<body><div><p>Sitting at 1-3 after three straight one-score losses on Sept. 20, Brother Rice was in a tough spot.</p><p>But a stingy defense has helped the Crusaders turn their season around and become playoff-eligible.</p><p>Rice’s fourth straight win came in Week 8, a 35-6 victory over host St. Laurence in a CCL/ESCC crossover. During the winning streak, the Crusaders have allowed just 26 points.</p><p>Rice didn’t allow St. Laurence to earn a first down until the fourth quarter while holding the Vikings to under 50 yards of total offense, according to Crusaders coach Casey Quedenfeld.</p><p>“Our defense was pretty outstanding,” he said. “They played hard. The No. 1 thing is they continue to get better; they’re getting older and more experienced.</p><p>“We’ve started a sophomore — and he’s still there — and juniors at linebacker, cornerback, safety and defensive tackle. Stuff takes time with inexperienced players. The most important thing is communication, and that takes time. But we continue to get better, play faster and more confidently.</p><p>“We hope to continue what we did (in Week 8) because we hope to keep playing.”</p><p>Brother Rice opened the scoring at 8:48 of the first quarter when CJ Gray found Jimmie Maxson with a 20-yard touchdown pass. Gray finished 8-of-12 passing for 105 yards.</p><p>Tyler Lofton, who rushed for 80 yards, scored on a 2-yard run with 3:04 left in the second quarter, making it 14-0 Crusaders.</p><p>“Tyler is growing within the offense,” Quedenfeld said. “There were two big challenges for Tyler when he came from his last school. He had to learn how different the programs and the offenses are and that he doesn’t have to be everything in our offense and the backfield.</p><p>“He’s physical on the field now, and before, he was trying to play the way he played before he came to Brother Rice. He’s become more of a running back, more of a bruiser, and less finesse. He’s doing a good job of trusting what we teach him and being physical when it matters most.”</p><p>The Vikings (6-2) scored their only touchdown with 18 seconds left in the first half when Ayden Ginn returned an interception 90 yards.</p><p>In the third quarter, Rice picked up a pair of touchdowns within a 12-second span. After Gray’s 1-yard run made it 21-6 at the 6:27 mark, senior defensive lineman Charlie Stec picked off a pass and returned it 15 yards for a 28-6 lead with 6:15 left in the quarter.</p><p>The final points of the game came on Conner Stack’s 2-yard touchdown run with 6:58 left in the fourth quarter.</p><p>“We told the kids that we’re proud of them because they overcame three really emotional defeats that were seven points each (to Marist, St. Rita and Loyola),” Quedenfeld said. “At the same time, we’re getting better, but we still point out that we have not played our best game.</p><p>“Our best football should be in front of us. We’re glad we have another week. We’ll see what happens and go from there.”</p><h2>Local News</h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1Et8OZ_0wEnz0TQ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1Et8OZ_0wEnz0TQ00" width="1024" height="768" ></figure><h2>Soccer report: SeatGeek Stadium to host Big Ten tourney games </h2><p>By Jeff Vorva | October 20, 2024 </p><p>Not so fast … It appeared that the soccer season at SeatGeek Stadium was going to be shut down after the Chicago Red Stars played their final regular-season home game Nov. 3 at the Bridgeview facility. But the Big Ten Conference recently announced its men’s soccer tournament quarterfinals and semifinals will be played at SeatGeek…</p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2B6G5o_0wEnz0TQ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2B6G5o_0wEnz0TQ00" width="1024" height="768" ></figure><h2>Gabriel Taylor Jr., Curie move closer to state playoff berth </h2><p>By Mike Clark | October 20, 2024 </p><p>Gabriel Taylor Jr. played Pop Warner football growing up in New Jersey, but his focus shifted when he moved to Chicago before his freshman year. Taylor was part of the Curie boys basketball program, consistently one of the best in the Public League and the state. Football wasn’t on his radar until another basketball player…</p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1hMFDf_0wEnz0TQ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1hMFDf_0wEnz0TQ00" width="1024" height="602" ></figure><p>Area