Brother Rice tennis is back on the roll again with senior James Habisohn qualifying for the IHSA state finals. Before last year Brother Rice qualified players for 12 consecutive years to the state finals. Now James Habisohn has brought Brother Rice back to its tennis preeminence by placing third in a field of seventeen at the University Lab High School tennis sectional. State tennis finals begin on Thursday, May 24.
Habisohn Qualifies for State in Tennis
May 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Crusader Rugby Heads to State Final
May 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
It’s never easy to beat a team twice in the same season, but in the end, the Brother Rice Crusaders did just that in their semi-final victory over Mt. Carmel at home on Friday, May 18.
The Crusaders wore down a determined Caravan squad, and pulled away with a 48-21 win that puts them into the state final on Memorial Day Monday (4:00). The winner of Mondays Morton (defending champion) and Lincoln Way match will be the opposition.
Led by fullback Alex Lynch’s pair of tries, the Crusaders would not be denied an opportunity to return to the state final. Mike Houston showed why he donned All American Honors as he got the Crusaders on the board early. After Pat Watson gained great territory taking it down inside the Caravan 20, the Crusaders recycled twice before Houston broke a couple of tackles on his way across the try line. Danny Lyons converted for an early 7-0 lead. Lyons followed that up with a penalty after Houston forced a Caravan penalty for holding on and taking a quick tap 40 yards. Another Caravan penalty allowed the Lyons kick to increase the lead to 10-0 before Mt. Carmel was able to score a try of their own and make it a close 10-7 game.
The Crusaders answered back when Lyons pinned the Caravan deep in their own territory with a kick into the corner, and then applied pressure which caused a Caravan knock on. The ensuing 5 yard scrum was a thing of beauty as Houston threw a miss pass to an inserting Lynch from the fullback position who went in untouched (until he was accidently kicked under the posts). Lyons again was good for a 17-7 lead.
Again the Crusaders took territory as Justin Vainer put a kick in behind the Caravan defense. Carmel’s only option was to kick to touch and again the Crusaders saw themselves with favorable attacking position. Rice took the lineout cleanly and Lyons made a dart for the try line; the ball sprung loose into a supporting Bart Oborka’s hands who lunged over for the try. Lyons’ conversion made it 24-7. The Caravan, again showing their determination, took advantage of a strong pack to again push over for a score before the halftime whistle which saw Rice ahead 24 – 14.
Rice came out strong to start the second half and look determined. Nolan Corley, who ran hard on the left wing all night long, took a ball deep into Caravan territory, and after multiple phases, James Gannon would not be denied as he leaped over a defender for the score to increase the lead with Lyons’ conversion to 31-14. The Caravan was forced to kick away possession throughout the night as the Crusader defense was relentless. Taking advantage of that territory on a lineout 30 yards out, Ryan Flynn was able to pick up an overthrown lineout and got the Crusaders on the front foot. The backs then put the ball through their hands and got it wide to Corley, who ran a great switch line off Lynch and cut back through the Caravan defense, dashing 25 yards for the score. Lyons was good again to put the score 38-14.
Mt Carmel would not go quietly after they were again forced to kick, but this time the opposition found space behind the Crusader backline and few missed tackles later found the Caravan back in it at 38 – 21. The nail in the coffin came after Corley countered a Caravan kicking attempt that failed to find touch. Lyons then faked a kick and took the ball 40 yards down to the Caravan 20. Again, safe phases found the Crusaders close to try and Mike Murphy was able to dot down for the score.
Lynch closed out the scoring with his second of the match with a replay of his earlier score when he inserted, and Houston hit him; his pace, power, and purpose proved too much as he went over the tryline. Rice then closed out the 48-21 win and advanced to the championship game.
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TRIES: Houston, Lynch (2), Oborka, Gannon, Corley, Murphy
CONVERSIONS: Lyons 5 of 7
PENALTIES: Lyons
Mt. Carmel
TRIES 3
CONVERSIONS 3
Crusader Track Takes 2nd at Sectionals, Sends Four to State
May 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Thursday the Track team competed in the St. Ignatius Sectional at Concordia University. The Crusaders placed 2nd as a team. Qualifying for the state meet next weekend at Eastern Illinois University were Sam Jaros who finished 2nd in the Pole Vault, Kevin Jones who was 2nd in the High Jump, Cody Stull who placed 2nd in the Discus, and Marcus Cheatom who was the Discus Champion and 2nd in the Shot Put.
Lacrosse Beats Harlan on Senior Night
May 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The Lacrosse team held its Senior Night on Tuesday, May 15, and hosted Harlan Academy. The Crusaders prevailed 17-1 for a win in their last home game of the 2012 season. It was also the team’s grade school night, as local students from the surrounding parishes were invited and treated to hot dogs and Brother Rice Lacrosse T-shirts. The game was never in doubt as the Crusaders offense took the ball straight from the opening face-off and placed it into the Falcons’ net. The game saw a number of Crusaders earn multiple point performances, most notably Brennan Cira and Quinn Coyle, who each scored 3 goals; Matt Badali scored 2 goals and fed others for 3 assists.
