries. This drive started after a Potuszynski interception.

Another key play came when wide receiver Brandon Moriarty tiptoed on the sideline to catch a 11-yard pass from Prignano, who also plays quarterback, that was first tipped by fellow wideout Potuszynski.

Following Potuszynski's interception for a score, Prignano came up with another pick at defensive back. Six plays later, he connected with tight end Tommy Garza for a 5-yard touchdown reception to put Fenton (3-3, 2-1) up 21-0 with 48.8 seconds before halftime after Ben Weishaupt's extra-point kick. Prignano showed good balance on offense, passing for 134 yards and rushing for 63 yards.

"He has stepped up and has been our leader," Farrell said. "He is a gutsy player who leaves everything he has got on the field."

The Bulldogs (3-3, 2-1) finally got on the board late in the third quarter when quarterback Billy VandeMerkt linked up with wide receiver Deon Walker on a 24-yard touchdown pass. VandeMerkt was 24-for-43 with 252 yards.

Their spread offense moved the ball well at times, but the Bison defense rose to the occasion with big plays in the secondary. A couple of key sacks by linebacker Mick Niemirski, including one for a safety late in the game, were pivotal too.

"Our backs were up against the ball," Farrell said. "If we want to make the playoffs, we can't lose any more games."