Fenton falls into first-place tie
Fenton's football players will be the first to admit they've lost a step in the last three weeks.
They have much less time than that to get it back.
Faced with an opportunity to inch closer toward an outright Metro Suburban Conference title, Fenton faltered at Riverside-Brookfield. The Bulldogs, playing far more crisp than the first meeting earlier this season, pulled away to a 28-7 win over the Bison to snag a share of first place atop the MSC standings.
This matchup proved to be far different from the first game between these teams in Week 4, a game Fenton won 33-22. The Bison (4-3, 3-1) still control their own destiny in the conference, but only for a tie with the Bulldogs (4-3, 3-1).
The Bison need some help in the next two weeks to claim the outright title. More than that, though, Fenton needs to clean up the miscues from Friday's disappointment.
"We came in here bigheaded, I think," said Fenton quarterback Eric Justiniano. "Our practice was average, wasn't how we wanted it to be. We came in here and we just didn't succeed in what we wanted to do."
The game started great for the Bison, who forced Riverside-Brookfield's pass-dominant offense to go three-and-out on its first possession. A 62-yard halfback pass from Allen Geneva to Vince Esposito put Fenton ahead 7-0 midway through the first quarter.
The Bulldogs, though, responded with 28 straight points, tying the game in the first quarter on quarterback Billy VandeMerkt's 1-yard plunge.
VandeMerkt went on to complete 28 of 42 passes for 225 yards, including 18 catches for 117 yards by receiver Mark McDonagh.
"They scored and we came right back and answered them, and we didn't do that last time," VandeMerkt said. "They were able to run their game plan last time, and tonight we were able to take them out of their element."
First-half mistakes devastated Fenton. The Bison fumbled twice, one leading to an R-B touchdown on a hook-and-ladder play. A snap over Fenton punter Ben Weishaupt's head led to R-B's third touchdown, another 1-yard dive by VandeMerkt, and a 21-7 halftime lead.
A 6-yard pass from VandeMerkt to McDonagh midway through the third quarter accounted for the only scoring after halftime. Fenton never reached the red zone in the second half.
Justiniano led the ground game with 13 carries for 75 yards, while Tyrell McGee added 18 carries for 69 yards, but the 119 team rushing yards came far short of the 288 in the first meeting. It also put the tempo of the game in the Bulldogs' hands.
"Their kids played harder than they did the first time," said Fenton coach Mark Farrell. "It's a lot easier to play when you control the line of scrimmage, and we didn't do that tonight."