C.J. Gray didn’t throw for many yards Saturday.
He didn’t have to.
Behind a massive and physical offensive line, the Brother Rice senior quarterback ran for four of his team’s six rushing scores to lead the host Crusaders to a 45-17 win over Downers Grove North in a Class 7A semifinal.
Returning to state for the first time since 2018, Brother Rice (12-1) will take on fellow Chicago Catholic League foe St. Rita next weekend at Hancock Stadium in Normal.
Gray was one of three Crusaders who reached the 100-yard plateau on the ground, gaining 134 yards on 17 carries. He found the end zone on runs of 8, 16, 1 and 7 yards.
“I give all the credit to our O-line (Ethan Posey, Joe Siegler, Peter Hosty, AJ Parochelli and Matthew Pikus),” said Gray, who only attempted 11 passes, one in the se

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