Brother Rice Stops St. Patrick

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY 

St. Patrick first year head coach Tom Zbikowski was expecting a difficult game on the road against unbeaten Brother Rice (5-0). The Crusaders, who upset Loyola the week before, delivered a dominating performance on the both sides of the football in beating the Shamrocks 56-14.

Brother Rice has good football history winning a state championship in 1981 and five Prep Bowl wins, but the Crusaders were coming off a 6-4 season in 2024.

"I wasn't worried about a letdown after beating Loyola," Brother Rice head coach Casey Quedenfeld said after the win. "We were locked in and focused at practice this week."

Indeed. The Crusaders scored on its first six possessions to build a 42-0 advantage. Brother Rice quarterback Senior CJ Gray threw four touchdown passes in first half and torched the Shamrocks for 308 yards.

The long night on South Side began with St. Patrick falling behind 21-0 to start the game amassing only 25 yards while running only nine plays from scrimmage. The Shamrocks finally got moving late in the second quarter with a 70-yard drive which ended with QB Gavin Gardiner throwing his sixth touchdown toss to Tim Schayer with 1:06 left. Both teams had an interception in the first half.

It was unfortunately a short night for St Pat's star running back Anthony Catron. Catron was knocked out if game in first half and had minus 1 yard on four carries after the game of his life against DePaul Prep with 241 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Shamrocks struggled to move football consistently going 3 for 13 on third downs.

Gray, who will attend Army next year, has thrown for 12 touchdown passes this season. Brother Rice received another solid performance from defensive linemen King Liggins, Mike Fitzgerald, and Brayden Parks. The Crusaders have been stingy on defense allowing only 63 points in five games.

St Patrick quarterback Gavin Gardiner completed 23 of 38 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns in the loss against a defense that was focused on stopping Catron and Jayden Miranda. Shamrocks finished with only 15 yards rushing on 19 carries.

Jaylin Green scored his second touchdown on a 51-yard run to begin the second half which meant the contest would be running clock for remainder of the night.

Brother Rice has to be considered one of the favorites for 8A championship. The Crusaders upset Loyola (3-1) and they will face Mount Carmel (5-0). Other contenders in class 8A include Maine South [4-1), Fremd (5-0), Lincoln Way East (5-0), and Lane[4-1) who has stunned two suburban schools. 

"We are only thinking about going 1-0 next week," Quedenfeld admitted after the game.  

Shamrocks will try to rebound against Benet [3-2].

"It's a great school," said Zbikowski who is enjoying his first season with the Shamrocks despite the setback last Friday night. "It's a special place. The kids are great and they have done everything I have asked them to do."

Catron Leads Shamrocks Past Rams

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY

In a projected duel between two young and talented quarterbacks, the brightest star was senior running back Anthony Catron. He rushed 29 times for 241 yards and two touchdowns leading St. Patrick (3-1) past neighborhood rival DePaul Prep 31-28 in the Chicago Catholic League Purple Division opener for both teams.

Catron battered the Rams’ defense but he was bruised himself, suffering a leg injury in the fourth quarter. He was standing on the sideline when teammate Jayden Miranda scored the game-winning touchdown with 44 seconds to play.

“I am fine,” Catron said after the game. “How can I be frustrated? We won the game.”

Miranda has also played well scoring five touchdowns this season on only 31 carries.

“Our kids have heart and they are tough,” St. Patrick coach Tom Zbikowski said after the emotional victory over the defending Class 4A champion. “I am almost speechless.”

DePaul Prep coach Mike Passarella wasn’t speechless. 

“We need to learn how to finish games,” he said.

The atmosphere was electric at Triton College in River Grove. St. Patrick was celebrating homecoming.

The Shamrocks are three victories from qualifying for the state playoff for only the second time in 12 years. The game was physical and intense with 20 penalties being meted out by the officiating crew.

The Shamrocks overcame 10 penalties by amassing 503 yards in total offense while allowing 387. They rushed for 321 yards while junior quarterback Gavin Gardiner, who passed for five touchdowns in the first three games, completed 15 of 26 passes for 182 yards. They punted only three times and stopped DePaul Prep on three possessions in the fourth quarter.

“Anthony (Catron) and Jayden (Miranda) played awesome,” Gardiner said. “Our offensive line played well. They did their job. They had very few missed assignments.”

What a difference a year makes. In 2024, St. Patrick was 2-7 without Catron, who suffered a broken leg. He watched from the sideline as DePaul crushed the Shamrocks 41-0 and went on to post an 11-3 record while winning a state championship in Class 4A.

In this matchup, DePaul junior quarterback Jackson Grabinski opened eyes. After misfiring on his first four passing attempts, he went on to complete 12 of his next 18 for 252 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown toss to Tyson Hicks. A sophomore, Hicks also demonstrated he could be a future star by catching eight passes for 135 yards and rushing for 40 yards.

“I thought Jackson did a great job tonight,” Passarella said. “The kid is really special.”

Meanwhile, Catron praised his own quarterback.

“I think (Gavin) can be All-State this year,” he said. “He is a great player. He is a great leader.”

Ultimately, DePaul Prep couldn’t stop Catron. He negotiated an interesting path to his big night. After missing most of last season with a broken leg, he had only 22 carries in St. Patrick’s first three games while Gardiner threw 65 passes. Catron powered for 144 yards in the first half against DePaul Prep while Gardiner completed 10 passes for 105 yards. Despite the heroics, however, St. Patrick trailed 21-14 at halftime.

“We weren’t frustrated,” Gardiner said. “We knew what we were going to do. We knew with our offensive line we could move the ball against that defense.”

A quarterback’s best friend is a good running game and a solid offensive line. In the second half, St. Patrick proved it. In four games, the Shamrocks haven’t allowed a sack while rushing for 603 yards, thanks to the solid play of senior linemen Joe Chase, Eli Valencia and Connor Malenok.

“We believe in our offensive line,” Zbikowski said. “We believe in our running game.”

“It (stunk) being hurt last year,” said Catron, who played in only two games. “It is amazing to be playing again. It’s the greatest feeling in the world.”

After being denied twice inside the 10-yard-line and Gardiner throwing his second interception of the season, St. Patrick trailed 28-21 at the outset of the fourth quarter. Miranda scored his fifth touchdown of the season on an eight-yard run with 44 seconds remaining to put the Shamrocks ahead. Grabinski drove the Rams 49 yards to give Emmett McCue a chance to tie but he missed a 31-yard field goal attempt with two seconds to play.

Things won’t get any easier for either team. St. Patrick will play at unbeaten and third-ranked Brother Rice (4-0) on Friday night while DePaul Prep (1-3) has a date against defending Class 8A champion Loyola(2-1).

Catron remains optimistic. “We want to make the state playoffs this year. Our main goal is to win the state championship,” he said.