Junior wide receiver/defensive end Pierce Walsh had a deeply personal connection to Benet’s opponent Friday night. He was facing down his own family history.
Walsh’s father, Frank, graduated in 1980 after playing for legendary Brother Rice coach Tom Mitchell. It was not the type of homecoming Pierce had imagined.
“I wanted to come back and beat my dad’s alma mater,” said Walsh, who had a 27-yard touchdown catch, four tackles and three pass knockdowns. “As a team, we didn’t play the way we wanted.”
The Crusaders’ high-powered offense proved insurmountable during a CCL/ESCC crossover in Chicago. Combined with Benet’s injury woes, it added up to a 42-6 decision.
Notre Dame-bound senior quarterback Jack Lausch completed 15 of 23 passes with one TD for Brother Rice (3-0). He connected with Owen Lyons on a 30-yard TD pass and also rushed 10 times for 47 yards.
Senior running back Aaron Vaughn added two short TD runs for the Crusaders in his first game since transferring from Providence. Tommy Bennett had 91 yards on nine carries and a 10-yard TD run.
Brother Rice led 21-0 at halftime.
Walsh is one of five players from Benet (1-2) whose fathers played at Brother Rice.
The difficult night for Walsh and those with family connections to the Crusaders created a sharp contrast between expectations and the present state of the team.
“We have a lot of areas we need to improve,” Walsh said. “We have a lot of guys out right now, and we’ve had that next-guy-up mentality. Right now, we just have to get healthy.”
Benet’s night went from bad to worse after senior running back Carson Forney injured his ankle on his second carry. He scored four TDs in the first two games for the Redwings.
Junior quarterback Anthony Picciolini completed eight of 17 passes for 103 yards.
“That was tough, losing Carson, who’s such a big part of our offense,” Picciolini said.
Picciolini entered the game on Benet’s fourth drive and orchestrated a 16-play, 72-yard possession that ended with an incomplete pass on fourth-and-1 at the Brother Rice 8.
“That was a great drive,” Picciolini said. “But we have to be able to finish in the red zone and convert that to score a touchdown or at least get a field goal.”
In place of Forney, sophomore Michael Lawler rushed for 53 yards on 13 carries. He also caught a 17-yard swing pass from Picciolini.
“Considering the circumstances, it was a tough game all around for our offense, defense and special teams,” Picciolini said.
The Redwings created some sense of satisfaction, showing fight and resilience after the Crusaders built the big lead.
Benet averted the shutout with strong throws by Picciolini and tough interior runs by Lawler.
“We want to keep that momentum going for next week,” Picciolini said.
Senior Ryan Snell was one of many players forced to play both ways for Benet. He caught two passes and also started at defensive back.
“Our mindset was coming in as an underdog and be the better team,” Snell said. “You can’t let them take a win from you.
“You have to battle with all of our hearts. I liked the battle we showed (Friday) but not the result.”
The schedule remains daunting. Benet returns to Chicago next week against St. Rita with the start of CCL/ESCC Green play.
“We’re using this game (Friday) as an example,” Snell said. “We hate this feeling. We hate it a lot. We are going to learn from it.
“We have to get back to practice, work hard and get ready to battle Rita next week.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.