Fenwick, Saint Ignatius renew lively rivalry
By Michael Wojtychiw
Saint Ignatius and Fenwick have played exciting games the past couple years. A penalty kick in the final seconds won the game for the Wolfpack in 2019, while the Friars pulled out a win during the abbreviated spring season. Both were 2-1 decisions.
"It's a rivalry game," Saint Ignatius manager Matt Miller said. "The ambience, the atmosphere, the pride of representing the school against a school like Fenwick really brings out the best in everybody."
Fenwick will try to get a little confidence back in the Chicago Catholic League Blue Division game at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Saint Ignatius. The Friars have dropped a couple close games in the past couple weeks, most recently a 1-0 heartbreaker to crosstown rival Oak Park and River Forest.
The Friars (6-5-2, 1-2-0) look to recover from last week's 0-3-0 week that also saw the squad drop its first conference matches in a 3-1 decision to Marmion and by a 2-0 count to Mount Carmel.
"We're just trying to bounce back," Blazer said. "Some of our foundation is to be prepared. We can manage as much as we can emotionally. We also recognize, and say it pretty much every game, that it never goes according to plan, so be in control or respond in a positive way.
"That's really helped us out. The recent games have all been unique. The guys have responded well, and we think the best day are ahead."
The Friars have a new look this year after losing so many seniors from the spring squad.
According to Blazer, the team had to get to know each other better in the summer and early fall. Very few of them had played together before this season.
It's been the play of the team's senior captains, Ryan Bero, Jack Powers and Luigi Mollo, that has led the team. The trio have filled a big role in bringing the group together.
"Those three have been significant and have played significant minutes the past three years," he said. "They definitely lead by example. The group is tight overall, which is nice to see, because they did that in a relatively short period of time."
Saint Ignatius, on the other hand, will be looking to build off a week that saw it go 2-0-0 with a crossover win against DeLaSalle and a Blue Division score against Brother Rice. In fact, since Catholic League play started Sept. 14, the Wolfpack (4-3-3, 2-1-1) has gone 3-1-2.
Miller has a feeling about what has been behind the squad's recent revival.
"The high we had after Mount Carmel and the low we had against Jones College Prep right before that, I think that was the turning point," he said. "We've experienced both ends of the spectrum, and we know which one we like.
"We talked about that for the seniors on the squad, this is really their last dance. That fueled some fire in the bellies of the players."
Fifteen of the team's 19 players are seniors this season. Many of them played in the spring and have helped provide leadership for those who don’t have the varsity experience some of the others do.
Miller knows that if his squad is to continue the run it's on, it's going to have to rely on those players especially in the conference race. After today's game, the only league matchup that remains for the Wolfpack is against St. Laurence on Oct. 5.
"We have to play more physical, more assertive," Miller said. "We need to be aggressive in more parts of the field but also make good decisions in the high-rise, low-risk areas of the field as well."
Click here to see the Chicago Catholic League Blue Division standings
By Michael Wojtychiw
Saint Ignatius and Fenwick have played exciting games the past couple years. A penalty kick in the final seconds won the game for the Wolfpack in 2019, while the Friars pulled out a win during the abbreviated spring season. Both were 2-1 decisions.
"It's a rivalry game," Saint Ignatius manager Matt Miller said. "The ambience, the atmosphere, the pride of representing the school against a school like Fenwick really brings out the best in everybody."
Fenwick will try to get a little confidence back in the Chicago Catholic League Blue Division game at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Saint Ignatius. The Friars have dropped a couple close games in the past couple weeks, most recently a 1-0 heartbreaker to crosstown rival Oak Park and River Forest.
The Friars (6-5-2, 1-2-0) look to recover from last week's 0-3-0 week that also saw the squad drop its first conference matches in a 3-1 decision to Marmion and by a 2-0 count to Mount Carmel.
"We're just trying to bounce back," Blazer said. "Some of our foundation is to be prepared. We can manage as much as we can emotionally. We also recognize, and say it pretty much every game, that it never goes according to plan, so be in control or respond in a positive way.
"That's really helped us out. The recent games have all been unique. The guys have responded well, and we think the best day are ahead."
The Friars have a new look this year after losing so many seniors from the spring squad.
According to Blazer, the team had to get to know each other better in the summer and early fall. Very few of them had played together before this season.
It's been the play of the team's senior captains, Ryan Bero, Jack Powers and Luigi Mollo, that has led the team. The trio have filled a big role in bringing the group together.
"Those three have been significant and have played significant minutes the past three years," he said. "They definitely lead by example. The group is tight overall, which is nice to see, because they did that in a relatively short period of time."
Saint Ignatius, on the other hand, will be looking to build off a week that saw it go 2-0-0 with a crossover win against DeLaSalle and a Blue Division score against Brother Rice. In fact, since Catholic League play started Sept. 14, the Wolfpack (4-3-3, 2-1-1) has gone 3-1-2.
Miller has a feeling about what has been behind the squad's recent revival.
"The high we had after Mount Carmel and the low we had against Jones College Prep right before that, I think that was the turning point," he said. "We've experienced both ends of the spectrum, and we know which one we like.
"We talked about that for the seniors on the squad, this is really their last dance. That fueled some fire in the bellies of the players."
Fifteen of the team's 19 players are seniors this season. Many of them played in the spring and have helped provide leadership for those who don’t have the varsity experience some of the others do.
Miller knows that if his squad is to continue the run it's on, it's going to have to rely on those players especially in the conference race. After today's game, the only league matchup that remains for the Wolfpack is against St. Laurence on Oct. 5.
"We have to play more physical, more assertive," Miller said. "We need to be aggressive in more parts of the field but also make good decisions in the high-rise, low-risk areas of the field as well."
Click here to see the Chicago Catholic League Blue Division standings