Sujka, Caravan roll past Fenwick

Fenwick couldn't do a thing on the slippery and wet turf at Gately Stadium. But the field and weather conditions had no effect on Mt. Carmel.

The No. 16 Caravan defeated the Friars 41-7 Saturday in a Catholic League Blue opener as senior quarterback Chris Sujka was 6-for-8 passing for 74 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 26 yards on three carries.

"The scoreboard doesn't tell the true story, this game was hard fought," said Sujka, who is headed to Indiana to play baseball. "Both teams were hitting hard. I got hit every single play when I didn't have the ball. I just did my job and the offensive line did theirs. The defense was just swarming all over the ball which was a big thing for us."

Draco Smith (seven carries, 47 yards, one touchdown) scored first for the Caravan on a 12-yard run with 1:53 left in the first quarter.

The Caravan (2-1 overall) continued to dominate the Friars defense in the second quarter. Mayan Cook caught a 26-yard pass from Sujka, Nikko Rodriguez kicked a field goal from 26 yards out, Jon-Stefan Bodnar sacked Fenwick sophomore quarterback Pat Hart in the end zone for a safety, and Sujka ran 28 yards for a touchdown to make the score 27-0 at the half.

"The nice thing is we hung onto the ball, we executed well, and Chris did a great job throwing the ball and reading the option," said Caravan coach Frank Lenti. "Our defense is starting to develop a personality. It appears we are getting better."

The Caravan kept the onslaught going in the third quarter. Hart, playing in his first Catholic Blue game, fumbled an exchange. The Caravan recovered the ball on the 6-yard line and Sujka ran it in for a touchdown. Sujka hit Jason Gasser for 16-yard pass play with 12 seconds left in the third quarter to make the score 41-0.

"We're playing a great team here," said Hart. "I just have to learn from my mistakes and build on what I did well today. It doesn't matter about the score; you never stop fighting and play for pride."

Fenwick managed a late drive with 31 seconds left in the game on a running clock. Hart connected with Jack Stibich for a five-yard touchdown pass to close out the game.

"We can't keep dropping the ball; we can't play behind the chains. We just have to get better," said Fenwick coach Joe DiCanio. "(Mount Carmel) is a good team. They came out focused against us, but we'll keep working."

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