Both teams are firing on all cylinders. Hope it’s a great game with no injuries.
8-0 MC vs 8-0 LA
- Thread starter lookoutforliam
- Start date
I heard one of them is going to rest half their starters so they don’t get hurt!!!! Oh never mind wrong game. Good luck to both!!
I am expecting something akin to a WWII tank battle. "Rommel drives deep into Egypt."
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I’m going to play Captain Obvious here but this game has my attention 😂.
But might not be for the obvious reasons. Both teams are great programs, players and staffs. I’m going to watch LA back 7 on D, DuPree usage and the x factor Densmore that can do a lot of things from any pre snap alignment (ignore per Silver Rains info down below) Both kicking games are very good to excellent and I believe the final score may be determined by them. Good Luck and Good Health to both teams.
But might not be for the obvious reasons. Both teams are great programs, players and staffs. I’m going to watch LA back 7 on D, DuPree usage and the x factor Densmore that can do a lot of things from any pre snap alignment (ignore per Silver Rains info down below) Both kicking games are very good to excellent and I believe the final score may be determined by them. Good Luck and Good Health to both teams.
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LA had no answer for Dupree last year. I expect him to run wild.
Densmore, a multifaceted player, is unfortunately out for three or four weeks with an injury.
Elliott is a wild card, as is LA's Ryan Fitzgerald. Both are juniors who can run and throw. Both are field generals who have multiple weapons at their disposal. LA has a better field goal unit, but MC has a secondary that is second to none. I have the Caravan by 14 in another high scoring contest.
DuPree had a great game I remember, but I also think he was lost to the playoffs from that game which they obviously overcame.. So his usage is an interesting part of the game to me.
That stinks for Densmore, enjoy his ability.
Great point regarding the true X factors, the talented, very capable junior QBs for both teams
Funny but I seem to recall Mt. Carmel booming every one of his extra point kicks.
Yet, the same kid has missed a lot of field goals in games I have watched vs east St. Louis, st. Rita, brother rice and Carmel.
If Mt. Carmel wins, it keeps alive the possibility of a team winning a state title in one class snd beating state champs from two other classes during regular season.
Possible rain Saturday in Wilmette, MC unbeatable (my opinion), daughter says MC by 17 and I say 13. Brutal game for both to end the year! Good luck to both teams. Stay healthy my friends!
Your daughter should have her own thread.
+1 When the Soup needs info about or an answer on the Southland High School Football landscape, there’s no one better to ask. Legend.
Interesting fact is that same kid nailed a 50 yarder before the half @ Brother Rice which was negated by a Time out. Came up just short on 2nd attempt. That 50 yarder would have been an MC record which is a pretty impressive accomplishment.
MC has missed some field goals this season, yes. But they have tried some really long ones. I'd say Louie is a guarantee from 40 yards and in. I saw him make a 50 yarder at Rice that was wiped off by a time out. He makes 50 yarders during pregame and half time every week.
I call dibs on parking at Debbie's house. I hear she has hired a security company for Saturday. Those people from Mount Carmel are coming to town. Lock your doors and windows!!!
Not a shot at LA fans, only our sweet Debbie.
Not a shot at LA fans, only our sweet Debbie.
These teams face an interesting issue here with this game. If we accept the premise that winning state is the priority for both, this game does little for either (especially LA who is locked into a top three seed in 8A) and could add risk if a key player get injured. Now, I have no doubt that both teams will go all out to win since it seems like that’s how both are wired but it would be rational for both to take it easy since neither a win nor a loss really matters that much to the overall goal. One caveat, that may not be as true for MC as it is for LA and I haven’t really paid any attention to how much their 7A seeding may change if they lose but I suspect it’s not that much and they’d still be well positioned to be a heavy favorite even if their seed slipped after a loss.
Just to be clear... He didn't miss a FG's against ESL(Actually made one but MC took penalty on ESL offsides, and didn't attempt one against Carmel. He did miss 2 against Rice(made 47 yarder as Rice called timeout at end of half and came up a yard short after the timeout). And was 1/2 against Rita.. 35/35 on PAT. Loyola's Mike Baker is the best kicker in the state. and top 10 nationally.. I will be rooting for MC and both kickers on Saturday.
