[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22948]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



    TRIBUTE TO RIVERSIDE-BROOKFIELD AND JOLIET CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL 
                             FOOTBALL TEAMS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM O. LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 16, 2001

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
remarkable young men of Riverside-Brookfield and Joliet Catholic high 
school football teams, who faced off during the Class 5A quarterfinal 
for one of the most exciting games of the season.
  Before a standing room only crowd, Joliet Catholic scored on each of 
its five first half possessions, scoring 35 points on 47 running plays 
and one pass. Riverside-Brookfield marched down the field twice in a 
combined 34 seconds before going into halftime. Late in the fourth 
quarter, Joliet Catholic went up 56-44 with 2:07 left in regulation; 
however, Riverside-Brookfield answered with a 30-yard touchdown pass 
with just 51 seconds remaining. After recovering an onside kick at 
Catholic's 47-yard line, Riverside-Brookfield was stopped first up the 
middle and then with a broken pass in the end zone.
  The quarterfinal showcased two of the top talents in Illinois, Tim 
Brasic and J.R. Zwierzynski. Orchestrating Riverside-Brookfield's five 
receiver offensive set, Brasic completed 24-of-48 passes for a playoff 
record of 571 yards and 7 touchdowns. Brasic's record-breaking season 
included 4,622 passing yards and 485 attempts, 58 touchdowns and 700 
yards rushing. Brasic's performance earned him a spot on the 2001 All-
Chicago Area team, and Player of the Year honors. Brasic's career 
honors include 7,888 passing yards, 953 attempts, and 87 touchdowns.
  On the opposite side of the field, J.R. Zwierzynski of Joliet 
Catholic rushed for 312 yards and five touchdowns on 43 carries. 
Leading the two time defending state champion Hilltoppers, one of the 
most consistently dominating teams in Illinois winning 38 out of their 
last 39 games, Zwierzynski is the lone repeat selection from last 
year's All-Chicago Area football team.
  Riverside-Brookfield and Joliet Catholic, and their leaders Tim 
Brasic and J.R. Zwierzynski demonstrated talent and sportsmanship in 
their quarterfinal match up and throughout the 2001 season. I whole-
heartedly congratulate the teams, coaching staff, and schools and wish 
them all the best in the future.

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