Penalty a game-changer
Sepulveda’s key INT gets called back before Loyola pulls away from Brother Rice
Trailing Loyola 14-0 after three quarters, Brother Rice needed a big play that would change the game’s momentum.
It looked like the Crusaders received one Thursday when linebacker Rolando Sepulveda intercepted a deflected pass and returned the ball 27 yards into Loyola territory.
“Rolando has a nose for the ball,” Brother Rice coach Brian Badke said. “He’s a football player, and we needed a play like that to give us some energy.”
The interception, however, was negated by a pass interference penalty on the host Crusaders.
That allowed Loyola to maintain possession, which the Ramblers turned into a touchdown and a 28-7 CCL/ESCC Blue win in Chicago.
Sepulveda thought the teammate who was flagged for interference had made a clean play.
“I didn’t know there was a flag until after I was tackled,” he said. “I heard people yelling and complaining. I had no clue. I thought it was a good play. It would have given us a great scoring opportunity.”
Instead, Loyola (3-0, 2-0) took advantage and pulled away behind Ball State-bound running back Vaughn Pemberton, who finished with 155 yards and two touchdowns.
Brother Rice (1-2, 0-2) struggled offensively, with quarterback Jack Lausch accounting for 174 of 208 total yards. He rushed for 86 yards.
The 6-foot-3 junior completed 12 of 22 passes for 88 yards, including a 7-yard TD to Dwayne Moorehead.
Lausch unleashed a 58-yard run in the fourth quarter that was by far the Crusaders’ longest play of the day.
“It felt awesome, but we need to make more plays like that,” he said. “Our defense played great.”
While Lausch confirmed Sepulveda’s potential interception would have given Brother Rice a big boost, he also lamented wasted opportunities.
“Obviously, we have to do a better job of responding,” Lausch said. “We need to make more plays.”
Speaking of plays, Sepulveda has emerged as an impact performer.
“He makes plays,” Badke said of the 5-10, 193-pound junior. “He’s a talented
player. He’s more of a quiet leader, but he’s stepped up for us. He’s only going to get better.”
Sepulveda is confident the Crusaders will play better the remaining three games, beginning with a Week 4 showdown against St. Laurence.
“We have to come out strong against St. Laurence,” he said. “We have to get a lead and keep building on it. We will be ready.”
Brother Rice’s defense stood tall in the first half against Loyola.
A 53-yard TD pass with 1:33 to go in the first half, however, gave the Ramblers a 7-0 lead.
Other than that, the Crusaders were outstanding on defense, limiting the Ramblers to 17 yards rushing and 78 yards passing.
“They got us on a play-action (play) on that touchdown in the first half,” Sepulveda said. “We stopped the run in the first half. Their offensive line is big and their running back is really good.”
Badke pointed to three things that turned the tide toward the Ramblers.
“The touchdown before the half, the penalty that negated the interception and the referee not giving me a timeout when they scored to make it 14-0,” he said. “Our defense played their butts off.
“We’re struggling on offense. We have to find our identity on offense. We’re going to keep working at it. We have three games left and we plan on making the best of them. But give Loyola credit. They executed and we didn’t.”