I wish I shared some of the optimism on here for an MC 2 TD victory. These games always seem to come to the very end. Last year, LA was driving at the end in the 42-37 win, 2021- 21-19 (the 2 pointer was there to), 2019 last second FG 17-14, 2018 MC wins with the tackle at the goal line as horn goes off. Over the years many instances i.e. 2007 triple OT, 2010 OT, '96 last second FG (endzone express to Gianacockos), '93 missed PAT 7-6 at end in mud.
I don't see it being as high of scoring as last year. That was with Dupree having I think only 4 carries for 50 yards before departing. I can't imagine it's not another game that doesn't come down to the last seconds.
I don't see it being as high of scoring as last year. That was with Dupree having I think only 4 carries for 50 yards before departing. I can't imagine it's not another game that doesn't come down to the last seconds.
Hopefully Meir's is open early! People of Wilmette - hang on, it could get crazy!!!! Good Luck to both teams, hopefully no injuries prior to the play-off run! In all practicality. could very well be the "real" State Championship game like last year! Time will tell!
MC by at least 17. Loyola will not be able to keep up with their skill guys...
I just checked… for “research” purposes. 10:00am. Im gna try to swing it and make this game!!
Winning the league is very important to both of the teams. They want to be considered the best in the state and have to win this one to get that title. Also neither will have much to worry about for the first 2-3 rounds of the playoffs so plenty of time to get healthy before being challenged again.
Plus, it makes my day, and maybe even my season, to beat Loyola at home. It's been that way for 50 years and I'm too old to change now.
Which resulted in a seven point touchdown. Anyway, you could call that a game winning field goal.
I like Mt. Carmel’s chances unless they have to play Loyola’s second string.
We did that against ESL
To me, winning state is the primary goal.
Wether it's MC football, thw White Sox or the Bears, getting to the playoffs is far less important unless we win the big one.
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Agreed. But, sadly, I don't think I like the odds that either one of us will live long enough to see the Sox or Bears win another title.
Gambletron has MC as a 7 point dog?!?!?!?! I'm not buying that. This will be a pickem game either way.
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If I was a MC fan I'd go to the game in disguise. Go online and buy a bunch of New Trier HS tee shirts and TP her house.
Mt Carmel on a 22 game winning streak. Not sure LA has an answer for Dupree (?) I would say LA 3-7 point underdog at home. Should be interesting.
I'm picking MC in this, but expect a great game. Not sure if true, but I heard if MC wins it will be the longest winning streak in school history.
MC has never had back to back undefeated seasons. They have gone undefeated in 2 of 3 years a few times: '50/'52, '88/'90, '96/'98. This would set the record for consecutive wins. Currently tied at 22 with '88 (14-0) then '89 was 8-0 before losing to Rita week 9 14-7.
When I posted this before the game a few years ago some of you got a big kick out of it so here it is again.
MIND GAMES
By Paul Sullivan. Tribune Staff Writer
Chicago Tribune
Oct 01, 1993 at 12:00 am
Reggie Thompson leans back in his chair, raises his right hand and patiently awaits his turn.
Thompson is one of two dozen Mt. Carmel football players crammed into a small classroom on a rainy Saturday morning at 64th and Dante, getting final instructions from the coaching staff three hours before the Caravan plays Loyola in a battle of Top 10 teams in Wilmette.
Thompson has carefully rehearsed his solitary line, and when head coach Frank Lenti calls out his name, he delivers the words with authority.
"It's time to be the judge, the jury and the executioner," Thompson says in a flat, Arnold Schwarzenegger monotone.
Heads nod all around him, though no one says a word.
It is game day at Mt. Carmel. Like so many places where football is king, athletes and coaches alike prepare by tossing around fighting words like Frisbees.
Each team has its own unique approach to game day. This is how Mt. Carmel prepared last Saturday for Loyola.
Game day starts around 8 a.m., when players file into the school for taping. They will wander over to the nearby practice field and watch the first quarter of the Loyola-Mt. Carmel freshman game before heading to chapel service.
At 10:30, the first of several team meetings takes place in a first-floor classroom. The defensive unit heads in first while a student marches up to the blackboard and hangs up a banner.
"It takes a little more to be a Champion," reads the slogan for a sporting goods company.
For six minutes, no one in the room makes a sound, with only the rain on the windows breaking the silence. Then the defensive coaches make their entrances: line coach John Potocki in front followed by defensive coordinator Dave Lenti, the head coach's brother, and linebackers coach Pete Kammholz.
