This one had the potential for some offensive fireworks, considering Carmel’s Trae Taylor and Montini’s Israel Abrams are two nationally ranked quarterbacks in the Class of ’27.

The reality, though, was almost beyond imagination.

Montini edged Carmel 55-54 on Friday in Mundelein, in a game that featured over 1,000 combined passing yards. The lead also changed hands four times in the fourth quarter.

There was nearly a fifth lead change, but after Carmel scored with 27.1 seconds left on a 58-yard pass from Taylor to Kyron Hart. The Corsairs went for 2 and the win. Taylor dumped a short pass to Kai Owens. He was hit just short of the goal line by Montini’s Nico Castaldo to secure the lead.

“This game was insane,” said Castaldo, who also had 7 catches for 157 yards. “This was the best game I’ve ever played. Our offense played, our defense played. We came together as a team and won the game.”

The final numbers were soaring. Abrams finished with 568 passing yards, hitting 22 of 33 attempts. Somehow, the Broncos converted two 90-yard touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, one to Luca Florio, then to Damacio Ortegon. The second one with 1:26 remaining turned out to be the game-winner. Ortegon finished with 7 catches for 208 yards.

“That’s crazy. That’s my receivers,” Abrams said. “My receivers made those plays possible. We come out here, we do what we’ve got to do.”

Montini scored in a variety of ways, but a favorite was for Abrams to scramble around the backfield long enough for someone to spring wide-open deep downfield. Abrams found running back Isaac Alexander in the back of the end zone for a 26-yard TD on the final play of the first half, which trimmed Carmel’s lead to 35-27.

Taylor, a Nebraska commit, finished the night 25 for 37 through the air for 445 yards. He threw for 5 touchdowns and ran for 3.

“We did what we did,” Taylor said. “You can’t complain, you can’t say, ‘What if, what if?’ We lost the game. That’s how it is. We had opportunities to win the game. The offense, we put ourselves in good situations. It’s a team sport and I think that’s what showed tonight.”

Abrams and Taylor said they don’t know each other very well, but Hart has caught passes from both. He plays for Carmel, and was a teammate of Abrams on the Midwest Boom 7-on-7 program based in Naperville.

“We knew it was going to be down to the wire, exactly what it was,” Hart said. “I love playing with Trae. I’ve played with both of these quarterbacks. So it was just a matter of just showing who’s the better team, who has the better receivers and what we can do.”

Even after Carmel’s miss 2-point try, the game wasn’t over. They recovered the ensuing onside kick, but a sack by Montini’s Santino Tenuta ended the Corsairs’ last chance.

Owens led the Carmel receivers with 9 catches for 142 yards.