FRANKFORT, IL. − Mount Carmel football (Chicago, IL) has heard the doubts all season.
The Caravan entered the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) postseason as the No. 8 seed in the 8A playoffs, despite being the four-time defending state champions and underdogs in a rare occurrence.
That meant Mount Carmel had to go on the road against No. 1 Lincoln-Way East in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 14 — its biggest test to continue the quest for a fifth straight state title.
In the first half, the Caravan did themselves no favors, as the team trailed 10-7 at halftime due to penalties and self-inflicted wounds.
However, Mount Carmel was able to overcome trailing the majority of the game for a 21-16 "upset" win over the Griffins to advance to the semifinals.
"It's super big," Mount Carmel senior middle linebacker and Notre Dame commit Roman Igwebuike said of the victory. "We beat them last year, but we still had a chip on our shoulder. I feel like we've been doubted too much this year and I feel like everybody knows what we're capable of. They just keep doubting our program."
Fast start, slow middle, big finish
While the Caravan struck first in the opening quarter when quarterback Brady Cloherty hit tight end Ty Kennedy for a touchdown, despite being without starting quarterback Evan LeFevour and running back Jayden Cawthon, the Griffins took a 10-7 lead into halftime.
They did that by taking away the deep shots Mount Carmel — which came into the game averaging 43.6 points per game — was accustomed to making.
"They were playing back, so we just took a lot of the short stuff," senior wide receiver Quentin Burrell said. "It was kind of frustrating, but we had to take what they gave us."
Mount Carmel trailed for the majority of the game, but because of the past success, the group remained calm.
"To be honest, there was no anxiety or nerves," senior defensive back Tavares Harrington said. "We've been in situations. We've been down 30 in Week 2. So we've experienced everything. I feel like we've come back on people; we've had people come back on us. So we just went into the locker room at halftime; we told the team to stay locked in and bring that energy. We felt we left a lot of plays out there in the first half."
It was not until the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter that Mount Carmel had a sustained drive.
Cloherty and the offense converted a pair of third downs and a fourth down to set up a jet sweep touchdown by Duran Sims to give them the lead with 11:50 left in the third quarter.
Mount Carmel took a 21-10 lead and control of the game on a 27-yard touchdown strike from Cloherty to Michigan commit Burrell a couple of drives later. That touchdown was set up by an interception.
"A game can swing and you can have runs," Burrell said. "The defense getting a turnover, that pick, gave us a little more momentum."
Cloherty was 31 of 43 for 305 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, while Burrell had 11 grabs for 109 yards, and junior Marshaun Thornton had 12 catches for 124 yards.
Junior Tyler Spychalski — who filled in for starter LeFevour at quarterback — finished 8 of 19 passing for 94 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
The offensive struggles were something the team anticipated, as Lincoln-Way East entered the game allowing just 8.5 points per game this season and a grand total of 94 points allowed all season.
"I told the defense yesterday before pregame and the team meeting that this is going to come down to us one way or another," Igwebuike said. "We don't know when it's going to be, but it's going to come down to the defense. And we were ready for it."
Overcoming adversity all season
After a historic undefeated 14-0 season in 2025, the 2026 season has been an interesting one for the Caravan. They opened the season with a rare 42-23 loss to East St. Louis, despite holding a nine-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Caravan then needed a 30-point comeback to upend St. Joseph Regional on Aug. 28 to avoid starting the season 0-2.
A 35-24 loss to Brother Rice on Sept. 24 was the turning point of the season, with the loss dropping them to 4-2 on the season.
"We have to pick it up," Harrington said of the message the team was delivered following the loss to Brother Rice. "I feel in that game ... we were out there giving bad effort on defense. We were lollygagging around. But we came out the next week and ever since, we've put out the message we have to hustle and we have to be the aggressor on defense."
Harrington announced a flip from Michigan to Ole Miss following the game.
Mount Carmel (10-2) will face the winner of Bolingbrook vs. Oswego in the semifinals next weekend.
Igwebuike joked that he was rooting for Bolingbrook, as it would mean one last home game for the Caravan before he graduates early and heads to South Bend.
But if you ask anyone on Mount Carmel, they prefer another game with "adversity" to another easy blowout win. That's not shocking for this Caravan team this season.
"I love close games," Burrell said. "Close games are when you see what you are made of. When you win by a lot, it's not really fun. Adversity, even though it's adversity, is fun. It's fun to take your licks and give some licks."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mount Carmel football (IL) heard the doubts. Its upset of the No. 1 seed answered them
