St. Francis did it again.
The Spartans shocked Loyola in Week 3. It was an impressive win, but Ramblers starting quarterback Ryan Fitzgerald missed the game with an injury.
There’s no reason not to be impressed with St. Francis’ 39-36 win against Nazareth in Week 9. Spartans junior Brady Palmer is becoming one of the area’s best quarterbacks. He connected with Zach Washington for the game-winning TD late in the fourth quarter and threw for 193 yards total.
St. Francis has advanced to the Class 5A semifinals the past two seasons. Senior Tyvonn Ransom was a major part of that playoff success and was one of the best running backs in the state this season. He didn’t play against Nazareth and will miss the rest of the season due to an injury, but the Spartans are clearly still a major threat to win Class 5A.
Frankie Hosty’s emotional Friday
Ed Hosty, a 1992 graduate of Fenwick, died on Friday morning after a battle with cancer that lasted for more than a year. He was 50. Just a few hours later his son Frankie was unexpectedly called into service as the Friars’ starting quarterback.
“Frankie has played a big role for us this season,” Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia said. “He started the game at wide receiver but then [Jamen Williams] was injured on the first snap.”
Battaglia was confident Hosty could play through his emotions, and he certainly did.
Hosty connected with Nate Marshall for a 50-yard TD shortly after taking over.
“You never know how anyone is going to handle something like that,” Battaglia said. “But I had all the confidence in the world that this would be a good situation for Frankie to go out and be a normal kid. And that’s what he did.”
Hosty was 7 for 15 for 211 yards with three touchdowns and one interception while leading the Friars to a 36-12 win against Carmel.
“Frankie dealt with the situation just how his dad would have wanted him to,” Battaglia said. “I know that would have made him so proud. It was very emotional for the whole team.”
Missing out
Several high-profile teams missed out on the playoffs this season. Glenbard West, Lake Zurich, IC Catholic, Carmel and Providence failed to qualify.
The Hilltoppers had a chance to sneak in at 4-5 but were undone due to a few factors, including King forfeiting to Goode. The Jaguars were 6-2 heading into the week but gave a forfeit win to Goode, which allowed Goode to reach five wins and take a spot in the state playoffs.
Small school playoff hopes
There isn’t much local interest in the small school state playoffs this season. Last year Hope Academy was poised for a big run in Class 1A. The Eagles (5-4) are a No. 11 seed this season and travel to Newman Central Catholic (7-2) in the first round.
Aurora Christian (5-4), a No. 16 seed, is the only other local school in 1A.
Seneca, Momence and Dwight are the locals in Class 2A. Momence (8-1) is a No. 5 seed but none of the locals are title contenders. Defending 2A state champion Wilmington wound up in Class 3A this year.