NORMAL — Sam Holcomb’s first option was thwarted.
Yet Brother Rice’s freshman quarterback would not be denied.
Holcomb looked left and found Lucas Strang with a 43-yard pass for a touchdown with 18 seconds left in the first half that gave the Crusaders a lead they would not relinquish in a 41-10 Class 7A quarterfinal victory over host Normal on Nov. 14.
“It was geared toward another player. Our slot receiver on the right side was wide open, but they did a great job getting pressure on that side,” Brother Rice coach Casey Quedenfeld said. “Our quarterback rolled to the left and just threw a fantastic ball to our other receiver and he went up and made a play.”
Defending 7A state champion and No. 2-ranked Brother Rice is 10-2 and meets No. 1 East St. Louis in the semifinals in Chicago. The No. 4-ranked Ironmen close their season at 11-1.
Normal took a 10-7 lead on a 38-yard Adler Jimenez field goal at the 43-second mark of the second quarter. A 41-yard kickoff return by Damari Thigpen set up the Crusaders for the go-ahead touchdown.
Brother Rice controlled the second half, holding the Ironmen to 82 yards of total offense.
The Crusaders stung Normal with a 74-yard Jameson Davis touchdown jaunt on the second half’s first play from scrimmage that Ironmen coach Jason Drengwitz said “gutted” his team.
“We talked at halftime about getting back to what we are good at. That’s running the football,” Quedenfeld said. “It just happened to be the first play. We did a great job blocking and gave our running back a lane, and he did what he was supposed to do.”
Holcomb then hit receiver Anthony Cartolano perfectly in stride down the left sideline for a 42-yard touchdown pass on third-and-13 for a 27-10 advantage.
“We made some adjustments at halftime that led us to us picking it up in the second half for sure,” Holcomb said.
Holcomb finished an efficient 12-of-15 passing for 149 yards.
“Honestly, words can’t express what he means as a player,” Quedenfeld said of Holcomb. “Great kid, comes from great parents. He would give his heart and soul for this team and for the game of football. Anytime you get a guy like that you’re lucky.”
While the Brother Rice defense kept Ironmen quarterback Lucas Beaty on the run, the Crusaders tacked on second-half touchdowns with a 16-yard Davis scamper and a 3-yard plunge by Aydan Yarbrough.
The lone Normal touchdown came on the Ironmen’s initial possession. A nine-play, 75-yard march culminated in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Beaty to All-State receiver Luke Potts.
Beaty found Potts with eight of his 12 completions (in 19 attempts), but sound Brother Rice tackling limited Potts to 46 yards.
The Crusaders forged a 7-7 tie on a 4-yard scoring run by Decatur Washington with seven seconds left in the first quarter.
“We were terrible on third down in the first half, absolutely absymal,” Quedenfeld said. “No excuses for that.”
Brother Rice compiled 343 yards of total offense with Davis covering 122 yards on nine carries.
The Crusaders sacked Beaty three times, two by linebacker Jack Badke. Normal 1,000-yard rusher Malakai Kinsey was held to 25 yards on 10 attempts.
“That team is phenomenal. Big, athletic, skilled, well coached,” Drengwitz said. “Their defensive line was pressuring, and Lucas was doing everything he could to will us to a win. All those guys were.”