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MCDONALD'S GAME OF THE WEEK (Prep Football): Fennimore 30, Black Hawk/Warren 22
Eagles ends Warriors’ 27-game winning streak
Austin Horn
Junior Austin Horn caught a 15-yard touchdown on 4th-and-goal on the first play of the second quarter, and later scored the game-winning TD on a 45-yard fumble return in Fennimore’s 30–22 win over Black Hawk/Warren. - photo by Photo by Jason Nihles

MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (March 24–31)
PREP FOOTBALL: Fennimore 30, Black Hawk/Warren 22

FENNIMORE — Fennimore junior quarterback Max Kenney did his best Brett Favre impersonation Friday night in the Golden Eagles’ 2020 Alternate Fall football season opener at FHS.

Playing with a heavy heart after the death of his father Robert nine days earlier, Kenney completed 14 of 28 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns and three two-points conversions to lead the host Eagles to a 30–22 victory two-time defending WIAA Division 7 Black Hawk/Warren, snapping the Warriors’ 27-game winning streak.

Fellow junior Austin Horn scored the game-winning touchdown on a 45-yard fumble return during a Black Hawk/Warren punt return with 4:34 left in the third quarter. 

“It was a great punt from Cameron Winkers coupled with pressure from gunner Teagan Napp caused the fumble and Austin had the mentality to scoop and score,” said Fennimore head coach Boone Tollefson. “One final block from Tristan Ammon sent him to the end zone.”

Robert Kenney, 55, passed away Wednesday, March 17 at UW’s Carbone Cancer Center and his funeral was last Monday. 

Despite dealing with the loss of his father, Max Kenney delivered a performance reminiscent of Brett Favre’s brilliant Monday Night game against the Oakland Raiders on Dec. 22, 2003 after the death of his own father.

Kenney was given the game ball by his teammates after the game.

“Max had a great first start and had real poise in the pocket,” said Tollefson. “I can’t say enough about how well he played and how his team rallied around him. He’s a great player to coach, asks questions, and leads by example. This team and all of his friends have his back and will continue to do so. Football is one of the great team sports, and we are all one family.” 

Fennimore took an early 6–0 lead on a 31-yard touchdown strike from Kenney to senior Druw Fifrick midway through the first quarter.

The visiting Warriors (0–1) answered with a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore Lucas Milz with 2:22 left in the first.

Horn then capped a 65-yard Fennimore drive when he made a diving catch in the end zone on 4th-and-goal from the 15 on the first play of the second quarter. Kenney found senior Warren Adam for the two-point conversion to make it 14–6.

Black Hawk tied the game with 8:19 left in the half on a Milz 4-yard run and a two-point conversion by run by Milz.

Fennimore was forced to punt on the ensuing possession, but Jacob Henkel forced a fumble on the return and the Eagles recovered at the Black Hawk/Warren 36.

Seven plays later Kaden Hahn scored on a 3-yard run, and Kenney found Napp in the back of the end zone after scrambling sideline to sideline for the two-point conversion to make it 22–14 with 3:26 left in the half.

The teams traded turnovers on the next two possessions, and the Warriors’ tied the game on a 5-yard run by Milz (his third of the night) and a two-point conversion run by Landen Mahoney with 16 seconds left in the half.

After Horn scored on the 45-yard fumble return late in the third quarter, the Fennimore defense made two key stands to preserve the victory.

Black Hawk’s best scoring chance in the second was snuffed out by a strip sack by Henkel at the Fennimore 10-yard line on the first play of the fourth quarter.

The defense also stepped up huge on 4th-and-1 on the Warriors’ next drive at the 30-yard line midway through the fourth.  

A Fifrick interception on the Fennimore 40 in the final minute ended Black Hawk’s final offensive possession of the night.

Fennimore forced six turnovers in the win and committed just one.

“I preached that the game will come down to first downs, turnovers, and mental errors,” said Tollefson. “We were able to get first downs when we needed them and won the turnover battle. We have a few penalties to clean up, but overall kept our poise mentally.

“They are a great program and still are.  We schedule tough games for a reason and have a great deal of respect for them as opponents. Their coaches and players have the highest level of character and they exhibited that before, during, and after the game.”

Fennimore (1–0) will travel to Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg (0–1) Thursday night for a 7 p.m. kickoff. B/SM/S is coming off a 19–12 season-opening loss at Belleville.


Fennimore 30, Black Hawk/Warren 22
(from Friday, March 26 @ Fennimore)
Black Hawk/Warren....6 16 0 0 —  22
Fennimore.....................6 16 8 0 —  30
First quarter
F: Druw Fifrick 31 pass from Max Kenney (kick failed), 5:51
BH/W: Lucas Milz 1 run (run failed), 2:22
Second quarter
F: Austin Horn 15 pass from Kenney (Warren Adam pass from Kenney), 11:53
BH/W: Milz 3 run (Milz run), 8:29
F: Kaden Hahn 3 run (Teagan Napp 3 pass from Kenney), 3:26
BH/W: Milz 5 run (Landen Mahoney run), 0:16
Third quarter
F: Austin Horn 45 fumble return (Mason Adkins pass from Kenney), 4:34
Team statistics
First downs — BH/W 12, F 9. Rushing – BH/W n/a, F 26-38. Passing (comp-att-int, yards) — BH/W n/a; F: 14-28-1, 199. Fumbles-lost – BH/W 5-5, F 0-0. Penalties-yards — BH/W 4-30, F 5-45. 
Individual Leaders
Rushing —BH/W: Lucas Milz 18-126; F: Teagan Napp 15-22, Kaden Hahn 9-22. Passing — F: Max Kenney 14-28-1, 199. Receiving — F: Warren Adam 3-72, Austin Horn 6-61, Druw Fifrick 4-61. Tackles — F: Kaden Hahn 13, Jacob Henkel 7, Brian Castellanos 6, Chase Hestetune 6.