Tough schedule, St. Rita’s quick start get best of St. Francis

This was a battle of two very battle-tested football squads.

St. Francis and St. Rita certainly rank Top 5 in the state in toughest schedules played so far in 2026.

St. Rita, especially, has been challenged, losing to Providence and Loyola, while squeaking out a 1-point win at Glenbard West in Week 2 on a late 2-point conversion.

The Mustangs were ready to go in this one, jumping to a quick 14-0 lead and holding on for a 28-12 victory over St. Francis. It was a frustrating night for the Spartans (1-3) who were stopped twice on fourth down inside the 2-yard line.

“We challenged our guys just to start fast after last week (at Loyola),” St. Rita coach Marty Hopkins said. “We didn't really show up in the beginning, particularly when the ball kicked off.”

St. Francis (1-3) opened the season on the road against two-time Indiana state champ New Palestine, and led by 10 points in the third quarter, but it slipped away when quarterback Jadon Wilson left with an injury. Then this was the Spartans' second-straight trip to the South Side, after losing to Brother Rice last week.

“Taking a toll,” St. Francis coach Bob McMillen said when asked for a status report. “I mean, this was the biggest argument we had when we went to the CCL (Chicago Catholic League) was, we just don't have the numbers to keep up with these guys.

“They got an offense, they got a defense. We've got six, seven guys playing both ways. Playing one game here and there is OK, but when you play back to back to back to back, it really takes a toll on these guys. So we can't hit as much as we like (in practice). We can't go as full pads as we want because we're trying to save these kids' bodies.”

One bright spot was Wilson made it through a whole game after leaving early against New Palestine and Brother Rice. The transfer from East St. Louis hit 22 of 32 passes for 253 yards.

“I thought that was the quarterback we were expecting to see,” McMillan said. “He finally had a full game under his belt. So I think he's going to get raring to go. We saw some other guys step up.”

Receiver Noah Turner stood out with 6 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown, while freshman Tyree Dickson had 4 catches in his first extensive varsity action.

“My experience has been nothing short of spectacular, man,” Wilson said of his move. “The guys have welcomed me with open arms from the day I got here, June 1.

“So it's been great, even though we ain't winning the games we want to win, there's nothing better than bonding with my brothers. We've just got to keep fighting on game day — fight early, fight late and get it done.”

St. Rita (2-2) got the ball first and put together two quick scoring drives to take a 14-0 lead. St. Francis was ready to answer, driving to a first-and-goal after a 31-yard pass to Alex Taylor. But a penalty moved the Spartans back and eventually, Wilson was stuffed on fourth-and-goal at the 1.

The Mustangs came back with a grueling, back-breaking 99-yard scoring drive. Quarterback John Fennell reversed course for a 30-yard gain on third-and-8 at his own 3-yard line, then later hit a 52-yard pass on third-and-9.

Trailing 21-0 late in the half, St. Francis tried a fake punt deep in its own end and dropped the snap. But James McGrath rescued the defense with a goal-line interception.

St. Rita's Brandon Johnson Jr. rushed for 144 yards on 20 carries, getting most of his yards in the second half. St. Francis' Tivias Caldwell Jr. finished with 75 yards on 20 carries.