Lenti goes over defensive assignments and reminds players that Loyola is a team that likes trick plays, particularly on second down with short yardage.
The smallest details are brought up, such as the expected emotional reaction of the players when they board the team bus to begin the 30-mile trip up the Edens Expressway to Loyola.
"Don't burn a lot of energy on the bus getting all excited," Lenti warns. "After a while you'll see the Old Orchard Road exit and you know we're close, and then Lake Avenue. Then you start getting focused."
Toward the end of his remarks, Lenti launches the opening verbal assault on the North Shore, the area Loyola calls home.
"Their fans will be wearing Izods and turtlenecks, barbecueing and having a grand old time," Lenti says.
"There is nothing better than going to someone else's house and taking it over."
The us-versus-them theme will be repeated in the next meeting, when Potocki gives a "demographics" lesson to the offense.
"If you study Chicago history," Potocki says, "you'll find that the people who got a little more money usually moved up north. Now, your ancestors lived on the South Side, and they worked hard all their lives. Nothing was ever given to them. That work ethic, that mental toughness and physical toughness, it's something that is ingrained in us."
During the final meeting, Lenti calls upon the captains and seniors to speak their minds. Quarterback Donovan McNabb, Thompson and runningback Mike Clifford each give a brief speech in understated tones.
"If we lose today we'll be 2-2," Clifford says. "That's average."
He makes a dramatic pause and adds, "I didn't come here to be average."
The meetings end at 11:25. Soon the 45-minute bus ride to Wilmette begins. They arrive in time for a half-hour of warmups in the pouring rain and enter the visitors' locker room 15 minutes before kickoff.
The players sit on four long benches. McNabb walks up and down, slapping low fives.
"Nasty weather for nasty attitudes," Potocki says aloud as he paces the room. Lenti huddles the players into a corner of the room at 1:25 for a pregame prayer, and then delivers his final remarks in full throat.
"Courage, pride, self-esteem," Lenti says, his voice rising. "Great players play great in big games. It's a matter of choice; how good do you want to be?"
Finally, Lenti shouts out his closing refrain, "Who's it up to?"
"Me!" the players reply.
"Who's it up to?"
"Me!"
"Who's it up to?"
"Me!"
With that, 74 young men run out the door toward the rain-soaked field. They return an hour later with a 7-0 lead and heads hung low. After Jovan Harbin's 67-yard touchdown run on the third play, Mt. Carmel's offense was stopped dead. A fumble forced by Thompson at the goal line kept Loyola off the scoreboard.
Linebacker Jeff Cronin gathers the defense on one side of the locker room and instructs them to take off their pads.
"Let's pick it up," Cronin shouts. "You guys are dead out there. For what? I'm not going on another long bus ride home again."
Cronin means the opening-night loss to Joliet Catholic, when the Caravan held an 11-point lead with 4:46 left but lost 27-24.
As the end of halftime approaches, Lenti calls the troops together one last time.
"It's an all-new ballgame," he says. "Defense, let's gang tackle. You've got 24 minutes. You don't need me to charge you up. Let's give 24 of your best."
In another hour, the Caravan comes out with a 7-6 victory, thanks in part to the rain. It helped foul up Loyola's point-after attempt with 2 1/2 minutes left.
In the locker room, Lenti congratulates the kids for the win, but they know the review will be a little harsher during film sessions next week. Caked with mud and sopping wet, they finish celebrating and get back on the bus in full uniform for the return trip to Mt. Carmel.
Cronin smiles as he gets on board. It won't be such a long trip after all.
MIND GAMES
By Paul Sullivan. Tribune Staff Writer
Chicago Tribune
Oct 01, 1993 at 12:00 am
Reggie Thompson leans back in his chair, raises his right hand and patiently awaits his turn.
Thompson is one of two dozen Mt. Carmel football players crammed into a small classroom on a rainy Saturday morning at 64th and Dante, getting final instructions from the coaching staff three hours before the Caravan plays Loyola in a battle of Top 10 teams in Wilmette.
Thompson has carefully rehearsed his solitary line, and when head coach Frank Lenti calls out his name, he delivers the words with authority.
"It's time to be the judge, the jury and the executioner," Thompson says in a flat, Arnold Schwarzenegger monotone.
Heads nod all around him, though no one says a word.
It is game day at Mt. Carmel. Like so many places where football is king, athletes and coaches alike prepare by tossing around fighting words like Frisbees.
