Brother Rice vs. St. Rita live score, updates, highlights from IHSA Class 7A state title game originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Illinois high school football season was supposed to end over the weekend, but snow changed those plans.So after an unexpected wait, the final day of the campaign comes Wednesday with two state championship games at Northern Illinois’ Huskie Stadium in DeKalb. The first matchup, kicking off at 3 p.m. local time, pits two Chicago powerhouses against one another: Brother Rice and St. Rita.Brother Rice enters the matchup with a 12-1 record and ranked No. 2 in the Chicago Sun-Times Super 25. It’s been a smooth ride to the championship for the Crusaders, with postseason wins of 57-0, 46-0, 42-18 and then 45-17 over Downers Grove North in the state semifinal.Brother Rice has just one state championship, back in 1981 in Class 6A. They’ve been state runners-up twice since then (1985, 2018).St. Rita comes into the game at 9-4 and ranked No. 3 in the Chicago Sun-Times Super 25.They’ve had a tougher path here, with wins of 30-20, 31-28, 56-42 and 54-34.St. Rita won state in 1978 and 2006, along with two other trips to the title game (2019, 2021).These teams played in Week 3, and Brother Rice won that game, 28-10.We’ll be keeping track live of everything that’s happening in this state championship game right here.BROTHER RICE 9, ST. RITA 0: 2ND QUARTERRefresh for latest.SECOND QUARTER- Brother Rice lined up for a fourth-down go, but the quarterback CJ Gray ended up punting and putting it inside the 15-yard line. – A third-down pass breakup by Brayden Parks forces St. Rita to punt again, and although Brother Rice initially muffs the punt, they fall on it to prevent disaster.- Brother Rice went for it on fourth down at the St. Rita 14-yard line, but a pass fell incomplete to turn it over on downs.FIRST QUARTER- It’s 9-0 Brother Rice at the end of the first quarter. Jaylin Green ran for 68 yards on 13 carries in the first quarter.- After the safety, Brother Rice is driving again. Three hard counts have already drawn offsides penalties on St. Rita in the first quarter.- Brother Rice safety. Jayveon Lockett got a third-down sack to back St. Rita up. And on the punt snap, the punter’s knee went down in the end zone to receive a low snap, recording the 2-point safety. (Brother Rice 9-0, 2:06 1Q)- St. Rita gets a crucial three-and-out right back, with Killian Lacy playing a key role in the defensive stop. Brother Rice punts back to St. Rita.- Kameron McGee makes two tackles for loss to force a St. Rita punt right back to Brother Rice to try and expand on the lead.- Brother Rice touchdown. They take the opening drive down the field and score in about six minutes. CJ Gray ran in a touchdown from 6 yards out on a shotgun designed run. (Brother Rice 7-0, 6:07 1Q)Brother Rice strikes first. CJ Gray with a 6-yard TD run on the Crusaders’ opening drive.Brother Rice 7, St. Rita 0 in the 1Q of the 7A title game. pic.twitter.com/9gatIrM9jc— Michael O’Brien (@michaelsobrien) December 3, 2025- St. Rita won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. Brother Rice will receive to begin the 7A state final. And the game is underway a few minutes behind schedule with a game time temperature of 30 degrees and a feels like of 25.PREGAME- There appears to be snowed shoveled away from the field, but the turf looks clear at NIU.December football? Yes!I’m at NIU’s Huskie Stadium for #IHSA 7A state championship action between @BrotherRiceFB and @StRitaFootballBrother Rice (12-1) beat St. Rita (9-4) earlier this season. Crusaders eye first state title since 1981.Mustangs seek first state since 2006. pic.twitter.com/tuqKP7pMI7— Russ Hodges (@RussellJHodges) December 3, 2025- A cool stat via social media: Brother Rice and St. Rita are located 4.6 miles apart on Chicago’s South Side.- This game was slated to be played Saturday at Illinois State. An incoming snowstorm shut down campus that day, and it forced the Class 7A and 8A games to be pushed to Wednesday at NIU.- This will be the first of two games on the day. Mount Carmel and Oswego will end the Illinois high school football season with a scheduled 6 p.m. kick for the 8A title after Brother Rice and St. Rita finish up.More HS football news:Marion Local’s national record winning streak ended at the hands of St. HenryAn Indiana HS RB nearly caught Derrick Henry’s national rushing record