McGee and Parks Dominate in Brother Rice 7A Title Game Victory

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wednesday night the 7A state championship went down at Northern Illinois University between Brother Rice and St. Rita.&nbsp; It was a cold night and the defenses dominated.&nbsp; Brother Rice threw a shutout winning 16-0.&nbsp; We look at the prospects and game here!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brother Rice Defensive Line Shows Out</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The big fellas up front were the strength of Brother Rice all year and they were stars in the state championship game.&nbsp; When your defensive line goes Illini commit [player_tooltip player_id='208769' first='King' last='Liggins'], top junior defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1334133' first='Brayden' last='Parks'], and likely #1 overall player in 2028 [player_tooltip player_id='1052814' first='Kameron' last='McGee'] on the edge it is a tough task for any offensive line.&nbsp; McGee put on a show right from the jump as the 6'3” 240 pound edge player lived in the backfield all game long for multiple TFLs, sacks, and QB pressures. &nbsp;&nbsp;The athleticism, power to speed, and pass rush moves were off the charts.&nbsp; He had 6 tackles, 4 TFLs, and 2 sacks.&nbsp; Inside at defensive tackle Parks showed why practically every college in the country wants him in their 2027 class.&nbsp; With his athleticism and mobility at the defensive tackle spot going 6'3” 210 pounds he was throwing around the St. Rita center at will.&nbsp; Consistent pressure up the middle both vs the pass and run.&nbsp; Caused havoc on every play.&nbsp; Multiple passes batted down from his defensive tackle spot.&nbsp; Stats read 6 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, and 3 passes batted down. Liggins showed off his athleticism battling down a pass himself.&nbsp; Liked what we saw out of the Brother Rice back end defenders tackling in space.&nbsp; &nbsp;Senior safety Javeyon Lockett led the way with 10 tackles in the victory.&nbsp; Same can be said about fellow DB's Emier White and [player_tooltip player_id='401594' first='Austin' last='Mrskos'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gray's Leadership and Legs of Green Lead Crusaders Offense</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It wasn't the most explosive game for the Brother Rice offense, but they played complimentary football.&nbsp; Army commit [player_tooltip player_id='801994' first='CJ' last='Gray'] is an excellent runner including letting one rip for 54 yards late in the game.&nbsp; Finished off that final drive with a 9 yard touchdown pass to Collin&nbsp;Goggin to put the game out of hand.&nbsp; He is a great fit for Army with his ability as a runner and leader which were both shown in this game.&nbsp; Got St. Rita to jump multiple times with his calls at the line.&nbsp; He had 80 yards rushing along with the one touchdown pass. &nbsp;In the backfield with him was 2026 running back [player_tooltip player_id='401611' first='Jaylin' last='Green'] had a nice outing in his final high school game.&nbsp; Slick runner who has good speed, slippery in the hole, and follows his blocking scheme.&nbsp; Went for 23 carries for 104 yards.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Rita Underclassmen</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Several of the Mustangs best players will be returning next year.&nbsp; Running back [player_tooltip player_id='1619312' first='Brandon' last='Johnson'] Jr is a 5'11” 200 pound back with a strong frame.&nbsp; Runs with a nice combination of power and strength following his blockers and when he gets in the open field he has solid speed.&nbsp; He had 54 yards rushing on 13 carries.&nbsp; On the defensive side Jack&nbsp;Schapendonk is a 2028 linebacker that had a nose for the ball.&nbsp; The 6'2” 200 pound linebacker was around the ball all game long leading his defense in tackles with 12.&nbsp; Also very intrigued with the physical tools of 2028 defensive end Jhalen&nbsp;Clanton who played the run well at 6-2 225 pounds and had a pair of TFLs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->