Four Downs: Stop minimizing Brother Rice's win against Loyola, Montini is back and a Public League showdown
Loyola didn’t make any excuses after losing to Brother Rice 28-6 on the South Side in Week 4.
Sure, Ramblers coach Beau Desherow complained about some injuries his defensive line suffered during the game. But one or two or even a handful of players didn’t make the difference in the game. The Crusaders were the better team in every phase, and their defense was dominant against the run.
Friday night and Saturday brought out some revisionist historians all over social media trying to lessen Brother Rice’s victory, claiming that Loyola is too young and not the same as the past few years.
That’s hogwash. Yes, Loyola is playing sophomores in key positions. But they are big, strong sophomores who are blossoming stars or already stars.
Quarterback Matthew Lee has a Wisconsin offer. He played well against Brother Rice and certainly isn’t the reason the Ramblers lost.
Sophomore receiver Jordan McKinley could be the area’s next major star. He’s 6-3, 220-pounds and has offers from Nebraska, Wisconsin and Iowa State. He’s one of the most physically imposing sophomores I’ve ever covered. It took two or three defenders to drag him down every time he touched the ball.
This is a very good Loyola team coached by the best staff in the state. The Ramblers walked into the stadium on Friday having won 13 consecutive games and three consecutive Class 8A state titles. And Brother Rice beat them soundly.
The big takeaway from the game is not about Loyola. It’s that the Crusaders are one of the best teams in the state and are living up to their potential. Sophomore defensive lineman Kameron McGee could be one of the best players in the country. He played a tremendous game.
Brother Rice hosts St. Patrick next week and then travels to top-ranked Mount Carmel in Week 6. Buckle up for that one.
The Broncos are back
Montini’s run to the Class 3A state title last season didn’t get a ton of local attention. The Broncos smashed Wilmington in the semifinals and knocked off Monticello 49-6 in the title game. It looked like a team beating up on schools two classes too small, and that just isn’t very exciting.
It’s time to pay a lot more attention. Montini returned several players this season and has a genuine star in quarterback Israel Abrams. He’s a top 60 player in the national class of 2027 and ranked as the No. 5 quarterback in the country by 247sports.
Abrams was 15 of 19 for 163 yards and two TDs with no interceptions in the Broncos’ massive win against Fenwick on Friday.
That’s a win against a bigger school and a real eye-opener.
“Our defense did a great job last year [against Fenwick] but we couldn’t score,” Montini coach Mike Bukovsky said. “This year we’re able to score. We’re finding ways to do that and I just think we need more consistency ... We’re happy we’re 4-0 but we certainly are not satisfied with our total performance. We know we can be better.”
The Broncos will be in Class 4A this season and currently appear to the favorites to win the title.
Watch the White
There is always a ton of attention on the CCL/ESCC Blue and the West Suburban Silver. Both are excellent conferences loaded with talented teams.
But the most competitive conference in the area right now is the CCL/ESCC White. Montini and Fenwick are surging, and Carmel and St. Laurence are on the cusp of the Super 25.
The four teams are a combined 13-3 and the only loss outside the conference was Carmel’s defeat against Providence (another team close to Super 25 status).
Public League Saturday
There isn’t a marquee Public League team this season, but there are several quality teams, and two of them match up at Gately Stadium on Saturday when Simeon faces Kenwood.
The Wolverines (2-2) took care of business against Taft and Brooks and were competitive in losses at Wheaton North and Bolingbrook. Kenwood took No. 18 St. Francis to the limit in Week 1 and knocked off St. Viator in Week 2.