Twice is nice for Rice: Sophomore tailback scores two TDs to lead QHS past QND in season opener

QUINCY — Jeraius Rice plopped himself down at midfield Friday night, looking as happy as someone seeing their first snow. 

Rice and several of his Quincy High School football teammates made “snow angels” at Advanced Physical Therapy Field to celebrate the Blue Devils’ 21-13 victory over crosstown rival Quincy Notre Dame.

Rice, a sophomore tailback, was a huge reason why the Blue Devils were able to regain bragging rights in the crosstown rivalry series after losing to the Raiders at Flinn Stadium to open the 2021 season. He scored two second-half touchdowns, including the game-clincher on a beautifully thrown wheel route from Braydn Little from 13 yards out with 3 minutes, 50 seconds left to play.

“We’ve practiced that all summer,” said Rice, who guessed the duo had run the play hundreds of times. “We had to get it perfect.”

After misfiring on the play in the first half, Little threw a perfect pass to set off a raucous celebration on the Blue Devils’ sideline.

“That sealed the game for us,” Little said. “It’s in our playbook from the old wing-T offense and we have implemented it into our spread. We can use it when we are in position to win a game.”

Quincy High School coach Rick Little was proud of how his team executed on that play.

“Sometimes you can be so open that you have to be careful not to misthrow it,” Rick Little said. “That time it was a money play.”

Like a couple of prize fighters, it took the sides a while to feel each other out. The Raiders won the battle up front in the first half as senior Jordan Stickler rushed for 96 yards, while the Raiders’ defense line stymied the Blue Devils’ rushing attack.

The Raiders’ only points in the half came on two field goals by senior Deakon Schuette, a transfer from Quincy High School who is a starting center back on the QND boys soccer team. He connected on a 32-yard attempt with 1:45 to play in the first quarter and a 45-yarder with nine seconds left in the half.

The Blue Devils’ only score came on a 15-yard touchdown run by senior Brian Douglas with 2:27 left in the half. The touchdown was a huge relief for Douglas, who inadvertently gave the Raiders a little bulletin board material after a pregame interview with one of the Quincy television stations earlier in the week.

“I was talking my stuff, so I had to back it up,” Douglas said.

The late touchdown burst proved to be a sign of things to come as the Blue Devils’ offensive and defensive lines dominated in the second half. Rice and Douglas combined to rush for 137 yards in the second half. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils defense limited Stickler to just 7 yards rushing in the final two quarters.

“It’s a group of talented, athletic guys,” Rick Little said of his lines. “I thought both sides did a great job, and we needed that. From where we want to go as a program, we need to be strong up front.”

QND struck early in the third quarter to regain the lead. Senior quarterback Jackson Stratton connected with junior Aiden Klauser on a 66-yard bomb. A Schuette extra point gave the Raiders their biggest lead at 13-7. Any momentum the Raiders gained on the play was wiped out quickly as Stratton fell to the turf with cramps after throwing the pass.

With Stratton, who also plays linebacker and is one of QND’s top defenders, on the bench, the Blue Devils answered quickly. They needed just four plays to go 65 yards for a go-ahead score. Rice scored from 23 yards out to swing the lead back to QHS at 14-13.

“We were feeling good, but credit QHS for bouncing back,” Stratton said. “But I just need to be better. I did everything I could with hydration, but I have to hit it even harder now. I have to do something to keep these cramps under control because I feel like I let my team down there.”

The cramps wound up being the least of his worries. When he finally returned to the field on defense, he injured his right shoulder, which knocked him out of the Raiders’ offensive game plan. 

The Raiders failed to score with junior Noah Lunt behind center. QND managed just 71 yards of offense after Stratton left the game — 44 of which came on one long pass — on 21 plays, an average of 3.4 yards per play. Contrast that with the 6.0 yards per play they averaged with Stratton at quarterback.

“They made big plays, and they made big plays when they needed to,” QND coach Jack Cornell said. “We just weren’t able to respond. We had those early season growing pains that we have to figure out. We have to figure it out on the coaching end. We have to figure it out on the playing end. We just have to be better. I think we are a lot better football team than we were tonight. We have to continue to make that progress toward being that team.”

“The plays were there. We just have to find ways to sustain making those plays and to not shoot ourselves in the foot at inopportune times. I can deal with hustle penalties, but a block in the back on a screen and a hold on a kick return are ones that kill you.

“We just needed to make more plays.”

Rice finished with 135 yards of total offense in his first significant varsity action.

“I did my job and they kept coming to me, but the guys up front are some dogs,” Rice said. “They did it for us and that’s why we got it done.”

Braydn Little credited the QHS defense for getting the team the win.

“We came here prepared to get down and grind,” senior linebacker Sawyer Mulherin said.

“We planned on keying on Stratton because we knew he could hurt us with his legs,” sophomore linebacker Max Wires said. “We got kind of thrown off by Stickler, but in the second half, not a lot of that happened.”

The Blue Devils open the home portion of their 2022 schedule next Friday when Alton visits Flinn Stadium.

“Starting the season with a win, especially against a crosstown rival, is great,” Douglas said.

The Raiders travel to Rock Island Alleman next Friday. 

“We’re going to use this to get better and motivate us,” Stratton said. “It’s a long season. This won’t define us. This sucks right now, but it might be the best thing that ever happened to us.”