Impact player: Petrando, St. Francis top Marmion

St. Francis’ Jack Petrando waited until the end of the game to make his biggest play.

The senior running back not only scored 2 rushing touchdowns, but also hit Marmion quarterback Charlie Faunce on a blitz, forcing a fumble that Spartans’ defensive lineman Peter Quirk recovered. The crushing hit on fourth-and-5 with 2:04 left in the game sealed a 20-14 St. Francis victory Friday evening in Glen Ellyn.

“It was the most important play of the game,” Petrando said. “I got to the outside and got to the quarterback, and thankfully, knocked the ball out.”

“This was a great team win,” St. Francis coach Greg Purnell said. “We played a great first half, and they made some adjustments in the second half to shut us down. But I’m just so happy for my kids because we’ve been working so hard with two weeks of intense practice.”

St. Francis started out dominantly. Michael Hanson recovered a fumble on the bounce and galloped 12 yards to set up the Spartans at the Marmion 27 with 8:30 to go in the first quarter.

St. Francis didn’t waste time scoring. Nick Donati hit running back Dan Beck with a screen pass; after eluding a couple tackles, Beck dashed down the left sideline for a 44-yard touchdown, giving the Spartans a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.

After forcing a three-and-out, St. Francis was saddled at its own 8-yard line following a booming 69-yard punt.

Then St. Francis made it look easy. The Spartans marched 92 yards in 10 plays, capping it off with a 21-yard touchdown run by Petrando on fourth-and-1.

St. Francis (5-2, 2-2) ended the first quarter with a 14-0 advantage and rolled up 147

total yards.

“We had a great first half and came out the way we wanted to,” Petrando said.

In the second quarter, St. Francis’ Michael Hanson picked off a pass in the end zone, snuffing out a Marmion drive and giving St. Francis the ball back at its own 20. The Spartans scored again on an 8 play, 80-yard drive.

Petrando notched his second touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run, giving St. Francis a 20-0 lead.

It was a defensive battle in the third quarter until Marmion (4-3, 2-2) started with the ball at the St. Francis 32 with under five minutes left.

The Spartan defense held strong, forcing the Cadets into a fourth-and-8 at the Spartan 13, but Faunce rumbled for 11 yards to notch the first-and-goal chance. He finished the drive off with a 2-yard touchdown run.

Marmion answered again with a 6-yard touchdown run from Cody Snodgrass, cutting the deficit to 6. But the Spartan defense held tough on Marmion’s drive thanks to Petrando’s hit and Quirk’s recovery.

“They took the momentum in the second half, but thankfully, there wasn’t enough time on the clock for them to take the lead,” Petrando said.