St. Rita running back Tyre Lee sees all the work his offensive line does for him.
He wants to reward them as best he can.
How exactly? Lots of yards. Lots of touchdowns.
Lee continued his season-long tear for the Mustangs on Friday. The senior piled up 129 rushing yards and three touchdowns as host St. Rita rolled to a convincing 55-14 win over St. Joseph on Senior Night in a Catholic League crossover.
“I leave it up to my linemen. They go up there and do everything for me,” Lee said with a smile. “They work so hard for me that I’ve got to put some stats up for them. Just keeping it going running, just keep pushing.”
St. Rita improved to 6-1 overall, clinching a playoff berth for sure with the victory.
The road does not get any easier for the Mustangs, who close the season on the road at Loyola and Brother Rice with the Catholic League Blue title still very much up for grabs.
“We’re thinking we’ve got to win out,” St. Rita’s Scott Procter said. “These are the games we have to win if we want to be taken seriously and get a good seed in the playoffs.”
The backup to starter C.J. Weydeman, Procter made the most of his extended playing time Friday night. The senior rushed for two touchdowns, 5 and 7 yards, while also connecting with Driesen Evans for a 53-yard strike through the air.
The backup role is tough for the senior but Procter isn’t pouting on the sidelines.
“It means a lot to get this chance,” Procter said. “Any chance I get on the field, I want to show what I can do. Get as much playing time as I can and make the most of it.”
Procter finished with six rushes for 55 yards and 75 passing yards on 2-of-2 passing.
“Scott has earned a lot, and we wanted to get him on the field,” St. Rita coach Todd Kuska said. “It’s tough having two senior quarterbacks, but Scott is a good football player.”
With Lee and Procter leading the ground game, St. Rita took a commanding 41-8 halftime lead and went up 48-8 just 30 seconds into the third quarter. Lee did all his damage on just nine carries and did not play in the second half.
The playoff-clinching sixth win in the books, Lee and the Mustangs are ready to close strong. Nothing fancy in mind, just old-fashioned hard work.
“We’re looking pretty good, but we’ve got to keep working,” Lee said. “We’re always looking to get better so as a whole come out and play. Make the plays, and we’ll win the game.”
St. Joseph fell to 2-5. Armone Elem rushed 14 times for 119 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown run in the first quarter for the Chargers.
