Brother Rice defensive lineman Kameron McGee made a statement.

“I think we have the best defense in the country,” McGee said after Brother Rice shut out St. Rita 16-0 to win the IHSA Class 7A state football championship at NIU’s Huskie Stadium on Wednesday.

McGee and the Crusaders backed their words up with strong play, generating 12 tackles for loss, six pass breakups and two sacks, both by McGee, against a St. Rita team that totaled 110 points across its previous two playoff wins.

It’s the third shutout this postseason for Brother Rice (13-1), which secured its first state football championship since 1981 with Wednesday’s victory.

“We did what we’ve been able to do all year,” McGee said. “We bought in from when we first started in January. We were able to stick together. Our offense has its flaws and our defense has its flaws, but we pick each other up and we play as a team.”

Riding a seven-game winning streak, St. Rita (9-5) sought its first state title since 2006. But the Mustangs trailed early as Brother Rice received the opening kickoff and controlled the clock for a shade under six minutes. The Crusaders went 77 yards on 15 plays and scored on a 6-yard touchdown run by quarterback C.J. Gray.

“It was very important for us to set the tone for the game,” said Gray, an Army recruit who ran for 80 yards on 16 carries. “For us to go out there and do that on our first drive ... we wanted to play fast and physical. We wanted to drive the ball down and score.”

The Mustangs moved the ball near midfield on their first offensive series, but back-to-back TFLs by McGee forced one of five St. Rita punts in the game. A critical special teams error hurt the Mustangs late in the first quarter when a low snap on a punt attempt forced Saul Ruiz to go to a knee and field the football in his own end zone.

Brother Rice received a safety and two points to take a 9-0 lead, which remained at halftime.

On a cold and snowy December night, St. Rita was unable to move the ball effectively through the air or on the ground. The Mustangs finished with just 62 first half yards.

“When we were 2-4, we knew our playoffs were starting early,” said St. Rita senior quarterback Steven Armbruster, who went 12 for 29 and threw for 97 yards in the loss. “We always want to be playing in the state championship. We were 2-4 and nobody was even picking us to make the playoffs. It didn’t end the way we wanted, but just by getting here, we proved a lot of people wrong.”

Despite conceding an early touchdown, St. Rita settled in on the defensive end, where sophomore linebacker Jack Schapendonk spearheaded a unit that limited Gray to just four passing yards during the first half. Schapendonk had a team-high 12 tackles for St. Rita, which lost 28-10 to Brother Rice in the regular season.

“It’s been a crazy run coming up with these seniors who’ve been on varsity for multiple years,” Schapendonk said. “Learning what they do and how tough they play has made me the player I am.”

Much of Brother Rice’s offense came from running back Jaylin Green, who had 13 carries for 68 yards in the first quarter alone. The senior finished with a team-high 104 yards on 23 carries for the Crusaders, who maintained a 9-0 lead after three quarters. Jameson Davis chipped in 14 rushing yards on six carries.

“I have to shout out my O-line,” Green said. “They make big holes for me. We had those extra days, so we worked on our run game.”

Brother Rice outgained St. Rita 206-160 and capitalized on seven Mustang penalties, including multiple offsides calls on hard counts. But a large chunk of the game was a defensive battle with the two Chicago Catholic League programs delivering big stops on third and fourth downs. Brother Rice forced four turnovers on downs, while St. Rita held the Crusaders to a 4-for-13 mark on third downs.

“We had to battle through adversity,” said Brother Rice defensive lineman and Illinois recruit King Liggins. “We train all offseason for these kinds of moments. We grew closer and stronger. We bought into what our coach said and we executed what we were told.”

After Armbruster scrambled and found wide receiver Walter Jones for a 26-yard gain in the fourth quarter, St. Rita appeared ready to make it a one-score game. Shortly after, Armbruster saw Jones running free and floated a pass toward the end zone, but a drop resulted in an incompletion that forced a Ruiz field goal attempt.

A delay of game penalty backed St. Rita up further. Ruiz’s 42-yard field goal try had plenty of leg, but the ball sailed wide right. On the ensuing Brother Rice drive, Gray kept a read-option carry for his biggest run of the night, a 54-yarder that pushed the Crusaders into the red zone. Three plays later, Gray rolled right and flicked a 9-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Colin Goggin.

“We called that in the game against Mount Carmel,” Goggin said. “It was a pretty wide open pass. When we were in the huddle, we had a different play, but it came down from the press box to call that play and as soon as we called it, I knew ... I’ve gotten close with C.J. over the last four years and to do that was awesome.”

Brandon Johnson Jr. ran for 54 yards on 13 carries to lead the Mustangs on the ground. Donovan Evans reeled in a team-high four passes for 37 yards, while Jones caught three passes for 26 yards. Javeyon Lockett led the Brother Rice defense with 10 tackles and Brayden Parks posted 3.5 TFLs along with three pass breakups.