5 Takeaways: Brother Rice vs Downers Grove North

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday afternoon we caught the 7A state semi final as Brother Rice hosted Downers Grove North.&nbsp; It was close in the first half, but Brother Rice flexed their muscle in the second half to go on to win 45-17.&nbsp; We look at the top prospects and more in <strong>5 Takeaways: Brother Rice vs Downers Grove North</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brother Rice Rushing Attack</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Quite simply the rushing attack for Brother Rice was nothing short of dominant.&nbsp; How much so?&nbsp; They had three guys go for over 100 yards on the ground in this game.&nbsp; Let's start with Army commit quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='801994' first='CJ' last='Gray'].&nbsp; He had a couple interceptions in the air, but he was magic with his legs going in for 4 touchdowns in this contest.&nbsp; Perfect fit at the next level for what Army does with running and play action pass.&nbsp; He is smooth with the ball running and has acceleration.&nbsp; Scored on runs from 6 yards, 16 yards, 1 yard, and 7 yards.&nbsp; Fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='401611' first='Jaylin' last='Green'] had his moments of brilliance as well.&nbsp; The back is so adept at making quick jump cuts.&nbsp; Runs sideline to sideline and cuts it up field for big plays.&nbsp; Runs well behind his pads and had a 1 yard TD on a possession he carried his team down the field.&nbsp; Junior back [player_tooltip player_id='1303748' first='Jameson' last='Davis'] has such a good feel for running and juice with it in his hands.&nbsp; Gets skinny in the hole and explodes in the open field.&nbsp; Scored one from 21 yards out.&nbsp; They ran behind an outstanding offensive line led by junior power 4 offensive tackle [player_tooltip player_id='1335452' first='Ethan' last='Posey'] at left tackle.&nbsp; On the right side Matthew Pikus cleared the way.&nbsp; Inside Joe Siegler and Peter Hosty carved up space.&nbsp; Also really like the way top 5 sophomore tight end [player_tooltip player_id='1682020' first='Jack' last='McNamara'] blocks.&nbsp; He is a legit inline tight end that can both catch passes and block.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Crusaders Defense Dominant</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As good as they were on the ground offensively they were equally as stellar defensively.&nbsp; It all starts with 2028 EDGE [player_tooltip player_id='1052814' first='Kameron' last='McGee'] who has made an insanely strong case for the #1 spot in his class.&nbsp; The freakish defender was a force getting multiple TFLs exploding through opponents.&nbsp; He batted down at least three passes including dropping back in coverage 10+ yards down the middle of the field for one.&nbsp; Consistent pressure on the QB.&nbsp; Even put the exclamation point on the game with a wildcat 2 point conversion run.&nbsp; Top junior defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1334133' first='Brayden' last='Parks'] is a load at defensive tackle!&nbsp; Mauled in the run game clogging things up and making tackles on his own.&nbsp; Got pressure up the middle as a pass rusher and also contributed on offense blowing the hole up as a lead blocker for Gray on a short TD run.&nbsp; Illini commit [player_tooltip player_id='208769' first='King' last='Liggins'] is a really nice prospect as an athletic and versatile defensive lineman that was active throughout the win.&nbsp; Charlie Barkmeier caught our attention as a tackling machine as the linebacker was always around the ball and forced a fumble.&nbsp; South Dakota State commit Emeir White is a 5'10” 180 pound defensive back who ran well with receivers downfield and also had an interception.&nbsp; What a game for 5'9” 160 pound defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1346060' first='Damari' last='Thigpen'].&nbsp; He had an interception early in the game.&nbsp; Big hit on a wide receiver.&nbsp; Also displayed his big time ability in the return game as he had a pair of big returns one on a punt and the other on a kick off.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1st Half Miscues Keep Game Tight</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite Brother Rice dominating on the ground and defensively in the first half it was 17-10.&nbsp; They had multiple costly mistakes that kept DGN in the game including a pick 6, interception in the endzone at the end of the half, and several penalties defensively.&nbsp; Need to clean this up for next week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bright Spots for DGN</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Minnesota commit [player_tooltip player_id='212320' first='Owen' last='Lansu'] struggled in this one with consistent pressure in his face all game long.  He did make a couple nice touch throws on the move showing his athleticism and touch.  Those passes were to senior Max Troha who has excellent hands catching three balls that were touch that he had to adjust to in the air.  Tight end [player_tooltip player_id='1623276' first='Will' last='Vala'] is an Illinois commit who caught several short passes then finished his career off with a 15 yard TD grab.  Also tipped a pass to a teammate on the defensive side which led to a score.  That score was by Jacob Vromann.  The 6'4” 215 pound EDGE player was the biggest stock riser in this game on the DGN side.  He had a pick 6 to give his team momentum in the first half.  Also had a fumble recovery, batted down passes, and crashed down the line for TFL.  Defensive back Connor Crowley high pointed a nice interception in the endzone.  He is a 2028 to keep an eye on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rematch for 7A Title vs St. Rita</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brother Rice will now face St. Rita in the 7A championship next Saturday in Bloomington.&nbsp; This will be a Chicago Catholic League rematch from a game played on September 12 where Brother Rice won 28-10.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->