Ramblers football gets back on track with home victory in Catholic League opener

Loyola Academy senior Drew MacPherson, who is one of the most multi-talented running backs in Illinois, made his debut as a defensive back on Friday night, Sept. 20, and made the defensive play of the game on the last play of the game.

MacPherson knocked down CJ Gray’s end zone pass intended for Jimmy Maxson III to seal the Ramblers’ 28-21 victory in a Chicago Catholic League clash under the lights at Hoerster Field.

“I was hoping it was coming to him,” MacPherson said. “I saw it in the air and my first thought was to knock it down, not to be selfish and try to pick it off and risk everything. I clenched my fist and smacked it down.”

“It was a smart, heads-up play,” coach Beau Desherow said after the winners of the IHSA Class 8A championship the last two seasons had to fight hard to secure their second victory in four games this season.

“I’ve told guys before that there’s nothing Drew can’t do. Now you know: Drew can play defense.”

Defense has been a window of vulnerability for the Ramblers this season. They surrendered 34 points in their season-opening loss to East St. Louis and 35 in another lopsided loss against St. Francis of Wheaton on Friday the 13th.

To bolster the defense Desherow decided to have MacPherson do double-duty for the first time in his high school career and prepared him in the practices that preceded the Brother Rice game.

“I switched off on offense and defense throughout the week in practice,” MacPherson said. “The coaches got me prepared and (defensive backs) Micky Maher, Donovan Robinson and Charlie Prior helped me out. It was new for me but the defensive team is a great unit to be part of.

“I love it on defense.”

MacPherson also contributed on offense with his running and pass receiving. With 8 minutes 12 seconds to play in the first quarter he snared a 1-yard pass from Ryan Fitzgerald for the game’s first touchdown, and Zack Zeman kicked the first of his four extra points.

Loyola’s lead was short-lived. Thirty-two seconds later Gray broke away for a 75-yard touchdown run, and Brady Gomez added the first of his three extra points to tie the score.

The Crusaders (1-3) continued to put pressure on the Ramblers for the remainder of the game.

“We knew coming in they are a very good team.” Desherow said. “They’re a young team but they’re talented. When you play in the Catholic League Blue, it’s always a tough fight.”

Returning to the lineup after missing the St. Francis game because of a hamstring injury, Fitzgerald was the focal point of the Loyola offense, showing why he was chosen the Offensive Player of the Year in the Catholic League last season. His passes produced four touchdowns. Other than the MacPherson TD toss, on the receiving end of the scores were tight end Brendan Loftus on an 11-yard play in the first quarter, wide receiver Conlon Kane on a 5-yard play in the second quarter and Kane on a 61-yard play in the third quarter.

On the 61-yard play Kane went between two defenders to catch the football, score the touchdown and enable Loyola to take a 28-14 lead.

“I cannot thank our quarterback enough,” Kane said. “He put it in the air, I saw it coming and I caught it. He had confidence in me and I appreciate it. He’s a great kid and a great player.”

Fitzgerald returned the compliment: “Conlon is an absolute all-around athlete. Conlon didn’t get many chances last year but he has put in the work and he stepped up big today.”

Fitzgerald also praised Dom Maloney, the sophomore who took his place in the St. Francis game, but said “it was tough to watch and see the team not play our best.”

He felt watching film all week in preparation for Brother Rice was a key factor.

“We knew they had really high-powered guys, especially at defensive end and linebacker,” he said. “To see them on the field, knowing the spots they were going to be in made it so much easier today. We didn’t have to guess.”

Like Fitzgerald, Gray played an outstanding game, spearheading the Crusaders’ counterattacks every time the Ramblers put points on the scoreboard.

In the second quarter his 4-yard pass to Maxson enabled coach Casey Quedenfeld’s team to tie the score at 14, and his 2-yard TD toss to Collin Goggin followed by the extra-point kick by Gomez cut the Crusaders’ deficit to 28-21 with 6:58 to play.

The Ramblers were forced to punt in their next two possessions and with 45 seconds remaining, the Crusaders launched their final attack, starting from their 22-yard line.

Gray’s passing led them to the Ramblers’ 32. A delay of game penalty sent them back to the 37 and with 3.8 seconds on the clock. It was from there that he hurled the end zone pass that MacPherson broke up in the end zone.

“That’s a really good Brother Rice team,” MacPherson said. “They’re a hard-hitting team and they’ve got a bunch of great individuals. They fought hard but I think the better team came out on top.”

In addition to thwarting the Crusaders on the last play, MacPherson made other good plays to break up passes.

Another notable defensive contribution came from Prior when he intercepted a pass at the Loyola 8-yard line late in the second quarter when the Ramblers were clinging to a 21-14 lead.

In Desherow’s opinion: “We played well on defense, even though we gave up 21 points.”

“It was great to get our first win under the lights (that have been installed at Hoerster Field this season),” Fitzgerald said. “A 2-2 record is much different from 1-3.  Our goal starting the season was to be undefeated.

“Our mindset hasn’t changed. Now it’s game-to-game and we’re going for 3-2 (Friday night, Sept. 27 at DePaul College Prep). The situation we’re in we can’t overlook any opponent.”

Both Fitzgerald and MacPherson are committed to playing college football at Iowa next season.

Although MacPherson has had a stellar career as a high school running back/receiver he said the Hawkeyes have recruited him to play safety.

If his ballhawking plays as a defensive back against Brother Rice are an indication of his potential, he may fit right in.

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Subscribe to The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a subscriber? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.