Brother Rice tries to build off last season’s experiences

Brother Rice is ready for some familiarity after a year of transition last season.

The Crusaders learned an entire new offense and defense last summer with a new coaching staff before ending their season in the Class 7A quarterfinals. Now with a year of experience, Brother Rice is ready to take its next step with the foundation it set.

“We know we accomplished a lot last season. We’re just trying to build off of that,” linebacker Christian Pierce said. “We’ve learned a lot from last season, just trying to hopefully learn more things.”

The Crusaders started learning when coach Casey Quedenfeld took over last offseason. He brought in new schemes, new coaches and new ways of doing things, which forced Brother Rice to make adjustments not only last summer but during the regular season.

Despite Brother Rice’s 0-3 record in the CCL/ESCC Blue last season, the Crusaders battled in all three matchups against Loyola, Mount Carmel and Marist. They kept learning and won their two opening playoff games before falling to the Caravan in the quarterfinals.

Quedenfeld isn’t sure yet how last year’s experiences will translate to the field this fall, but he knows what he’ll be looking for the rest of the summer and in the fall.

“How much can we add from last year to this year?” Quedenfeld said. “We have a foundation that we built last year. Can we add, can we tweak? What did we do well last year that we can build off of going forward? That’s what we’re looking for.”

He’ll start by looking at a defense that will try to replace Trey Pierce, who signed with Michigan last year. His brother, Christian Pierce, will try to step in his place after finishing with 100 tackles, 11 for a loss, and four blocked passes as a sophomore, earning All-CCL/ESCC Blue honors. Schools such as Ohio State, Michigan, Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin and Purdue already have offered the linebacker.

Quedenfeld thought his defense did a good job of adjusting and stopping opponents’ running game last season, but he’s looking for more from his pass coverage and defense. Players such as Joquan Turner stepped up late last season, and the Crusaders will need more of that this year.

“We’re expecting him to be an integral cog in the interior defensive line,” Quedenfeld said of Turner.

The goal for the offense will be simple: Run the ball. Quedenfeld said that’s his first priority on offense, and he’s excited about what returning running back Randall Nauden, who’s committed to Navy, and the rest of the running back room can do.

Nauden took a majority of the snaps last season and produced for the Crusaders, including in their playoff opener against Jacobs last season when he rushed for 119 yards. Six offensive linemen with playing experience return from last season, and both quarterbacks, Marcus Brown and Ryan Hartz, will play a major role as the Crusaders try to build around the run.

“Offensively, we’re looking to make sure we can run the ball first,” Quedenfeld said. “If we’re able to do that, we should be able to run the ball because we have a couple kids who can throw the ball and do a couple different things for us.”

Brother Rice knows there won’t be time to make adjustments during the regular season. The Crusaders start the season against Maine South on Aug. 25 and rival Marist the following week before starting their way through the CCL/ESCC Blue.

With more of a routine this summer, Brother Rice is ready to take its next step.

“The guys know what they’re doing. They know how to execute,” Christian Pierce said. “We just have to do that at a high level and things will work out successfully.”