DEKALB — After 44 years, what’s another few days?
Brother Rice waited out an unprecedented delay in the IHSA football finals before letting a lockdown defense do much of the heavy lifting in a 16-0 win over South Side rival St. Rita Dec. 3 in the Class 7A title game.
The Class 5A through 8A games, originally scheduled for Nov. 29 at Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium in Normal, were postponed when a snowstorm shut down the ISU campus. The 5A and 6A games were played Dec. 2 at ISU, with the 7A and 8A finals moved to the next day at Northern Illinois University’s Huskie Stadium.
Fourth-year coach Casey Quedenfeld, winning a title after two straight first-round playoff exits, took everything in stride.
“The coaching staff, we always use the (term) ‘Bizarro World,'” he said, referring to the Superman comics concept of everything being the complete opposite of what’s typical. “This year everything has been Bizarro World. … I’ve coached these guys completely different than the previous years … so a little bit of Bizzaro World for myself. But that (postponement happening), it was kind of like, ‘Of course it would.'”
It all worked out in the end for Rice (13-1), which won the second state championship in program history and the first since 1981.
Army recruit C.J. Gray accounted for both touchdowns for the Crusaders, who beat the Mustangs (9-5) for the second time this season. He ran 6 yards for a score with 6:07 left in the first quarter and found Collin Goggin for a 9-yard TD with 4:10 left in the game.
In between, Rice got a safety when St. Rita’s punter inadvertently went down to a knee in the end zone at 2:06 of the first quarter.
Other than that, the defenses dominated on a frigid, gray day.
St. Rita scored 110 points the previous two weeks in eliminating Hersey and Batavia, but was held to 2.6 yards per play and 160 total yards.
How did the Crusaders slow down the Mustangs?
“Just doing what we’ve been able to do all year,” said sophomore edge rusher Kameron McGee, a five-star prospect who finished with two sacks and four tackles for loss. “I think personally we’ve got the best defense in the country. These guys around me, we bought in from Jan. 6, 6 a.m. .. that’s when we first started (offseason work).
“We’re just able to stay together even when rhe offense has its flaws, defense has its flaws … we pick each other up.”
Jaylin Green led the Crusaders with 23 carries for 104 yards.
Gray ran 16 times for 80 yards, including a 54-yarder to set up the TD throw to Goggin.
“I’ve kind of got close with C.J. these last four years,” Goggin said. “I look at him as another one of my brothers. And to be able to do that was just an awesome — probably one of the best moments of my life, just being able to do that with him and celebrate with him.”
It was even worth waiting those four extra days.