Growing up in Downers Grove, Brother Rice freshman quarterback Sam Holcomb didn’t know a ton about the school.
But as he made his high school decision, he got to know the coaches, the players and of course, the rivalries.
Specifically the annual Battle of Pulaski game with Marist.
Making his rivalry debut, Holcomb threw for 138 yards and four touchdowns on Oct. 16 as host Brother Rice rolled to a dominant 49-6 victory over Marist in the Catholic League Blue matchup.
“It’s awesome. The energy was unreal,” Holcomb said. “As soon as we walked onto the field, the fans were cheering and hyping us up. It was a great environment to be in for sure.”
Senior running back Jameson Davis, an Army commit, had 57 rushing yards and two receiving touchdowns, scoring on catches of eight and 19 yards respectively.
Seniors Lucas Strang and Matthew Murzyn added a receiving TD each, while sophomore Aydan Yarbrough finished with a rushing TD and a receiving TD.
With Mount Carmel’s dominant 38-21 road win over Loyola, Brother Rice (7-2, 2-1) shared the Blue title with the Caravan and Ramblers.
Holcomb. a 6-2, 200-pound freshman, started the season splitting time with senior Rocco Galasso but took over the starting spot by Week 4 against Loyola.
With an offense featuring a ton of depth at the skill positions, Holcomb is working hard to spread the wealth and keep everyone as involved as possible.
“It’s just building that chemistry in practice,” Holcomb said. “It’s getting closer to the guys overall and communicating if something was off. If I threw too early or too late. We build that chemistry and continue to build each and every day and in practice.”
Brother Rice led 14-0 through a quarter and 35-0 at halftime. The Crusaders only allowed Marist 32 yards of offense in the first half.
Strang said Holcomb has been a great fit with the team from the start.
“Sam’s a great kid,” Strang said. “He’s disciplined, has a great attitude, always hustles and is ready to block for his teammates. He’s always the one running down the field to celebrate. He’s a great human being overall.”
Holcomb’s breakout season continues to get better.
A highly touted quarterback coming into high school, he’s still adjusting to the spotlight, like signing autographs for young football fans postgame each game.
“I like doing it,” Holcomb said. “I like putting a smile on a kid’s face. It’s new to me. I’m not used to doing that stuff.”
Davis likes showing his all-around game out of the backfield as a receiver, too.
“The game has shifted now to where a running back has to catch the ball,” Davis said. “Being able to go from running someone over to being able to catch a long TD out of the backfield, it feels good to add that to my game.”
Brother Rice is the No. 8 seed in the Class 7A playoffs and will host either St. Charles North (5-4) or McHenry (3-6) in the first round.
Junior Jack Bullington connected with senior Brendan Tomkins for a 7-yard TD for Marist (5-4, 0-3) late in the fourth.
The RedHawks are seeded 25th in 8A and host 48th seed Neuqua Valley (3-6) in the opening round.