sports roundup: St. Xavier football digs playoff hole after loss to St. Francis </p><p>By Jeff Vorva | October 20, 2024 </p><p>The schedule says that the NAIA football playoffs start on Nov. 23. St. Xavier quarterback Stuart Ross has a different opinion. “It’s playoff time, now,” he said. “We gotta win out the rest of the year. We have to control what we can and win out those games.” The Cougars put themselves in a playoff…</p><h2>Noah Vaughn, Shepard roll past Reavis </h2><p>By Mike Walsh | October 20, 2024 </p><p>Shepard coach John Rone saw this coming. Even though the Astros won just three games in 2023, there was a noticeable level of resiliency and heart that Rone really liked. “It started last year,” Rone said. “We were pretty young and we only started four seniors. But the kids hung through the tough times, they…</p><h2>Defense gets it done again for Richards vs. Evergreen Park </h2><p>By Mike Walsh | October 20, 2024 </p><p>With the state playoffs quickly approaching, Richards coach Tony Sheehan likes that his defense is playing some of its best football of the season. A case in point was a 49-6 Week 8 victory over visiting Evergreen Park in a South Suburban Red matchup. Austin Synoga and Chase Dryier each picked off passes for the…</p><h2>Surging Brother Rice beats St. Laurence for fourth straight win </h2><p>By Mike Walsh | October 20, 2024 </p><p>Sitting at 1-3 after three straight one-score losses on Sept. 20, Brother Rice was in a tough spot. But a stingy defense has helped the Crusaders turn their season around and become playoff-eligible. Rice’s fourth straight win came in Week 8, a 35-6 victory over host St. Laurence in a CCL/ESCC crossover. During the winning…</p><h2>Danny Carroll, Lyons clinch first outright conference title since 1987 </h2><p>By Mike Walsh | October 20, 2024 </p><p>By no means is Danny Carroll the biggest athlete on Lyons’ roster. The senior running back is listed at 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds. In terms of heart and toughness, however, Carroll is among the best the Lions have to offer. In a Week 8, 24-7 victory over York in Elmhurst, Carroll had 32 carries for…</p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=11SH8u_0wEnz0TQ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=11SH8u_0wEnz0TQ00" width="1843" height="1425" ></figure><h2>Argo cruises past Oak Lawn to keep playoff hopes alive </h2><p>By Mike Walsh | October 20, 2024 </p><p>Argo coach Phillip Rossberg’s message to his team before a Week 8 matchup with Oak Lawn was clear: Play well and beat the Spartans to keep hopes of a third consecutive state playoff berth alive. The Argonauts did just that, rolling to a 44-7 South Suburban Red win that snapped a four-game losing streak. Argo…</p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1Oc1Gx_0wEnz0TQ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1Oc1Gx_0wEnz0TQ00" width="536" height="360" ></figure><h2>Obituaries October 17, 2024 </h2><p>By Tony Largent | October 17, 2024 </p><p>ANNA BUCON Anna Bucon, age 100, passed away on Sunday, September 15, 2024. Anna was born in Poland on October 9, 1923, to the late Bronislaw and late Julia (Maslowska) Dawidczuk. She was preceded in death by her brothers, Makarjusz, Aleksander, Stach, and Stefan, and her sister, Pawlina. After World War II, she met her…</p><h2>Clear-Ridge Reporter and NewsHound October 16, 2024 </h2><p>By Tony Largent | October 16, 2024 </p><h2>Neighbors</h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3BJbjK_0wEnz0TQ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3BJbjK_0wEnz0TQ00" width="1024" height="683" ></figure><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4A94yW_0wEnz0TQ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4A94yW_0wEnz0TQ00" width="1024" height="768" ></figure></div></body>

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Surging Brother Rice beats St. Laurence for fourth straight win

Sitting at 1-3 after three straight one-score losses on Sept. 20, Brother Rice was in a tough spot. But a stingy defense has helped the Crusaders turn their season around and become playoff-eligible. Rice’s fourth straight win came in Week 8, a 35-6 victory over host St. Laurence in a...

Surging Brother Rice beats St. Laurence for fourth straight win

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