On an offense led by Notre Dame-bound quarterback Jack Lausch, senior running back Aaron Vaughn didn’t have to be the biggest star in his first season at Brother Rice.
Vaughn, a transfer from Providence, is just fine with that.
“We’ve got the best quarterback in the state of Illinois, and that’s a big help,” Vaughn said. “When I was at Providence, I was the main focus.
“It’s good to just be able to make a play here and there and have someone else be a leader. Jack Lausch is a baller.”
Vaughn, however, showed Saturday night he can come up with huge plays when the Crusaders need them.
His 79-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half sparked an offensive surge as host Brother Rice rallied for a 41-28 win in a Class 7A state quarterfinal.
The ninth-seeded Crusaders (10-2) will play at fourth-seeded Wheaton North (11-1) in the semifinals.
Mount Carmel (8-4), the 17th seed, led 7-6 at halftime and had stymied the high-powered Brother Rice offense until Vaughn started the second half with a jolt.
“We went in there at halftime and made some adjustments and said, ‘Look, it’s a one-point game and we’re going to come out on top,'” Vaughn said. “I knew if the passing game wasn’t getting going, then I had to make a play.
“It was the linemen. There was a huge hole and I just ran through it. It turned into a track meet after that. We came to play and we’re here to stay.”
Vaughn also ran for a 5-yard TD with 2 minutes, 44 seconds left in the first half to get Brother Rice on the board. He finished with 180 yards on 18 carries.
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“We saw something at half and we said, ‘Let’s run this, I think we can get it,'” Brother Rice coach Brian Badke said. “Aaron is a special player. It starts with the guys up front.
“That definitely sparked us, and I think it carried us on through the rest of the second half.”
It was the start of a 35-point outburst in the second half for the Crusaders. Lausch was held to 79 yards through the air, completing just 5 of 16 passes, but ran for 245 yards and four TDs on 26 carries.
“Mount Carmel is a great program,” Lausch said. “When you see a team twice, they make adjustments off the first game. It’s just finding any way to win.
“I’m proud of the way we fought and the way we played offensively, defensively and on special teams.”
Lausch ran for three TDs in the fourth quarter. His 49-yard run put the Crusaders on top 28-21 after Enzo De Rosa had tied it for the Caravan on a 16-yard TD run.
After Joey Thompson answered for Mount Carmel with a 50-yard TD run, Lausch responded again with a 17-yard TD to make it 35-28.
Mount Carmel’s hopes were dashed when Khary Shaw intercepted Blainey Dowling’s pass at the Mount Carmel 15-yard line with 3:25 to go.
Lausch iced the win with a 1-yard TD run. Sean Kinard added an interception for Brother Rice.
Dowling ran 26 times for 145 yards and two TDs for Mount Carmel. He also completed 17 of 35 passes for 178 yards.
Derek Whaley and Darrion Dupree had interceptions for the Caravan.
It was the final home game for Badke, who is stepping down at the end of the season.
“It’s bittersweet right now,” Badke said. “These kids are great to be around and I’m hoping to be around them for two more weeks.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.