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As beginnings go, it’s tough to top the one that K.J. Morris provided his Brother Rice teammates.
On the opening kickoff of the Crusaders’ 48-0 CCL/ESCC crossover victory over St. Patrick at Triton College in Week 5, Morris sprinted 95 yards for a touchdown. For an encore, Morris returned a punt 45 yards for a TD in the third quarter.
After losses to Marist, St. Rita and Loyola – all by one touchdown apiece – the Crusaders (2-3) responded well against the Shamrocks (2-3).
“It’s nice to get in the win column for the boys,” Brother Rice coach Casey Quedenfeld said. “That’s the most important thing more than schemes or game plans.
“We just wanted to get into the win column.”
After Morris’ kickoff return, Jameson Davis gave the Crusaders a 14-0 lead with a 7-yard TD run at 7:57 of the first quarter.
Tyler Lofton (12 carries, 100 yards) widened the guests’ advantage to 21-0 with a 10-yard TD run with 5:31 remaining in the opening period.
The Crusaders had an 11-yard TD pass from C.J. Gray (10-of-15, 104 yards, two TDs) to Kris Love, making it 27-0 at halftime.
Morris’ punt return made it 34-0 at 10:31 of the third quarter. Gray connected with Jimmie Maxson on an 8-yard TD pass at the 3:51 mark, and Joshua Garcia’s 2-yard run with 8:58 remaining accounted for the final margin.
“C.J. did some nice things for us,” Quedenfeld said. “We want to have a balanced attack and different guys stepped up for us.
“We wanted to make sure we did some things to make sure that we had a balanced attack. We wanted to give the kids a chance out there and see what they’re able to do.”
With the offense playing well, the Crusaders’ defense also had an impact as its first string didn’t allow the Shamrocks past the 50-yard-line. Conner Stack and Keith Edwards had interceptions for Brother Rice.
“We’re getting better at communication on defense and we’re focused on that,” Quedenfeld said. “We’re focused on the communication pre-snap.”
