NORMAL — Prepping for the season opener against East St. Louis, Mount Carmel senior quarterback Brady Cloherty was ready to back up senior starter Ryder Startz.
But still, the coaches said not to get too comfortable on the bench.
The Caravan might call his number.
“I was told to be ready,” Cloherty said. “The thing our coaches always say is you never know when your name is going to get called. When my name was called, I was ready.”
Playing a platoon role with Startz early and then taking the helm when Startz left with an apparwnt injury, Cloherty threw for 289 yards on 14-for-28 passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions on Aug. 22 in Mount Carmel’s 42-23 loss to East St. Louis at Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium.
Junior Marshaun Thornton finished with five catches for 149 yards and two touchdowns (40 and 36 yards), and also returned a free kick 78 yards for a score.
Switching series early with Startz, Cloherty showed off his arm with some big throws downfield to Thornton and senior Quentin Burrell, a Michigan recruit.
His second connection with Thornton, a pretty 36-yard throw and a prettier catch skying for the ball in double coverage, tied the game at 14 with 3:33 left in the third quarter.
Thornton’s special teams TD, after a safety. put the Caravan up 23-14.
From there, it was all East St. Louis as the Flyers capitalized on three Mount Carmel turnovers in the fourth, rattling off 28 unanswered points.
“My receivers make my life a lot better,” Cloherty said. “I felt a great connection with them. I’ve still got to fix a lot of stuff. I’ve got to be smarter with the ball and can’t force things as much. We’ll be ready for Week 2 definitely.”
Cloherty transferred to Mount Carmel from Plainfield East. Oddly, his late game there also was against East St. Louis in the IHSA playoffs.
“Brady played amazing having to step up after what happened to Ryder,” Thornton said. “He’s ready. He’s been here before [in big situations]. He’ll be a great piece for us this year and lead us.”
Thornton is one of the top recruits in the Class of 2028. He also plays basketball for the Caravan.
As penalties and turnovers piled up in the opener, he knows the team has to clean things up going forward.
“We just can’t make too many mistakes,” Thornton said. “We made too many as a team. We’ve got to bounce back next week, watch film and do what we need to do.”
On special teams, senior Tavares Harrington blocked an East St. Louis field goal, and senior Isaac Saldana blocked a punt that led to a safety.
Junior Mason Andrews added an interception.
Harrington, a Michigan recruit, said he was encouraged by the team’s play, despite the mistakes.
“It’s Week 1,” Harrington said. “Today was seeing where our team is at and where we are. It’s figuring things out. They’re a good team. We’re a good team. We’ll bounce back.”
The loss snapped a 19-game winning streak for the Caravan. Mount Carmel last lost in Week 9 in the 2024 season.