From the suspension of coach Frank Lenti at the outset, to the 54-point onslaught by rival St. Rita, to the narrow escape of Simeon in the first round of the playoffs, the season has been a struggle for Mount Carmel.
Friday was no different.
But even in a down season by the program’s standards, Mount Carmel is headed to the Class 8A quarterfinals.
The Caravan cashed in a fumble recovery on the opening kickoff and took a 16-point halftime lead against previously unbeaten Stevenson but had to hold on for dear life in a 23-16 victory at Gately Stadium.
Denzel Thompson rushed for 102 yards and Milton Greer added 85 and two touchdowns for Mount Carmel (8-3), which stopped Stevenson on downs at its 12-yard line with just more than a minute to play after the Patriots drove 67 yards in 17 plays.
Mount Carmel will take on Saturday’s Loyola-Warren winner in the quarterfinals next weekend.
“The coaches told us at the start of the playoffs that it’s a new season, nothing that happened before matters,” Thompson said. “That’s how we look at it. Stevenson played a great game. They’re a heck of a team, but we’re on a roll.”
Stevenson (10-1) never quite overcame that fumble, which led to a 6-0 Mount Carmel lead before the game was a minute old.
Using fullback Mark Weisman (16 carries, 76 yards) primarily as a decoy in the second half, Stevenson controlled both sides of the ball. A 1-yard TD run by Matt Harris and a 2-point conversion pass from Kevin Earl to Harris cut Mount Carmel’s 16-0 lead in half with 7 minutes, 34 seconds left in the third quarter.
An interception by Jack Sherlock set up Greer’s second touchdown, a 15-yard run that extended Mount Carmel’s lead to 23-8.
But with Mount Carmel focused on Weismann, Harris and Joe Cassata ran Stevenson down the field again.
Harris’ 12-yard touchdown run and a 2-point pass from Earl to Nate Johnson cut the Patriots’ deficit to seven with 9:58 to play. Stevenson then forced a three-and-out and used more than seven minutes to put itself in position to tie or take the lead. But a fourth-down pass fell incomplete in the end zone.
“It was a great experience to come down here and play a team like Mount Carmel,” said Weisman, who will continue his career at Air Force. “They have a great tradition, we have a great tradition and it was a great game. …
“I’m just sad that it’s over.”
Player of the game: Denzel Thompson, Mount Carmel, 12 carries, 102 yards.
Key performers: Mount Carmel — Milton Greer, 20 carries, 85 yards, 2TDs. Stevenson — Matt Harris, 9carries, 42 yards, 2 TDs.
Next: Mount Carmel vs. Warren/Loyola.
