As one of the premier wide receivers in the state, Brother Rice senior Ricky Smalling doesn’t expect to see much single coverage this season.
“Not a lot, but we’ll take advantage of it,” Smalling said.
That’s exactly what Smalling, an Illinois recruit, and Crusaders quarterback Dino Borrelli did Sunday against rival Marist in the biggest play of the season opener at Soldier Field.
With 1-on-1 coverage on Smalling, Borrelli stood tall in the pocket, took a hit and delivered a beautiful 39-yard strike for a touchdown. That play in the third quarter turned the tide for Brother Rice as the Crusaders broke away from a 14-7 lead in defeating Marist 31-7.
“It’s awesome when you get smacked and still throw a touchdown,” said Borrelli, who was making the first varsity start of his career.
Smalling finished with 110 yards and two TDs on five catches. He took the second play from scrimmage 56 yards for a score to give Brother Rice an early lead.
“(Smalling) just makes everything so much easier for me, especially for my first year,” Borrelli said.
Borrelli finished 11-for-21 for 185 yards and two TDs. He also ran for a score after an interception from Aarion Lacy, giving the Crusaders a commanding 28-7 lead less than three minutes after Smalling’s second TD grab.
“Dino’s different,” Smalling said. “He’s one of my closest friends, so we just have that connection. He’s very open to things. So if I say I see this, he’ll trust me and we’ll go right to it.”
Marist kept it close in the first half thanks to TJ Ivy’s 57-yard TD reception from quarterback Morgan Taylor. The RedHawks trailed 14-7 at halftime, but couldn’t find much rhythm on offense.
“When you look at this game, there were a lot of opportunities out there,” Marist coach Pat Dunne said. “This hurts all of us, but it’s Week 1 of the season. We’ve been in this position before.”
Dunne is hoping for a similar trajectory to last season when Marist started slow but peaked at the right time to finish as the Class 8A state runner-up.
But for now, Brother Rice has bragging rights against its neighborhood rival. The Crusaders’ defensive line, led by Shelby Benn with a sack, had plenty to say about that.
“This was beautiful,” Benn said. “This is a moment you’re going to remember for the rest of your life. Not playing (Marist) last year, it had a bigger feeling to it. It was like Michigan playing Michigan State, one of those rivalries you just want to win.”
Mount Carmel 49, Taft 7: Dan Trudeau went 3-for-4 for 112 yards and two TDs as Mount Carmel routed Taft at Soldier Field. Jake Moriarty added 83 yards on nine carries for the Caravan.
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St. Patrick 47, St. Rita 44: Jake Zylman passed for 206 yards and four touchdowns — three to Tim Zaleski — but the Mustangs’ second-half rally fell short. Zylman also rushed 10 times for 83 yards and Shaun Rule had 18 carries for 89 yards and a TD for St. Rita, which trailed 33-14 at halftime.
Mike Clark contributed to this story.