Fenton ready to run against Crystal Lake C.

Winless and without a point through the first two games this season, Fenton's football team had a choice.

Fold or fight.

With six wins in their last seven games, it's clear there's still plenty of fight left in the Bison.

"If you look at where we started at the beginning of the year, we're not the same team," said Fenton coach Mark Farrell. "We knew going into the season that our first two games (against Leyden and Glenbard South) were going to be our toughest. If we could survive that, we knew we'd have a shot to be successful."

Sure enough, the plan worked. By splitting two games against rival Riverside-Brookfield, Fenton claimed a share of the Metro Suburban Conference title and qualified for its first playoff berth since 2006.

The Bison (6-3), seeded 13th in the Class 6A lower bracket, hit the road to play No. 4 Crystal Lake Central (7-2), co-champions of the Fox Division of the Fox Valley Conference, at 7:30 p.m. today.

"In two game films I think we saw them throw two passes," Farrell said. "And with the way we like to run the ball, this could be one of the fastest games in playoff history."

Crystal Lake Central's trio of Gage Harrah, Adam Smyth and Ryan Hines combined for more than 400 rushing yards in last week's loss to Woodstock, so expect a huge amount of running from the Tigers.

Likewise, Fenton rushed for nearly 400 yards in a win over Elmwood Park as quarterback Eric Justiniano rushed for 179 yards and 5 touchdowns. Running back Tyrell McGee leads the team with 788 rushing yards.

Defensively, the Bison have allowed 90 total rushing yards in back-to-back shutouts. Linebackers Colin Byrne and Nico Watt along with two-way lineman Richie Rebmann anchor the unit.

"The biggest thing is we need to control the line of scrimmage," said Farrell, whose team is looking to reach the second round for the first time since 1984. "It's going to be a punch-you-in-the-face kind of game, and whoever responds is going to win."