St. Francis starts fast, blasts Marmion
Peter Fassnacht played the perfect half of football Friday at Marmion — and didn't even realize it.
The St. Francis senior quarterback completed all 17 of his first-half passes for 180 yards and 3 touchdowns, directing the Spartans to a 33-7 lead on their way to a convincing 53-7 victory.
Fassnacht ended up completing his first 20 passes he attempted before finally throwing an incompletion with five minutes left in the third quarter. He finished 23 of 26 passing for 249 yards and 4 touchdowns, and had no idea how good his individual statistics were afterward.
“It's a big win for us,” Fassnacht said. “This is a huge rivalry for us. Basically our first real game. It was awesome how we came out here and played together. Can't wait. We're just getting started.”
St. Francis (3-0, 1-0 in the Chicago Catholic Green) took command early, scoring on its first drive on a 27-yard run by Will Purdom.
Marmion fumbled on its first play from scrimmage and Fassnacht found Tristan Bolin on a 13-yard touchdown pass on the next play for a 14-0 Spartans lead with 8:07 left in the opening quarter.
Bolin finished with 3 touchdown receptions while Mike Beach caught 8 passes for 109 yards and Purdom added 72 yards receiving to go with his 87 yards rushing.
“Our receivers were open, my line protection was unbelievable,” Fassnacht said. “I didn't feel any pressure. I told the line no sacks I've got doughnuts. They got one (sack) but it was probably my fault so I'm still getting them doughnuts.”
The Cadets followed with their best drive, marching 86 yards on the ground capped by Nick Sevenich's 14-yard touchdown.
St. Francis kept putting points on the board, Fassnacht throwing a pair of short touchdown passes to Bolin in the second quarter, the second with just 11 seconds left in the half for a commanding 26-point halftime lead.
To make matters worse for Marmion, starting quarterback John Tate left with an injured ankle after being sacked by Brett Whelton late in the second quarter and did not return.
“Hats off to them,” Marmion coach Dan Thorpe said. “They were on fire. They moved the ball and they will be fun to watch the rest of the year. We knew from summer 7-on-7 he (Fassnacht) could really throw. We were hoping to keep him in the pocket a little more. They were impressive.”
Fassnacht threw his final touchdown pass in the third quarter. St. Francis scored 2 more touchdowns in the fourth, one on a 16-yard fumble return by Dan Bos and the other a 1-yard run by backup quarterback John Brundage.
Bolin led St. Francis defensively with 9 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble and recovery. Greg Bodanski added 12 tackles and a sack, Whelton had 12 tackles including 2 sacks, and Nolan Pechan and John Perry added 9 tackles.
Eleven different players carried the ball for Marmion (1-2, 0-1), Jett Haas gaining the most with 75 yards.
“Last year this one was a tough one to swallow,” St. Francis coach Mike Fitzgerald said of a 17-13 loss. “I lost so much sleep over that one. I wasn't aggressive which is not me. I've been waiting a year for this game. I vowed to these guys and the alums I would be aggressive.
“I didn't even know (Fassnacht started 20 for 20) until you guys just said that. That is unbelievable. It's a lot of preparation, it's a lot of work. Peter is just a tremendous leader. Everyone just follows him. It doesn't surprise me he is able to pull something off like that.”