‘Really fun to be back’: Brother Rice’s Christian Pierce set to return after missing most of last season

CHICAGO – Brother Rice senior Christian Pierce had an extra pep in his step during a summer camp practice near the end of July.

Pierce was first to the ball on most drills. He made sure to get near the front of the line on individual drills. And Pierce seemed to constantly have a smile on his face talking with his teammates during breaks.

After missing most of last season because of an ACL injury, Pierce couldn’t find a reason to complain. He’s just grateful to be back on the field.

“It’s been the best days of my life,” Pierce said. “It’s like a dog has been let out of the cage. I missed it, so it’s really fun to be back.”

Pierce was ready to build off a strong sophomore season last year and show why many believe he’s one of the top linebackers in the state. He finished his sophomore year with 100 total tackles, 11 for a loss, along with four blocked passes to earn All-CCL/ESCC honors.

After a strong opener to his junior year, Pierce seemed destined to do just that. But Pierce tore his ACL when he slipped on a non-contact play against Marist in the second game. He had surgery to repair the tear and ended his season.

Pierce tried to approach his rehab with a positive mindset. Although he couldn’t be on the field, Brother Rice coach Casey Quedenfeld said Pierce was at every practice except one, which Pierce missed for his surgery.

“The players last year missed him, the coaching staff missed him, I missed him,” Quedenfeld said. “When you have a guy that started the year before and was a defensive MVP the year before and then you lose him in that fashion, it’s definitely devastating emotionally. I’m just happy that he has another opportunity to play high school football.”

Once Pierce was cleared to get to work, he was ready for different challenges in order to get back on the field. After gaining weight when he was off his feet, Pierce met his diet plan in order to get back into shape. He beat his own personal bests in the weight room and agility-wise.

Pierce’s doctors said Pierce was two-and-a-half months ahead of schedule in his recovery.

“It was definitely a tedious process, it was actually not as hard as I expected,” Pierce said. “There were ups and downs, but I got through it with a lot of support from my teammates, family, and coaches.”

Pierce said his injury changed his point of view on how he wanted to be as a leader. As a sophomore, he deferred to other leaders, including his brother Trey, who is currently playing for the University of Michigan.

“It’s been the best days of my life. It’s like a dog has been let out of the cage. I missed it, so it’s really fun to be back.”

—  Christian Pierce, Brother Rice senior linebacker

But after trying to support his teammates while being off the field, Pierce learned how important it is to empower your teammates.

“I know I was down at that point,” Pierce said. “Having leaders on that team come power me up, come out every day, it does something. So I try to empower people as much as I can.”

Pierce said he’s 100% back without any limitations and didn’t show any hesitation coming back to the field. He holds offers from schools like Michigan, Ohio State, Texas, Penn State and Wisconsin and he’s ready to show that he’s a better player than he was before the injury.

After being asked about the start of the season, Pierce quickly interjected how many days there were left before Brother Rice opens the season against Phillips on Aug. 30.

There’s only been one thing on his mind.

“Ever since the injury happened, it’s been Week 1 of next year,” Pierce said. “Ever since the injury happened.”