For as long as Tommy Thies can remember, his life has revolved around Fenwick athletics.
Much of that connection involves Thies’ father, Scott, who is a graduate of the school and is its longtime athletic director.
But Thies is making his mark there too.
“This means everything,” he said.
A Miami of Ohio recruit as a safety, Thies scored two touchdowns, including an 11-yard catch in overtime, as the 11th-seeded Friars edged top-seeded Nazareth 28-27 in a Class 6A state semifinal in La Grange Park on Saturday.
Fenwick (10-3) will play eighth-seeded East St. Louis (9-3) in the state championship game at Illinois State’s Hancock Stadium in Normal at 1 p.m. Nov. 29.
“It’s been a dream come true,” Thies said. “I’m speechless. There’s nothing else I can ask for. That’s why I work so hard in the offseason, pushing and pushing, is for this moment.”
Reaching this moment wasn’t easy for the Friars, but the 6-foot, 200-pound Thies was front and center, helping keep Nazareth’s running game in check and pitching in heavily on offense.
Thies started the scoring by taking a quick swing pass from senior quarterback Jamen Williams and plowing ahead 46 yards for a touchdown. In OT, he was wide open in the middle of the end zone.
“It was a play we made on the spot,” Thies said. “I was actually running a clear route, and my quarterback found me.
“We’ve been playing with each other since fifth grade, and the rest is history. I just looked that puppy in, and I got the job done. The ball found me, and I was ready for the moment.”
Thies’ younger brother Jake, a junior running back who accounted for 204 yards on 21 carries and four catches against the Roadrunners (11-2), has come to expect that from him.
“It doesn’t surprise me one bit that he capitalized at the end of the game because I’ve seen him put in the work,” Jake Thies said. “We do everything together, offseason work. We’ve been dreaming of this for quite a while, so it feels amazing that we’re going to play for a state championship.”
Junior cornerback Josh Morgan also loomed large for the Friars. Nazareth was marching into Fenwick territory with a 21-14 lead midway through the fourth quarter when Morgan picked off senior quarterback Jackson Failla for the second time.
The Friars then went 73 yards on a game-tying scoring drive that ended with Williams’ 4-yard quarterback draw with 1:13 remaining.
Morgan pointed back to Tommy Thies’ impact.
“We call him ‘Wise Man,’” Morgan said. “He really stepped up from last year and took over the leadership role. Everyone goes to him when they have a question because he knows it all.”
Thies has even been on the field for Fenwick during a state championship game. But he wasn’t a player back in 2021, when the Friars won the 5A state title.
“He was our ball boy, so that tells you about his connection to the program,” Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia said. “He has been Fenwick through and through since childhood.
“He has dreamt of this moment for his whole life — I can say that without a doubt — dreamt of leading Fenwick downstate with all of his teammates, and the kid pulled it off today.”
But Thies isn’t done yet.
“Everything I do, I try to be the best that I can be, and that’s what happened today,” he said. “I can’t wait for our next practice, and I’m looking forward to getting back on the field.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
