Mount Carmel advances to 3rd straight IHSA state championship with 43-24 win over St. Rita

CHICAGO – Mount Carmel senior Matt Mucha raised what was left of the Caravan’s ticket to the Class 7A state championship into the air Saturday night.

The Caravan had been given a sign in the shape of the state of Illinois from the IHSA that was given to the team that qualified for the state title game. But as soon as Mucha and his teammates got their hands on it, they accidentally tore it in half in celebration because everyone wanted to touch the sign.

For Mucha and the Caravan, it didn’t matter that he had been there before. It didn’t matter that they were heading to a third straight championship after Mount Carmel beat St. Rita 43-24 in a Class 7A semifinal.

The feeling of heading to state is always special.

“It’s the best feeling in the world, especially with all the new guys on the team that haven’t experienced it before,” Mucha said. “Being able to step into the role where I wasn’t last year, a senior and a captain, and getting to bring these guys along, it’s the best feeling in the world. So for all these guys to experience it, it’s awesome.”

There was quickly little doubt Mount Carmel (10-3) would be heading back once Saturday’s semifinal started. The Caravan offense continued its playoff tear while the defense regrouped from a down performance against Normal Community in the quarterfinals.

Mount Carmel took a 7-0 lead when senior quarterback and Vanderbilt commit Jack Elliott completed a 7-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Quentin Burrell with 6:15 left in the first quarter. Elliot connected with senior tight end Zander Gorman for a 1-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second quarter and then found senior Cooper Lehman for a 30-yard touchdown with 9:25 left in the second quarter to make it 21-0.

The Elliott-Burrell duo struck again on a 16-yard touchdown pass with 4:31 left in the second quarter and then freshman Marshaun Thornton caught a 16-yard touchdown pass to make it 43-0 with 1:30 left in the second quarter.

Elliott completed 9 of his 12 passes for 121 yards and five touchdowns in the first half, along with 55 rushing yards on eight carries. Junior Madden Wilson rushed for 49 yards on seven carries while Lehman had 58 receiving yards on three catches in an offense that took it to another level in the playoffs.

“They want one high, man-to-man against our receivers,” Elliott said. “It was just barbecue chicken from there.”

Mount Carmel’s defense also responded after allowing 42 points in the quarterfinals, tied for the most this season. Sophomore Tavares Harrington intercepted his first varsity pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown with 9:11 left in the second quarter.

The Caravan’s starting defense didn’t allow a touchdown in the first half.

“I mean, every day, we’re getting better, week-by-week,” Harrington said. “Some stuff happened last week, we let up some points. We had to come back and have a good game.”

St. Rita (10-3) got on the board when senior running back Nick Herman rushed 19 yards to score with 4:55 left in the third quarter. Sophomore Brandon Johnson Jr. scored on a 33-yard run in the fourth quarter and junior Walter Jones returned a punt for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

But the Mustangs couldn’t find a way to stop one of the best offenses in the state.

“This is a team you can’t get behind on,” St. Rita coach Martin Hopkins said. “Once you’re chasing points against these guys, it’s hard to come back.”

Mount Carmel will now turn its attention to the 7A state title game against either Batavia or Lincoln-Way West on Saturday at Hancock Stadium in Normal. Regardless of who the Caravan play, they’ll be playing for some history.

Not only will Mount Carmel try to win a state-best 16th championship. The Caravan will try to win three straight titles for the first time since winning three in a row from 1998 to 2000 and their first after finishing the regular season 6-3.

“I think there is some history that we’re going to make,” Mucha said. “So that’s what our plan is.”