By Joseph McGregor ‘25

On Friday, Sept. 20, the Crusaders traveled to Wilmette to face the Ramblers of Loyola Academy, where they suffered a tough loss 28-21.

Junior quarterback C.J. Gray took the ball 75 yards for a touchdown, to tie the game at 7-7 in the first quarter.

From then on, the game was back and forth. Every time one team scored or got a stop, the opposing team would come right back and do the same.

However, the Crusaders trailed 21-14 at halftime and needed to figure out how to take the lead.

Junior Colin Goggin said, “The game was definitely demanding and took a lot to keep going. I think it shows how we can persevere through adversity no matter who we are against.”

Goggin, a junior tight end, has played a major role for the Crusaders this year, frequently appearing on special teams and offense.

The Crusaders fell further behind when the Ramblers connected deep for a 62-yard passing touchdown.

However, the Crusaders would not go down without a fight. With just under eight minutes left to go in the game, C.J. Gray found Colin Goggin for a touchdown to put the Crusaders within striking distance.

All that was needed now was for the defense to get a stop, and that’s exactly what they did.

With only 45 seconds remaining in the game, the Crusader offense attempted to drive 80 yards to the endzone to tie the game up.

Unfortunately, their attempt to comeback fell short on a “Hail Mary” throw to senior Jimmy Maxson.

Sophomore Tyler Frazier said, “I just kept thinking all we needed was one big play and we could tie the game. I felt confident we would win in overtime.”

The Crusaders  have had a frustrating start to the season, losing three games straight all by one score.

Senior Christian Pierce said, “We performed well but we just have to finish games. That’s the point of this season – to finish games. We have all the opportunities appointed to us; we just have to go out and finish.”

The Crusaders still have hope and believe they have a chance to make a deep run in the playoffs come November. The Crusaders face off against cross-town rival Mount Carmel this Friday, Oct. 4. Catch all the action on our student broadcast, Brother Rice TV.

Photo credit: Joshua Torres ‘25