St. Rita’s Brandon Johnson Jr. kept his poise, even as everything around him turned to chaos.

The junior running back stayed alert and saw senior quarterback Steven Armbruster under duress. Instincts took over at that exact moment, building the bridge for a bigger performance.

“I knew I had to make a play,” Johnson said. “The pass broke down and turned into a scramble drill. I knew there wasn’t much room on the sideline, but I made the catch.

“After that, my confidence just skyrocketed.”

Johnson’s 18-yard catch set the stage for his dramatic 4-yard touchdown run with 13 seconds remaining Friday night for the host Mustangs in a thrilling 28-21 victory over Marist in Chicago.

Armbruster threw TD passes of 26 and 22 yards to junior wide receiver Donovan Evans and also added a rushi

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