Brother Rice defeated St. Rita 16-0 to win the IHSA 7A state football championship at NIU’s Huskie Stadium on Wednesday.

Jaylin Green led Brother Rice in rushing, churning for 104 yards on 23 carries. C.J. Gray finished with 80 rushing yards and a score on 16 carries while completing 5 of 12 passes for 13 yards and one touchdown. It’s the first state title for the Crusaders since 1981.

Brandon Johnson Jr. compiled 54 rushing yards on 13 carries for the Mustangs, who were forced to punt five times and went 1-for-4 on fourth downs in the game. Steven Armbruster completed 12 of 29 passes for 97 yards to aid the St. Rita offense. Walter Jones and Donovan Evans combined to catch seven passes for 63 yards.

Brother Rice (13-1) scored on its opening drive of the game, taking a 7-0 lead on a 6-yard touchdown run by quarterback C.J. Gray. The Crusaders went 77 yards on 15 plays and erased nearly six minutes of time off the game clock to take the early lead.

The Brother Rice defense held St. Rita (9-5) to 62 first-half yards. The Crusaders, who led 9-0 at halftime, added two points on a safety after a low snap on a punt attempt led to a kneel-down inside the Mustang endzone by St. Rita punter Saul Ruiz.

St. Rita had a chance to score early in the fourth quarter, but a 42-yard field goal attempt from Saul Ruiz sailed just right of the uprights. Brother Rice extended its lead late in the fourth quarter, when a 54-yard Gray run preceded a 9-yard touchdown throw to Colin Goggin. The Crusaders outgained St. Rita 208-160.

Jack Schapendonk led the Mustang defense with 12 tackles, while Javeyon Lockett recorded 10 tackles to lead Brother Rice. Kameron McGee had four tackles for loss and two sacks for the Crusaders.