Fenwick High School senior Frankie Hosty is the IHSA's nominee for the 2025 NFHS Spirit of Sport Award. For more on the award, as well as past nominees, click here.
Family.
It’s a word that gets used thrown out a lot in sports.
For the Hosty family, Fenwick High School football is family.
That word and bond took on a deeper meaning for both the Hosty’s and the Friars on a Friday night in the fall of 2024.
Frankie Hosty is currently a senior at the catholic high school in Oak Park, Illinois, located just nine miles east of Chicago. He is a fourth generation Friar football player, following his grandfather Thomas, father Ed, and older brother EJ, a 2023 graduate. Meanwhile, his younger brother William, suited up for the Fenwick sophomore team this season.
Frankie’s father Ed was a standout for the Friars in the early 1990’s who went on to play football and basketball at Princeton University. Ed and his wife Laura settled in Chicagoland to raise a family, where sports immediately became a focal point.
“Chicago sports was a big part of our family growing up,” said Frankie. “My dad took us to all sorts of pro sports games and Fenwick games. My dad and our family ties is the reason I came to Fenwick.”
But just as all three boys were following in their father’s footsteps at Fenwick in 2023, Ed’s personal path took a sobering detour when he was diagnosed with cancer.
“Everyone around the Fenwick program knew Ed. His boys played multiple sports and he was the type of dad who never missed a game,” said Fenwick High School football coach Matt Battaglia. “After he was diagnosed during Frankie’s junior season, he lost some weight, but he was still very much himself. He showed up to everything and was battling through it. We started to get word this fall (2024) that things weren’t going as well. I remember we found out on a Thursday that Ed was going to hospice, and I’ll never forget seeing the boys (Frankie & William) on Friday afternoon when their mom and EJ came to tell them the news.”
Hours after saying their final goodbyes to their father, Frankie and William got the definitive news a
nd spent the afternoon surrounded by family. Then they returned to school to play in the Friars Week 9 contest against visiting Carmel Catholic.
“When she came to pick the boys up, Laura told me she’d have them back in time for the game,” said Battaglia. “I was sort of wowed, but at the same time, it was clear that it was a family decision. Knowing how they were raised and how much this means to their family, I was ok with it as long as the family supported it.”
Frankie admits that at first, he wasn’t sure he’d be in the right frame of mind to suit up for a game hours after losing his father.
“There definitely was a was a moment where I wasn’t sure if I would play or not,” said Frankie. “My family was encouraging me to do what was best for me. My little brother was ready to play. I looked at my family and knowing that I had their support, I decided it would be best for me to be out there with my teammates.”
Adding even more emotion to the event was the fact that Fenwick was celebrating Senior Night.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect from Senior Night and if they were going to say anything about my dad,” said Frankie. “They did, and it was really nice hearing them talk about him while being surrounded by my mom and my brothers.”
Frankie started the game at wide receiver.
“We were lucky to have two really good quarterbacks in Frankie and Jamen Williams entering the season,” said Battaglia. “They battled for the job all summer and were both selfless and rallied around each other during the process. Jamen emerged as the starter and Frankie was contributing on special teams and at other positions on offense. They were such great teammates and role models it was important to the coaching staff that they both started on senior night.”
It was an inauspicious start to the game, as the Friar offense went three and out on the game’s opening possession, but as they got to sideline afterward, it became clear that Jamen had suffered a serious ankle injury.
Suddenly, the senior who nearly didn’t suit up was thrust into the spotlight.
“It felt different before the game,” said Frankie. “Having all my teammates come up to me to give me encouragement and then seeing my family on the field for Senior Night. I lost control of my emotions for a bit, but once the game started, I was able to calm down and focus on the game.”
As if it were scripted by Disney, a calm and collected Frankie stepped into the QB role and connected with Nate Marshall on a 54-yard touchdown pass to cap off his first drive.
“When Jamen went down, everyone was telling me it was my time.” said Frankie. “I cleared my mind and stepped in to do my job. On the play before the TD, I just missed on a deep ball, so it felt really good to connect on that one. It was really cool.”
Fenwick rolled to a 36-12 win, as Frankie threw two more touchdown passes to finish the night 7-for-15 for 211 yards with three TDs. The senior QB capped the emotional rollercoaster of a day by being presented with the game ball by Battaglia.
“In that moment, I felt appreciation for my teammates and my coaches, said Frankie. “It felt really good to see how much they all cared about me.”
Family shows up in the tough times, and just as Frankie showed up for his teammates on one of the worst days of his life, his teammates continued to show up for him in the aftermath.
“My teammates and Fenwick mean so much to me,” said Frankie. “Literally, every day someone new came up to me to give me condolences or encouragement. Not just teammates and friends, but other students and teachers I didn’t know as well. They all showed love to me and my family.”
With Williams out for the year, Frankie was QB1 for the Friars as they entered the playoffs. Round 1 saw Fenwick face off against one of the best defenses in the state via a Brother Rice squad that was one a five-game winning streak where they were allowing under six points per game. The game was a defensive slugfest, but Frankie and company managed to scrap together the go-ahead touchdown drive in the third quarter to rally for a 12-7 win. Frankie finished 14-for-29 with 173 yards passing, completing key passes of 38, 39, and 42 yards that kept scoring drives alive.
The gritty win reflected many of the qualities that Frankie feels like his father instilled in him.
“Toughness, hard work, adaptability. When things aren’t going great, keep going and things will work out. That was my dad’s message.” said Frankie.
Two daunting tasks awaited in the Second Round of the Playoffs. On the field, there was a Downers Grove North squad who had finished second in the state the previous year and returned much of that squad in 2024. Off the field, the Hosty family prepared for Ed’s wake and funeral.
“It was difficult week,” said Frankie. “My headspace going into practice was all over the place. But I also felt like practice was really good for me. It let me stop thinking for a few hours and put me in a good place where I was surrounded by my friends and just focusing on football.”
Another defensive battle ensued in the Second Round, where Downers Grove North prevailed in a 13-10 thriller. The loss ended a senior season for Frankie that was memorable for so many reasons, both positive and negative.
“My dad went through a lot when he was sick, but he still went to every game and lots of practices, some he probably shouldn’t have been at,” laughed Frankie. “He cared about everyone around him and he cared about Fenwick.”
Battaglia summed up the experience by noting how important the family structure is for student-athletes, regardless of what adversity they are facing.
“It was great to see how the team rallied and embraced the Hosty family during a tough time,” said Battaglia. “I’d like to think that being around his football brothers and football family made it a little easier for Frankie to push through. It’s a great example of how important high school athletics are for students. That built-in support system of teammates and coaches who can rally around you and support you in tough times.”