Riverside-Brookfield Summer Shootout

Best days of the summer.

I have been going to the R-B Summer Shootout for quite a few years. Not exactly sure how many but many. It’s usually right when baseball ends as it was this year. Lane had fallen to eventual 4A champs Libertyville in the Super on Monday. A couple days of summer and fall and basketball season started on Friday with the R-B. Just the way I like it.

This is going to be different basketball season. Our DePaul Prep Rams will have a different team. Gone are Rashaun Porter, Rykan Woo and AJ Chambers three multiyear starters that new nothing but reaching the state finals.

We do have starters Blake Choice and Gus Johnson back. Blake Choice looks like he will score most of the points. Gus scores a lot too and will man the boards. It was the other players that I wanted to check out.

Senior Elie Ghattas impressed on the boards and scoring. Sophomore Kalob Hayes looks like he will play point guard a lot. Ball handling was not an issue and he can shoot the three as well. Senior Henry Levin and AJ Williams are impressive three point shooters but it doesn’t help that they look so much alike. I was constantly got them mixed up.

Coach Kleinschmidt rotated everyone in and out in each of the games. It looked the starting line up is a work in progress with positions to be won and lost. Like I wrote above, a different kind of season for the Rams.

Seeing DePaul Prep was only part of the reason for R-B for me. It is a great opportunity to see teams I don’t get a chance to see.

The big news, that everyone expected, was that Jaxson Davis from Warren is going to some prep school in Missouri. I guess that is just what happens now—the best player in the state moves off to a prep school. Whatever. I can hardly blame the kid and his parents.

Benet just restocked blue chippers. They will be right there but in the Chicago Catholic League this year with the merger of the East Suburban Catholic Conference in all sports now, not just football.

I also saw St. Lawrence and Loyola. The Vikings look very good. They should challenge for the top spot.

I find my self writing the following often—“Loyola is Loyola.” The Ramblers are always good with Tom Livatino coachin’ ‘em up. I guess we will see if how the Ramblers will do with a shot clock. They are still going to be Loyola, even with a shot clock.

I actually didn’t get to see Mt. Carmel which could not be helped. An unnamed coach from another CCL team that I spoke to said Mt. Carmel could be special this year. We will have to keep an eye on them.

A team I did see that impressed me was DeLaSalle. Watch out for them. The might sneak up a few folks.

Interestingly, Lane went 4-0 at R-B with wins over Oswego East, Glenbard West, Lincoln Way East and Lake Forest even after losing so many starters. I wasn’t expecting four wins. Keep an eye on Champions and especially on junior center Cole Christian.

Finally, Whitney Young is good and BIG and talented. I did not get to see Curie and Simeon but they will have their hands full with the Dolphins.

Brother Rice Stops St. Patrick

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY 

 

St. Patrick first year head coach Tom Zbikowski was expecting a difficult game on the road against unbeaten Brother Rice (5-0). The Crusaders, who upset Loyola the week before, delivered a dominating performance on the both sides of the football in beating the Shamrocks 56-14.

Brother Rice has good football history winning a state championship in 1981 and five Prep Bowl wins, but the Crusaders were coming off a 6-4 season in 2024.

"I wasn't worried about a letdown after beating Loyola," Brother Rice head coach Casey Quedenfeld said after the win. "We were locked in and focused at practice this week."

Indeed. The Crusaders scored on its first six possessions to build a 42-0 advantage. Brother Rice quarterback Senior CJ Gray threw four touchdown passes in first half and torched the Shamrocks for 308 yards.

The long night on South Side began with St. Patrick falling behind 21-0 to start the game amassing only 25 yards while running only nine plays from scrimmage. The Shamrocks finally got moving late in the second quarter with a 70-yard drive which ended with QB Gavin Gardiner throwing his sixth touchdown toss to Tim Schayer with 1:06 left. Both teams had an interception in the first half.

It was unfortunately a short night for St Pat's star running back Anthony Catron. Catron was knocked out if game in first half and had minus 1 yard on four carries after the game of his life against DePaul Prep with 241 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Shamrocks struggled to move football consistently going 3 for 13 on third downs.

Gray, who will attend Army next year, has thrown for 12 touchdown passes this season. Brother Rice received another solid performance from defensive linemen King Liggins, Mike Fitzgerald, and Brayden Parks. The Crusaders have been stingy on defense allowing only 63 points in five games.

St Patrick quarterback Gavin Gardiner completed 23 of 38 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns in the loss against a defense that was focused on stopping Catron and Jayden Miranda. Shamrocks finished with only 15 yards rushing on 19 carries.

Jaylin Green scored his second touchdown on a 51-yard run to begin the second half which meant the contest would be running clock for remainder of the night.

Brother Rice has to be considered one of the favorites for 8A championship. The Crusaders upset Loyola (3-1) and they will face Mount Carmel (5-0). Other contenders in class 8A include Maine South [4-1), Fremd (5-0), Lincoln Way East (5-0), and Lane[4-1) who has stunned two suburban schools. 

"We are only thinking about going 1-0 next week," Quedenfeld admitted after the game.  

Shamrocks will try to rebound against Benet [3-2].

"It's a great school," said Zbikowski who is enjoying his first season with the Shamrocks despite the setback last Friday night. "It's a special place. The kids are great and they have done everything I have asked them to do."