The Crusaders now end the season on the road against Fenwick and find out this weekend who their opponent will be in the first round of the Illinois Lacrosse Cup playoffs. Fifty-seven players are competing on the team’s varsity, junior varsity, and frosh-soph levels.
Rugby Frosh/Soph State Semi-Final at Brother Rice
May 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The FR/SO Rugby State Semi-Finals kicked off Thursday night at Brother Rice as the Crusaders hosted the traveling Predator Rugby Club from St. Charles. Led by a hat trick of tries out of 8-man Luke Mueller and with 2 from Freshman Center Jimmy Opoka, the Crusaders scored early and often in their 8 try 50-19 victory. The win puts the Crusaders into the state final of the Inaugural FR/SO Illinois State Competition.
Mueller started and ended the try scoring in the first half, and the big #8 showed his athleticism on the second when he would take an 8-man pick off the base of the scrum and outrun the Predator defense 80 yards for the score. Opoka dotted down his first try after a long dashing run by flyhalf Nate Swanberg. Swanberg then made a beautiful offload to a supporting Mueller who recycled before Opoka crossed in the corner. Opoka added another moments later, and the onslaught was on.
Freshman Fullback Jack Desmond provided some razzle dazzle after receiving a Predator clearing kick. The speedy 15 took the kick on the full before putting in a chip and chase of his own, outpacing the Predator defense when he scooped up the loose ball and finished off a great individual try. Freshman Alex Borys, making the switch from the 15 Jersey to the 13, was 3 of 5 on first half conversions which saw Brother Rice take a 3 -0 lead into halftime.
Mike McGinley made sure the team didn’t come out flat and got the Crusaders on the board early in the second half. Mueller added his third try and Borys converted both for the 45-0 lead. The visiting Predators fought back with two converted tries of their own, and it looked like the Predators had signs of life, 45-14. It appeared that momentum continued with the Predators 5 yards out, but Kyler Ayres came away with the ball and dash 95 yards for the score. The Cameron Fahey conversion was no good as Brother Rice hit the 50 mark for the third time this season (and once they had 49).
Ayres, McGinley, Swanberg, Andrew Canedo, Charlie McDermott, and Pat Hosty led a strong defensive effort and caused havoc in and around the rucks for the Predators all night long. The Predators attempted a late try to finish out the scoring 50 – 19.
Brother Rice now faces the winner of Friday Night’s Nequa Valley vs. Waubonsie Valley match in the Memorial Day State Final.
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Brother Rice 50 (8 Tries, 5 conversions)
Tries: Mueller (3), Opoka (2), Desmond, McGinley, Ayres
Conversions: Borys 5 of 7, Fahey 0 of 1
Predators 19 (3 Tries, 2 conversions)
Volleyball Defeats State Champ Sandburg
May 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
In volleyball action at home on Thursday, May 16, the varsity Crusaders defeated defending state champion Sandburg in an exciting 3 game match on Senior Night. Sophomore Mitch Weiler led all hitters with 10 kills and junior Ryan Paull added 6 kills and 4 solo blocks. The Crusaders ended the regular season at 23-12 overall.
This weekend, the volleyball team competes in the 2nd Annual Chicagoland Catholic JV Boys Volleyball Championship at Brother Rice. Play begins Friday, May 18, at 5:00 P.M. through Saturday, May 19 at 11:00 A.M. A complete schedule is posted on the volleyball bulletin board outside of the cafeteria.
The IHSA Regional Volleyball will be hosted by Brother Rice next week and will include the following schools: Blue Island (Eisenhower), Chicago (Brother Rice), Chicago (Fenger), Chicago (Marist), Palos Heights (Shepard).
Play is scheduled as follows:
Monday, May 21 – Brother Rice South Gym
Match 1 at 6:30 P.M.: (13) Blue Island (Eisenhower) vs. (20) Chicago (Fenger);
Match 2 at 7:30 P.M.: (12) Palos Heights (Shepard) vs. (21) Bridgeview (Universal)- *Universal has forfeited- there will only be one game on Monday now at 6:30 P.M.
Tuesday, May 22 – Mother McAuley Gym
Match 4 at 4:30 P.M.: (5) Chicago (Brother Rice) vs. Winner Match 2
Match 3 at 5:30 P.M.: (4) Chicago (Marist) vs. Winner Match 1
Wednesday, May 23 – Brother Rice South Gym
Match 5 at 7:00 P.M.: Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4
Bass Fishing Team Takes 3rd Place in Three Rivers Qualifier – Advances to District 230 Classic Championship
May 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Coupled with cold rain, an early morning storm on Saturday, May 12, made for a late start to the District 230 Three Rivers Qualifier tournament and a tough day of fishing overall. Only one boat out of twenty participants was able to net the limit of five keeper fish for weigh in.
