Crusaders pick Ramblers apart
Brother Rice senior Danny Fitzgerald is one of those loud, competitive types, Crusaders coach Brian Badke says.
“Danny has been working really hard,” Badke said. “He drives us crazy, but we love him. He’s just a really good competitor.”
Fitzgerald has plenty to crow about after his performance Friday night in No. 14 Brother Rice’s 35-3 win against No. 12 Loyola. He had two of the Crusaders’ five interceptions. Things were going so well that a ball even came out of a Loyola running back’s hands and right into Fitzgerald’s. He returned it 55 yards for a touchdown.
“I was pursuing to the ball to help out with the tackle, and it just popped into my hands,” he said. “That was a good one.”
Fitzgerald and his defensive mates were rock-solid, and Loyola (2-2, 0-1 Catholic League Blue) was unable to establish a running game. Ramblers quarterback Matthew Schiltz was 15-for-26 passing for 168 yards and five interceptions.
“[The defense] is a special group,” Badke said. “We’ve had an explosive offense the past few years and probably had better players on the offensive side. But now, this year, we have a really talented group of kids [on defense]. It starts up front, and they did a great job.”
Brother Rice also has a talented quarterback. Senior John Bean seemed to always make the right decision, even turning blown plays into big gains. On one particularly impressive play in the second quarter, Bean saw the pass rush was almost at him. He spun around, scrambled to the opposite side of the field and threw to receiver Jahlil Pettis for a 26-yard completion.
“They brought the blitz, and I had to figure out the way to get out of it,” Bean said. “I knew my teammate was going to be there for me when I needed him.”
Bean was 14-for-20 passing for 247 yards and one touchdown. He had 10 carries for 36 yards and one touchdown.
“[Bean] is always going to go forward,” Badke said. “He’s a load, and he’s become a great student of the game and a leader of our team.”
Running back Jessi Plunkett was another dependable workhorse with 19 carries for 50 yards and one touchdown.
Brother Rice (4-0, 1-0) last beat Loyola in 2014.
“We had this date circled on our calendar since last year,” Bean said. “We prepared for it all week, and we were ready. The defense did an unbelievable job tonight, and this win goes to them. The way they played tonight was outstanding.”
Said Badke: “Our guys were prepared. They worked extremely hard. They are a fun group to coach, and they love to compete. When you are around that every day as a team, you are going to develop to do great things.”
The Crusaders weren’t talked about a ton in the preseason, but wins against Marist and Loyola have changed things.
“We had state championship circled ever since last year,” Bean said. “We just love being the underdogs.”