By Ed Muniz-Photos by Renee Kaspar
***Additional Photos are available for purchase on home page in photos, click High School and game photo***
All season, Fans of Prep football had October 22 circled on their calendars. Folks predicted that a “Clash of Titans” would take place near the lakefront in Wilmett.
Football enthusiast believed the Loyola Academy Ramblers would host the Mt. Carmel Caravan with each team sporting an unblemished record at 8-0.
Well, that came to fruition. It did happen as predicted by many.
On an unusually warm October afternoon, what folks saw was a game that lived up to all the hype. The large crowd at Hoerster Field saw two great teams give all they had with the Chicago Catholic League Blue championship on the line and a top seed in next weeks State Playoffs the reward..
The First half play favored mostly Loyola with a 24-14 halftime lead, while the Second half, teams flipped, with Mt. Carmel getting the better play.
At end, two second half plays could easily have been the difference in the game, each was executed by the Caravan.
A Third quarter fumble recovery and a Fourth quarter fake punt by Jack Elliott to Arrington for 18-yards led to the eventual game winning touchdown. Each resulted in the Caravan touchdowns.
The final tally saw the Top-seeded Caravan hold off the second ranked Ramblers, 42-37.
“We can’t let 15 (Jake Stearney) get comfortable, he’s one of the best players in the state,” said Caravan Coach Jordan Lynch of his halftime discussion with his team. “You let him get comfortable, he looks really good, you have to pressure a 17-year-old kid, and he still made some really good throws when we pressured him.”
“A lot of credit to the defense, they got the stop when needed. But we had a lot of penalties, that’s not going to win you state championships we know that; it’s not going to come here and win, we were lucky to get that win with all those penalties. We got to clean it up but anytime you got a Blainey Dowling at Quarterback, I like my chance no matter what happens.”
“That’s a heck of a team and they made a lot of plays,” Ramblers Coach John Holecek said. “The third quarter was a disaster for us. That I thought was the big shift, but man, we’re still really close to a really good team. Offensively, those skills, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it.”
Trailing 24-14 at halftime, Mt. Carmel used a 21-point third quarter to take the lead and never trail again.
After Loyola went three and out to open the second half, punt returner’ Denny Furlong got the Caravan kick-started with a 26-yard return.
Mt Carmel took just three plays from the Rambler 23-yard-line to get within three-points when Dowling called his own number and raced right 14-yards for the touchdown. Louie Chappetto added the point-after, which now had the Loyola lead at 24-21.
On the Ramblers next play from scrimmage, a fumble by Stearney was recovered by Laquan Battle who also caused it.
“We came out here, stayed together and played together,” said Battle. “This is a long drive for us, our mistakes today were all a mental thing for us, football is a mental game, we stayed strong mentally through it and played strong. At half all we talked about was staying together, sticking to what we know and what we do best, you saw that in the second half.”
It gave the Caravan a chance to take the lead from the Loyola 18-yard-line. Twenty-one seconds and two plays later, Damarion Arrington motioned right, took the handoff and streaked into the end-zone for the touchdown and the Caravan lead, a lead they’d never relinquish the rest of the game. Chappetto added the kick for the 28-24 Mt. Carmel lead.
The Rambler third possession of the second half also resulted in a punt. Mistakes that plagued Mt. Carmel in the first half had now found a home with the hosts. Penalties now stalled drives for the Ramblers.
With an injury to Caravan running-back Darrion Dupree, Alonzon Manning II was called on to contribute. For the most part, the Loyola defense limited him.
After advancing to the Rambler 18-yard-line via runs by Furlong and Dowling and completions to Darrion Gilliam and Jimmy Deacy, Manning II found a gap up the middle and didn’t stop until he reached the end-zone.
With the third touchdown of the quarter and another Chappetto conversion-kick, the Caravan now led 35-24 as the third quarter dwindled down.
The Ramblers responded on their next two possessions, first a 3-yard touchdown run by Will Nimesheim and again on their next possession a Stearney to Spencer Leadbetter connection from 24-yards out.
Unfortunately for the home crowd, the Caravan also managed to score in between Loyola’s second half touchdowns.
A Dowling to Gilliam 12-yard touchdown pass was a thing of beauty as Gilliam leapt and reached over the Loyola defenders’ perfect position from behind to snag the pass and up Mt. Carmels lead to 42-30 midway through the final quarter.
After the Rambler cut the lead to 42-37 on the Leadbetter’s touchdown, a big fumble by the Caravan that lost 23-yards, forced a punt. It looked as if the stage was set for the Ramblers to win in dramatic fashion with the last possession of the game.
Two pass interference calls against the Caravan defense helped move the ball downfield and soon the Ramblers were sitting at the Caravan 38-yard line with 27-seconds left but were facing a fourth down and two.
A Stearney pass never found its mark and fell incomplete while the visiting Caravan players celebrated the stop and the big win, assuring them as the top team in the state and certainly top in the upcoming 7A state playoffs.
“We just came out flat,” Loyola quarterback Jake Stearney said. “We were up and in the locker room, had good thoughts and spirits, but we can’t start the second half with a turnover, punt and three and out. We were going for it. We battled our asses off and they did too.”
Also adding to the scoring tally for the Ramblers were Mike Baker with his 45-yard field goal which opened the scoring. Stearney ran in from 24-yards, Quinn Foley added a 12-yard touchdown run and Nimesheim also powered in from two yards out. Stearney finished the game with 70 yards rushing and 178 yards passing.
Mt Carmels’ Veteran quarterback Blainey Dowling was key in the Caravans offense. The Senior quarterback was stellar all game throwing for three touchdown and running one in. He threw for 141 yards on 13 completions.
Star running back Darrion Dupree had a burst of 50 yards prior to his injury with 83 yard total in the first half. But it was Senior wideout Denny Furlong who stepped up and helped propel the Caravan to victory. Furlong was called on six times and proceeded to give the Caravan 107 yards rushing, including a 60-yard sprint.
“We knew this would be a test for us, but we came out, stuck together and played hard all game,” said Dowling. “We never got down and played the way we know we can. But this isn’t all about winning in week 9, we want to win a few weeks later too. That’s why we play and pickup each other. This is a great group and we’re a family. We play that way.”
Dowling also added about his closest friend. “Denny (Furlong) and I are best friends; we’ve been together playing football a long time. Man, he was special today, anything you ask of him he does and gives you all he has. He is such a special player and he is one of the reasons we’ve done so well. There’s a lot of guys on this team that are special. We all know that.”
Mt Carmel will play host to Buffalo Grove in the opening round of the 7A state playoffs on October 29 at 1 pm. Loyola will host Plainfield South this Saturday, October 29 at 1PM in 8A play.
