Yes, Brother Rice’s Owen Lyons has seen the replay of his catch multiple times.
The play that went viral on social media came Oct. 8 in the second overtime against host Joliet Catholic as Ryan Hartz connected with the senior receiver for a 26-yard touchdown.
Lyons made the one-handed, diving catch on third down in the end zone of a televised game. An even better angle was captured by team videographer Mike Emanuelson.
That drew over 600 likes and countless other views online.
“I have seen the video — it’s a great replay and a great memory,” said Lyons, who caught the ball with his left hand. “I’ve seen it a lot because my mom (Katie) likes to show it around and I got a video of it from our videographer.
“It’s a cool video to look at, but I’ve moved on from it.”
The Crusaders, who made a big defensive stop to clinch, also have moved on from that dramatic catch in a 31-24 victory over the Hilltoppers at Memorial Stadium.
Brother Rice followed that Week 7 thriller by finishing the regular season with a pair of games — a 42-7 win over Marian Catholic and a 34-16 loss to CCL/ESCC Blue rival Marist.
But without that catch, if Brother Rice (5-4) goes on to lose against Joliet Catholic, the Crusaders at 4-5 might not have had enough points to qualify for the playoffs.
“It was one of the greatest catches I’ve seen at the high school level for sure,” said Brother Rice offensive coordinator Matt Kelly, who has been coaching for 20 years. “I watched it from the box, and I didn’t think he had any chance to get it.
“But he’s made a couple of catches like that before. Last year against Loyola, he caught one by his fingertips and ran 50 yards after the catch. He has a knack for finding another gear when that ball is in the air.”
The 6-foot-3, 180-pound Lyons, however, was diplomatic when asked if he thought the catch turned out to a season saver.
“Yes and no,” he said. “If that catch didn’t happen, we would have still been in a good position to win that game.”
The next game for the 24th-seeded Crusaders will be at 7 p.m. Friday in Algonquin against ninth-seeded Jacobs (8-1) in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs.
Lyons is a part of a loaded group of wide receivers for Brother Rice. Lyons, Marty O’Keeffe, Rickey Taylor and Michael Bos have combined for 97 catches.
They are all bunched together. Lyons leads with 28, while O’Keefe has 26, Taylor 22 and Bos 21.
“We have one of the best receiving corps in the state,” Lyons said.
Lyons has verbally committed to St. Thomas in Minneapolis, a school that moved last year from Division III to Division I, went 7-3 in 2021 and is 6-1 this season.
Football is in Lyons’ blood. His father, Tim, is a longtime coach on Brother Rice’s football staff who also was the head baseball coach from 2000 to 2009.
“I feel like I’ve been at Brother Rice my whole life,” Owen said.
Lyons has played football since fourth grade when he suited up for Most Holy Redeemer.
“I love that football is basically the ultimate game of life,” he said. “You can get struck down, but you have to show how you can get back up and use your teammates for support.”
He received a lot of that support after the big play against Joliet Catholic.
“A lot of teachers were coming up to me and telling me it was a great catch,” he said. “It was definitely a great experience. It was a fun day.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.