Max Fahey didn’t play like a backup quarterback on Aug. 21.
With senior starter Sean Ruisz sidelined by an upper body injury, Fahey got the start against Riverside-Brookfield on the road and was brilliant in a 28-6 win.
Fahey, a junior multisport athlete, completed 13 of 16 passes for 214 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.
Sandburg coach Sheamus Murphy had all the confidence in his new starting quarterback.
“I told him earlier in the week that he was going to get the ball,” Murphy said. “I told him to trust his coaching and trust the training — and that he had a great o-line in front and good players out on the edge.”
“Four passing touchdowns in your varsity debut — that’s pretty good,” Murphy said. “He did a great job managing the offense and taking care of the ball.”
Ruisz was also right there with Fahey, giving plenty of support and advice.
“He was giving me all the tips from last year because he had a great year,” Fahey said. “He told me to ‘calm down, take your reads and take what they give you.'”
Northern Illinois recruit Lucas Matykiewicz had two 18-yard touchdown receptions in the first half and finished with five catches for a game-best 101 yards.
Army commit Quinn Durkin was the leading rusher with 89 yards on 14 carries to go along with four receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown.
Kendall McDowell cemented the win with an 11-yard touchdown to begin the fourth quarter.
R-B scored late in the third quarter on a 2-yard run by senior running back Anthony Lemcke.
Bulldogs quarterback Braeden Novak completed 21 of 38 passes for 193 yards with one interception. His top receiver was sophomore James Organ, who had 70 yards on eight receptions while rushing for an additional 22 yards.
Fahey’s dad, Kevin, is the special teams and cornerback coach for Sandburg. Despite the noise around the family name, he was put at ease by the love from the family heading into his debut.
“I’ve been getting a bunch of texts from my uncles and my dad.” Fahey said. “It’s a big name to live up to, which is a good thing for us. I had to prove myself.”
Now getting the first-game jitters out of the way, Sandburg is excited for the direction it’s headed.
“It seems like it takes years to get to Week 1,” Murphy joked. “That’s a great football team and they packed a punch, but we did a great job in all three phases and that’s how we won.”
“It’s exciting. I’m ready whenever. (With) Sean or not, I just want to be available and do what’s right,” Fahey said.