Jake Stearney, Declan Forde lead Loyola past Brother Rice 57-21

WILMETTE — Jake Stearney and Declan Forde have always been in lockstep throwing the ball since they were 8 years old.

The Loyola quarterback and wide receiver grew up together and developed a connection that’s been hard for opponents to break throughout their lives. After Forde missed last season with an injury, the senior duo are showing off their connection for the Ramblers this season, the latest in Loyola’s 57-21 win over Brother Rice on Saturday.

“We’re super confident,” Forde said. “I’ve been catching for this kid since I was 8 years old. We have amazing chemistry, he’s confident in me and knows where I’ll be. It’s always good to have a good bond with the quarterback.”

The two didn’t wait long to show off that connection after Stearney hit Forde for a 48-yard touchdown pass on the second play of the game to give Loyola (4-0, 1-0 CCL/ESCC Blue) a 7-0 lead with 11:16 left in the first quarter. The Ramblers made it 14-0 when Drew MacPherson rushed eight yards to score with 1:03 left in the opening quarter.

Stearney found Forde again in the second quarter for a 52-yard touchdown pass with 9:17 left in the second quarter to give Loyola a 21-0 lead and the quarterback regrouped after throwing an interception that allowed the Crusaders to drive and score by completing a 8-yard scoring pass to Jack Parker with 2:47 left in the second quarter to make it 28-7 with Loyola.

Loyola’s offense kept moving in the second half, with Will Nimescheim scoring on a 16-yard run to make it 35-14 Ramblers with 9:01 left in the third quarter and Forde brought in his third scoring catch of the day when he caught a 34-yard pass with 5:05 left in the third. Nimesheim scored again on a 29-yard run with 39 seconds left in the third quarter and backup quarter Luke Collins completed a pass to Danny Herbert to make it 52-21 Loyola with 2:54 left in the game.

Stearney completed 16 of his 28 pass attempts for 277 yards, throwing four touchdowns and one interception, while also rushing for 58 yards. Forde finished his day with 164 receiving yards on five catches and three touchdowns while Nimesheim rushed for 95 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns.

While Loyola coach John Holecek isn’t surprised with how well Stearney and Forde have connected this season, he’s happy they’ve stayed healthy in order to reach their full potential.

“It’s been really fun to see that they’re healthy and connected,” Holecek said. “It’s special.”

Brother Rice (2-2, 0-1 CCL/ESCC Blue) didn’t back down from a fight in its CCL/ESCC Blue opener. The Crusaders scored after Nolan Smith intercepted a Stearney pass by having Ryan Hartz complete a 29-yard flea flicker to Owen Gorman to make it a 21-7 Loyola lead with 6:35 left in the third quarter.

Hartz added his second touchdown in the second quarter when he completed a 21-yard pass to Randall Nauden to make it a 28-14 Rambler lead with 1:03 left in the quarter. The Crusader quarterback hit Gorman again in the third quarter for a 19-yard pass with 3:23 left in the quarter.

Hartz completed 16 of his 34 attempts for 185 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Nauden rushed 57 yards on nine carries.

Brother Rice head coach Casey Quedenfeld thought missed tackles and big plays hurt his team from staying in the game longer than it did.

“I think we scrapped for a good bit there in the first half, defensively we just missed opportunities and tackles,” Quedenfeld said. “We were put in position and missing tackles against a really, really quality football opponent. We have to make plays.”

Brother Rice will host De La Salle (1-3, 0-1 CCL/ESCC White) on Friday while Loyola will host Fenwick (2-2, 1-0 CCL/ESCC White) on Saturday, Sept. 24. The Ramblers have scored more than 30 points in each of their four games so far this season and they don’t plan on changing anything that’s been working for them.

“Expect nothing different,” Stearney said. “We just need to keep doing our thing and like I said since day, 1-0 mindset moving forward.”