By Leo Niksic ‘24

Ever since I was a little kid growing up on 97th Street, eight blocks away from Brother Rice, I wanted to go there. Hearing Mr. McDonough screaming, “We need you now, Crusader fans, we need you now!” from my house and going to all the games on Friday nights are experiences I will never forget.

It went by so fast, and before I knew it, high school was over. I can still remember my freshman year. It wasn’t like most. During COVID, it was hard to be online and in school, but I dealt with it just like all my friends did.

For the most part, I really enjoyed my freshman year and still is one of my favorite years at rice. Then my sophomore year rolled around and I was glad to be back. Football started and the team was doing extremely well.

I got to see some of my friends I didn’t see in the summer, and that’s one of my favorite things about Rice. The people you meet here become more than just friends; they become your brothers.  Rice doesn’t just speak about brotherhood; they act on it.

Sophomore year was just like freshman year. It flew by, and now I was an upperclassman of the school. My junior year was a blast. I was starting on varsity for football and had one of my best seasons yet. I was excelling in my classes as well.

That’s one thing I took for granted my first two years of high school, the amount of help given at Brother Rice is absurd. I rolled through my junior year classes with the help of my teachers and made high honors for the first time in my life.

Finally, senior year was here and it started just like the last three years with football. We had the team to make a run for it this year, but injuries hit us and the season didn’t go as planned. I enjoyed my four years of football at Rice and will never forget it.

I was blessed enough to have received an offer to play division 3 football for the University Wisconsin Eau Claire, and that was all thanks to my football coaches from freshman year to senior year. That’s one thing Brother Rice brings to the table, and that’s coaches that care.

The development of me as an athlete from when I came in as a freshman to now is extraordinary. I’ve learned things that will help me on the next level, not just on the field but in the classroom and just life in general. Rice has taught me so much and I will never forget my home on 99th Street.