By Tadgh Callaghan ‘25
Imagine this: the biggest football rivalry of the year goes into overtime. The football game last Friday could only be described as something out of a movie. Our Brother Rice Crusaders took on the Marist Redhawks in the annual clash of the Battle of Pulaski.
Senior Conner Stack said before the game, “This game means everything to me. Ever since I knew I was going to be at Brother Rice, I wanted to play in this game.”
The safety went on to play a crucial role in the Brother Rice defense, getting multiple tackles while dealing with an injury. Many of the Crusaders dealt with injuries or cramps during the battle, mostly coming on the defensive side of the ball.
Senior Jackson Kierna said, “It was one of the most fun games I’ve been able to watch, even with us losing.”
The Crusader Crazies brought an electric atmosphere all night long, from the seniors leading the chants to the freshmen high in the stands for their first high school football game.
With the game tied after halftime and mostly through the third quarter, both sides were nervous. In the fourth after a long drive, the Crusaders were able to score and go up seven points with a little more than a minute remaining.
A quick drive and score from the Redhawks forced the game into overtime. The stadium was extremely loud, with everyone out of their seats trying to see who would come out on top.
The Redhawks had the ball first at the 10-yard line. The first three attempts were stuffed by our giant defensive linemen. The Crazies were jumping with so much force some of us thought the bleachers were going to collapse. On the fourth and final offensive play, the Redhawks were able to get in the end zone. Now it was up to our offense.
The Crusaders started at the ten as well, getting inside the five on their first play. The offensive line was already down a man with a knee injury from Week 1. The next two plays were runs up the middle, both stuffed by the Redhawk defense.
The Crusaders were down to their final play.
It was a run up the middle which was met with a pile of bodies, both white and maroon. The pile moved forward slowly until crashing down. The referees ran in, trying to figure out if the football had gone into the goal line. The answer devastated the Crusader fans. The final score was Marist 34, Rice 27.
Senior Aidan Nohava said, “We all know how much our guys wanted to win against them our senior year. It was all they talked about the last few weeks.”
While the score might not have been what we wanted for our Crusaders, they gave it all they had. Many of the players are battling through injuries. Now, we’ve set our eyes on a new battle ahead: the St. Rita Mustangs.
Photo Source: Josh Torres ’25