Each team has its own unique approach to game day. This is how Mt. Carmel prepared last Saturday for Loyola.
Game day starts around 8 a.m., when players file into the school for taping. They will wander over to the nearby practice field and watch the first quarter of the Loyola-Mt. Carmel freshman game before heading to chapel service.
At 10:30, the first of several team meetings takes place in a first-floor classroom. The defensive unit heads in first while a student marches up to the blackboard and hangs up a banner.
"It takes a little more to be a Champion," reads the slogan for a sporting goods company.
For six minutes, no one in the room makes a sound, with only the rain on the windows breaking the silence. Then the defensive coaches make their entrances: line coach John Potocki in front followed by defensive coordinator Dave Lenti, the head coach's brother, and linebackers coach Pete Kammholz.
Lenti goes over defensive assignments and reminds players that Loyola is a team that likes trick plays, particularly on second down with short yardage.
The smallest details are brought up, such as the expected emotional reaction of the players when they board the team bus to begin the 30-mile trip up the Edens Expressway to Loyola.
"Don't burn a lot of energy on the bus getting all excited," Lenti warns. "After a while you'll see the Old Orchard Road exit and you know we're close, and then Lake Avenue. Then you start getting focused."
Toward the end of his remarks, Lenti launches the opening verbal assault on the North Shore, the area Loyola calls home.
"Their fans will be wearing Izods and turtlenecks, barbecueing and having a grand old time," Lenti says.
"There is nothing better than going to someone else's house and taking it over."
The us-versus-them theme will be repeated in the next meeting, when Potocki gives a "demographics" lesson to the offense.
"If you study Chicago history," Potocki says, "you'll find that the people who got a little more money usually moved up north. Now, your ancestors lived on the South Side, and they worked hard all their lives. Nothing was ever given to them. That work ethic, that mental toughness and physical toughness, it's something that is ingrained in us."
During the final meeting, Lenti calls upon the captains and seniors to speak their minds. Quarterback Donovan McNabb, Thompson and runningback Mike Clifford each give a brief speech in understated tones.
"If we lose today we'll be 2-2," Clifford says. "That's average."
He makes a dramatic pause and adds, "I didn't come here to be average."
The meetings end at 11:25. Soon the 45-minute bus ride to Wilmette begins. They arrive in time for a half-hour of warmups in the pouring rain and enter the visitors' locker room 15 minutes before kickoff.
The players sit on four long benches. McNabb walks up and down, slapping low fives.
"Nasty weather for nasty attitudes," Potocki says aloud as he paces the room. Lenti huddles the players into a corner of the room at 1:25 for a pregame prayer, and then delivers his final remarks in full throat.
"Courage, pride, self-esteem," Lenti says, his voice rising. "Great players play great in big games. It's a matter of choice; how good do you want to be?"
Finally, Lenti shouts out his closing refrain, "Who's it up to?"
"Me!" the players reply.
"Who's it up to?"
"Me!"
"Who's it up to?"
"Me!"
With that, 74 young men run out the door toward the rain-soaked field. They return an hour later with a 7-0 lead and heads hung low. After Jovan Harbin's 67-yard touchdown run on the third play, Mt. Carmel's offense was stopped dead. A fumble forced by Thompson at the goal line kept Loyola off the scoreboard.
Linebacker Jeff Cronin gathers the defense on one side of the locker room and instructs them to take off their pads.
"Let's pick it up," Cronin shouts. "You guys are dead out there. For what? I'm not going on another long bus ride home again."
Cronin means the opening-night loss to Joliet Catholic, when the Caravan held an 11-point lead with 4:46 left but lost 27-24.
As the end of halftime approaches, Lenti calls the troops together one last time.
"It's an all-new ballgame," he says. "Defense, let's gang tackle. You've got 24 minutes. You don't need me to charge you up. Let's give 24 of your best."
In another hour, the Caravan comes out with a 7-6 victory, thanks in part to the rain. It helped foul up Loyola's point-after attempt with 2 1/2 minutes left.
In the locker room, Lenti congratulates the kids for the win, but they know the review will be a little harsher during film sessions next week. Caked with mud and sopping wet, they finish celebrating and get back on the bus in full uniform for the return trip to Mt. Carmel.
Cronin smiles as he gets on board. It won't be such a long trip after all.
The current record of games unbeaten is 24. Game 3 in 1991 against St. Rita - Game 13 against JCA in 1992.
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