Playing in front of its homecoming crowd along with the anticipation of hosting the No. 91 ranked team in the country a week from this Saturday became two distractions for Fenwick on Friday night in Berwyn.

And after St. Ignatius running back Mike Javorski returned the opening kick-off for a touchdown, the Friars needed to rediscover their focus.

"That was a wake-up call," said Fenwick head coach Joe DiCanio of the first quarter score.

But with a resilient defense and a 211-yard rushing performance from senior running back Gregory Killingsworth, the Friars were able to win 28-14, clinch a berth in the playoffs and turn their attention to Oct. 11th's Chicago Catholic League crossover game with St. Rita.

"Coming off a win over Bishop McNamara, our coaches really prepared us well," Killingsworth said. "This season has been amazing. St. Rita is going to be a big game."

Late in the third quarter, the Wolfpack (2-4, 0-1) blocked a Fenwick punt and recovered the ball at the Friars' six-yard line. St. Ignatius went on to capitalize on Fenwick's miscue two plays later when senior quarterback Alex Sener scored a touchdown on a six-yard keeper to tie the game at 14-14. However, on the following possession, the Friars (5-1, 2-0) responded with an 80-yard drive that was capped by a 35-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Joe Romano to senior wide receiver Joe Musso. 

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Wolfpack found themselves in a fourth down and 14 situation from the Fenwick 36-yard line. But a roll out from Sener failed as he was blasted by senior defensive back Quintin Wright, who came charging out the secondary to provide a six-yard loss.

"We knew we needed to stop them," said the Friars' junior defensive lineman Jack Dittmer. "We could not let them drive down."

Fenwick solidified the win on its next possession by capping a 72-yard drive with a six-yard touchdown run from Killingsworth, which was his third on the night. Killingswoth's first score was from one-yard out midway through the first quarter while his second was a 15-yard scamper midway through the third quarter that put the Friars up 14-7.

"Two of our three phases won it for us," DiCanio said. "We need to go to work on special teams, but a win is a win."