Junior Bryan Lee and sophomores Joe Hays and Brendan Moriarty were able to land three hard earned keeper bass for Brother Rice for a total weight of just under five pounds. Boat captain Ted Lowery ’73 pulled out all the stops in his game plan under the tough conditions, but the fish just didn’t cooperate. The team caught a few smaller fish but they were not able to add to their total. However, the three keeper bass were enough for a 3rd place finish for the day.
Coupled with their 1st place win in the District 230 Spring Showdown several weeks ago, the 3rd place finish qualified the team for the District 230 Classic Championship on the DesPlaines River in Channahon, Illinois on Saturday, May 19. The Classic Championship will pit the top finishing teams from previous District 230 tournaments. This tournament will close out the 2012 season and conclude an outstanding year for our Crusader anglers, who have added three new trophies to our display case this year (so far). Great job men! Best of luck and Go Crusaders!
The Standard: Crusader Lacrosse Season Finale
May 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
As the end of the 2012 Brother Rice lacrosse season nears, the Crusaders have a chance to end the season on a high note. The Crusaders will square off against Harlan Academy on Tuesday May 15, at 5:30 P.M. for the final home game of the season and as a farewell for the two seniors of the team. Eighth grade students are invited to the game and will receive a free hot dog and drink along with a free Brother Rice Crusader lacrosse t-shirt.
The Crusader lacrosse program is now wrapping up its second year of existence and the first year as a varsity program. The varsity squad was able to earn the first win of the season with a hard fought victory of Nazareth Academy in the first game. The Crusaders would then fall to their next four opponents before adding the second win of the season against Montini Catholic and the first home win at in Gary Little Stadium in the history of Brother Rice lacrosse. The Crusaders would then not see the win column for the rest of the season, bringing their record to two and nine at this point in the season. The team still looks to finish the season and gain momentum for the play-offs beginning Monday May, 21. With Harlan Academy and Fenwick still remaining on the schedule, the Crusaders look to close out the season strong and send away the two seniors with a win and a play-off push.
In the first year of varsity lacrosse, the Crusaders will be saying good-by to two seniors from the team. Goalie Kevin Mertic and defensive midfielder Greg Ludwig played important roles for the team this season. Each was a defensive standout in his two year career with the Brother Rice lacrosse program. Both joined the team to try something new; goalie Kevin Mertic said, “I started playing lacrosse because it seemed like a fun new sport at Rice.” Mertic volunteered as goalie and has loved playing with the team since. Both Kevin and Greg played defense for the Crusaders, supplying great midfield play from Greg and brick wall saves from Kevin. The coaching staff will have to replace the two with young talent, but the next goalie and defensive midfield have large shoes to fill. The two seniors will be honored before the game against Harlan Academy on Tuesday.
With the season coming to a close, the Crusader varsity lacrosse team will try to end the season on a high note and go far into the play-offs. Both Harlan Academy and Fenwick games promise to be great match-ups and great lacrosse play is expected for the remainder of the season. Play-offs will start next week on Monday, May 21, with a probable opponent of Bartlett. The Crusaders will look to use the great playing from the seniors, make a long push in the post season, and plan to build even more on the platform that the seniors have built.
Summer Sand Volleyball League and Tournament Registration
May 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Brother Rice will host the third season of the Illinois High School Summer Sand Volleyball League and State Tournament. Boys and girls teams are welcome and no coach is needed. All incoming freshmen and graduated seniors are invited to participate. Play will occur between Monday, July 9, and Friday, July 20. Teams consist of two players; both players must attend the same high school. The IHSA allows this program under its’ 25 Day Summer Contact Rule. Please contact Brother Paul Ickes – League and Tournament Director at (773) 428-1957 or e-mail pickes@brrice.org with any questions.
Further information and registration forms can be found here. The application deadline for the league is Friday, June 22nd.
Track Takes 4th at CCL
May 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
On Saturday, May 12, the track team took 4th at the Chicago Catholic League Championship. All-Catholic League honors were awarded to Kevin Jones, who placed 5th in the triple jump, long jump and 3rd in the high jump; Sam Jaros took 4th in the pole vault; Marcus Cheatom placed 3rd in the shot put; Pat Mahoney came away with 3rd in the 300 hurdles; Dan Caddigan placed 5th in the mile; and Cody Stull took 4th in the shot put. Event runner-ups were Marcus Cheatom in the discus and the 2 mile relay team of Emmet McClain, Aaron Larson, Dan Caddigan and Dennis Hasty. Cody Stull was also the discus champ. On Thursday, May 17, the team will compete in the St. Ignatius Sectional at Concordia University for the right to qualify for the state meet.
