Bragg-ing rights
Senior receiver sets up St. Rita at the end, but Loyola pulls out CCL/ESCC Blue win in season opener
It’s easy for St. Rita’s Isaiah Bragg to get lost in the shadows. The Mustangs have multiple options on offense, including potential Division I recruits Kaleb Brown and Henry Wilson.
But Bragg, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound senior receiver, nearly stole the spotlight Friday night against Loyola.
His 67-yard catch with 1:25 left in the fourth quarter set up St Rita at the 16-yard line. The Mustangs, however, couldn’t find the end zone from there, dropping a 7-3 CCL/ESCC Blue decision in Chicago.
“He made some big plays for us,” St. Rita coach Todd Kuska said of Bragg, a St. Thomas Minnesota recruit who finished with five catches for 120 yards. “He made some great plays for us last year, too.
“He has been hiding in the shadow. He’s a great playmaker.” Most disappointing for Bragg on the pass play was he didn’t reach the end zone. When he caught the ball, he didn’t think that was going to be a problem.
“I thought I was going to get into the end zone,” he said. “And then I saw four guys chasing me.”
Still, Bragg didn’t lose his sense of humor afterward.
“I have to run track,” he said with a smile. “I have to run faster.”
The key completion came on third-and 13. Bragg credited junior quarterback Tommy Ulatowski for making a great throw.
“He put it right on the money,” Bragg said. “I made one cut,
and the ball was right there.”
An earlier throw from Ulatowski to Bragg wasn’t on the money, but Bragg made a dazzling, over-theshoulder catch that resulted in 34-yard gain.
That set up Jorge Verduzco’s 27-yard field goal with 5:50 remaining in the first quarter.
Michael Gaughan wasn’t the least bit surprised by Bragg’s season-opening performance.
“I told Isaiah last week he’s the most underrated player I’ve met,” Gaughan said. “We worked out all summer together. He’s worked so hard. He’s one of the quickest kids I know. His first step is so explosive. He’s unbelievable.”
Unbelievable is a good way to describe Gaughan’s performance.
The 6-0, 215-pound senior linebacker was all over the field. His interception in the third quarter at the St. Rita 2-yard line kept the Mustangs ahead 3-0.
“To hold Loyola to seven points, that’s saying something,” said Gaughan, who will play lacrosse at St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia. “We have some really good players on defense. We’re a gritty defense. We try our hardest.”
Those seven points came with 2:07 left in the fourth quarter. Loyola partially blocked a punt, providing perfect field position at the St. Rita 33.
Eight plays later, the Ramblers scored the decisive TD.
Even though the offense struggled, rushing for only 57 yards, Bragg and St. Rita put a scare into the Ramblers at the end.
Ulatowski completed 15 of 29 passes for 269 yards. Brown, who has 20-plus BCS scholarship offers, added five carries for 36 yards and two catches for 18 yards.
“That’s a pretty darn good defense we went up against,”
Kuska said. “We’re going to get better. We have playmakers all over the field. Because of those playmakers, we’re always in the game. Our defense really, really played well.”
And despite being sometimes lost in the shuffle, Bragg is fine with that.
He said he’s a team player, first and foremost.
“I’m very proud of my boys,” he said. “It didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but we’ll get better from this. We will all learn from this.
“I trust in the coaches and the game plan. This is the first game. I’m confident we will bounce back from this.”