In a game full of jaw-dropping performances, Brother Rice senior Dino Borrelli shined brightest.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound quarterback completed 25 of 34 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns and added a rushing TD to lead the Crusaders to a thrilling 49-42 Catholic League Blue win over visiting Mount Carmel.
It was the third straight time Rice (6-0, 2-0) has beaten the Caravan. Three turnovers doomed Mount Carmel (3-3, 0-3).
“Dino every week has gotten better,” Brother Rice coach Brian Badke said. “He’s a winner.”
Borrelli, though, received plenty of help from Ricky Smalling, Xazavian Valladay and Branden Houston.
Not to mention an offensive line of Brian Gannon, Dan Sullivan, John Farano, Kyle Mehok-Doherty and Nick Marozas that allowed Rice to rack up 549 yards.
Smalling, an Illinois recruit, caught 10 passes for 175 yards and two TDs. His 55-yard TD reception with 20.6 seconds left in the third quarter forced a 35-35 tie and will not soon be forgotten.
Smalling caught the ball around the Mount Carmel 45 and then eluded six defenders on his way into the end zone.
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“That’s called speechless,” Badke said of Smalling’s 55-yard TD. “Ricky is a special player. I’m most proud of how he’s developed into a winner.”
Houston caught a pair of TDs, and Valladay rushed for 140 yards and two TDs for the Crusaders.
“Xazavian is a beast,” Badke said. “He was a kid who didn’t play much as a freshman and has developed into a heck of a player.”
Brother Rice registered eight plays that produced at least 25 yards, but it was Valladay’s 13-yard TD run with 4:59 remaining that gave the Crusaders a 49-42 advantage.
Mount Carmel had a chance to tie the game at the end. The Caravan drove to the Brother Rice 26 with 31.2 seconds left. But quarterback Alek Thomas was intercepted by Aarion Lacy at the 5.
Thomas, a junior, completed 13 of 21 passes for 219 yards and three TDs. Jordan Cousert had two TD catches, and Phazione McClurge had one TD reception for the Caravan.
Thomas also rushed for 93 yards and a TD. His 5-yard rushing TD at 7:09 of the fourth quarter created a 42-42 tie.
Senior running back Michael Kennedy rushed for 148 yards and a TD. Kennedy also fired a 70-yard halfback-option pass to Cousert for a TD that tied the game 21-21 in the third quarter.
Before the game, the Crusaders honored former longtime coach and Mount Carmel graduate Tom Mitchell by naming their field after him. Mitchell coached at Rice for 27 years before retiring in 1993. He died in 2013.
Twitter @disabato