By Tadgh Callaghan ‘25
Mount Carmel, the number three ranked team in the state, came into our house trying to prove they own the Chicago Catholic League. They were very wrong.
The Caravan were very confident about their matchup against our Brother Rice Crusaders. It has been three years since Brother Rice has beaten Mount Carmel, but things were about to change.
The game started off with the Caravan’s quarterback throwing six straight complete passes. After a quick drive, Mount Carmel was up 6-0.
Now it was the Crusader offense’s turn, putting together a nice drive deep into Caravan territory. The team got on the board with a passing touchdown in the corner of the end zone. Unfortunately, the Crusaders missed an extra point as well. The game became a stalemate, and the score remained 6-6 going into halftime.
Senior Punter Tater Klinger said, “We knew we had them at halftime when the game was tied.”
The punter played a crucial role in the battle, flipping the field constantly and making it as difficult as possible for the Caravan offense. The senior has had his best season so far with this being his second year playing on varsity.
Both defenses looked strong in the second half; the score remained 6-6 going into the 4th quarter. Finally, the Crusaders scored on a 5-yard touchdown run, to take the lead 13-6.
As the clock was running down, the Caravan threw a deep touchdown pass over the middle, tying the game 13-13 with one minute left. It was on the offense to put together a drive to get into field goal range.
The drive started off with a 12-yard run to get the ball rolling. Junior quarterback C.J. Gray connected with junior wide receiver Jovan Green down the sideline to get the Crusaders in field goal range.
Now in field goal range, it was time to put up or shut up for the Crusaders. As the last seconds passed, junior kicker Brady Gomez lined up for his kick. Gomez was previously 0-3 on field goals for the season. You could hear a pin drop as the ball went through the goalpost. The crowd exploded with pure excitement. The Crusader Crazies stormed the field in an all-out celebration.
Senior defensive end Charlie Stec said, “Our backs were against the wall, we needed the win.”
The defensive end had a monster game, finishing with three sacks, a season high. The senior put his body on the line having to be helped up on the last defensive drive of the game.
The Crusaders were victorious over the Caravan with the final score of 16-13. The Crusaders host Notre Dame this Friday for the homecoming game. Catch all the action on Brother Rice TV.
Picture credit: Josh Torres
