Mount Carmel quarterback Jack Elliott looks for a receiver during a 43-24 Class 7A quarterfinal win over St. Rita on Nov. 23. Photo by Jerrold D. Berry | Alpha Photography
Jack Elliott throws five TD passes as Mount Carmel rolls past St. Rita
It wasn’t that Mount Carmel defeated St. Rita in the Class 7A state semifinal between the two teams that was so surprising.
After all, in nine postseason meetings, the Caravan have won eight times.
Rather, it’s the dominant way in which Mount Carmel won that was striking.
St. Rita – which shut out Quincy in the second half the previous week – allowed 43 points to the visiting Caravan in the first two quarters as Mount Carmel rolled to a dominant 43-24 victory on Nov. 23.
Mount Carmel (10-3) will play Batavia (12-1) in the Class 7A state championship at 4 p.m. Saturday at Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium in Normal.
The Caravan and Joliet Catholic, who are tied for the IHSA lead with 15 state titles, both will be going for No. 16. JCA plays Nazareth in the Class 5A final earlier Saturday. Mount Carmel has won three under coach Jordan Lynch, who took over in 2018.
It’s the third straight season Mount Carmel and Batavia have met in the state playoffs. Mount Carmel won last season 64-26 in the semifinals and 44-20 in the Class 7A final in 2022.
Against St. Rita, the Caravan opened the scoring at 6:15 of the first quarter as Jack Elliott (9 of 11 passing, 124 yards) found Quentin Burrell (two catches, 23 yards) on a 7-yard TD pass.
In the second quarter, Mount Carmel outscored the Mustangs 36-0 to trigger a running clock in the second half. After TD passes from Elliott to Zander Gorman (1 yard) and Cooper Lehman (30 yards), Tavares Harrington’s 35-yard interception return made it 28-0 in favor of the visitors with 9:11 remaining until halftime.
Elliott added 16-yard TD tosses to Burrell and Marshaun Thornton to increase the Caravan’s advantage to 43-0 with 1:30 remaining in the first half.
Elliott also carried eight times for 68 yards. Elliott has passed for 30 touchdowns on the season.
“The kid’s a winner,” Lynch said of Elliott. “He’s another coach on the field. As good as the offense is clicking and calling plays, Jack’s calling a certain percentage of those plays.
“He’s relaying the information and checking out of it and getting us into the right look. He’s the best player not only in the state but also in the Midwest, and in the top of the country in my belief. I’ve never had a player with that much determination and will to win. He makes everyone around him better.”
St. Rita (10-3) averted the shutout in the third quarter as Nick Herman (14 carries, 83 yards) scored on a 19-yard run to make it 43-7. Brandon Johnson’s 33-yard TD run and a safety drew the Mustangs to within 43-16.
Walter Jones scored on the subsequent free-kick return and the two-point conversion set the final score.
“It’s one of those things,” St. Rita coach Martin Hopkins said. “We don’t want moral victories. We’re not happy with this by any means but it says a lot about our kids and our program (to reach the semifinals).
“We weren’t supposed to be here going into the season and they fought hard. They battled through adversity throughout the year. This is a team you can’t get behind on and when you’re chasing points against these guys, they’re difficult to play with.
“Jack Elliott is the best player in the state. He’s a special athlete. He does a lot for that team and his will and determination says a lot about him. He has that. He has that ‘it’ factor.”
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