By ANDREW WYDER
DAILY SOUTHTOWN
Brother Rice coach Brian Badke could see his team grow in real time Friday night, with no one better personifying that than quarterback Ben Somers.
The junior’s night didn’t get off to the most promising of starts against Marist following a multiple-interception game in a Week 3 loss.
Midway through the first quarter of a Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Blue matchup, a Somers pass was tipped, intercepted and returned for a score, and the RedHawks still led when the Crusaders took over possession on their 8-yard line late in the second quarter.
But Somers led Brother Rice on a 10-play, 92-yard drive that culminated in his 14-yard touchdown pass to Jahlil Pettis that gave the Crusaders a lead they maintained in a 17-14 victory.
“After that pick, it was a little heartbreaking,” Somers said. “You got to forget that. (My teammates) were coming up to me, ‘It’s still early. It’s still early. You come back. You bounce back.’ We did. We came back.”
The scoring strike was one of two that Somers threw on a night he accounted for 161 passing yards and another 53 yards on the ground for the Crusaders (3-1, 1-0).
“He’s a warrior. He’s a tough kid,” Badke said. “He’s a student of the game. I’m really proud of his work ethic, not only on the field but in the classroom. He’s really, really taken ownership of that position.”
