Friday night’s game at Joliet’s Memorial Stadium between Joliet Catholic and Mount Carmel was played for the second year in honor of Kevin Hansen, a former JCA student-athlete and Mt. Carmel teacher who died 10 years ago of leukemia.

With a 35-7 win, the Caravan retained the traveling trophy.

Mt. Carmel remained perfect on the season, moving to 7-0. The Hilltoppers fell to 2-5.

“Coming off a Catholic League Blue game (against Brother Rice) last week where we got pretty banged up and then playing a Joliet Catholic team with 15 state championships and a well-coached program, there are no easy opponents,” Mt. Carmel coach Jordan Lynch said.

“They fought hard and played tough. That is a good football team – their record doesn’t show it.”

The Caravan used a wide-open offense that saw Lynch and his staff call only 13 running plays, with almost a third of them coming in the closing minute of the game.

Senior quarterback Emmett Dowling led the way, going 13 for 39 with 329 yards and four passing touchdowns. He also scored on a 5-yard scoring run to open Mt. Carmel’s scoring with 9 minutes, 58 seconds to play in the first quarter.

Sophomore Marshaun Thornton (four catches, 93 yards, two TDs), senior Jamari Brown (six catches, 86 yards, TD) and senior Gavin Conjar (two catches, 41 yards, TD) hauled in Dowling’s scores.

“We are growing every week, but we have some dynamic playmakers on the outside, and our running backs are good, so it is just pick your poison with this group,” Lynch said. “We take what the defense gives us, but we love throwing the ball, as you could see tonight.”

Joliet Catholic coach Jake Jaworski knew his defense would be challenged.

“They are a good football team. They are one of the better teams I have had a chance to coach against,” Jaworski said. “They spread you out and get you in a lot of one-on-one battles, and on 90% of those throws they gave run action, and that kind of puts you in a pickle. They get you in a one-on-one, and they have some dudes out there on the edge, that is for sure,” he said.

“I thought we did a good job in the first half giving them some conflicting looks and reads and held them at bay, but they have the guys on the edge that can make plays. I am proud of those guys – we were able to get off the field a few times, and we had some chances to get some takeaways with some balls in the air that fell through our hands.”

One that didn’t fall through anyone’s hands was a fourth-quarter interception in the end zone by senior Michael Brown.

“I saw the ball coming, and I knew I had to go get that,” he said. “Watching film, I knew I was going to go get one.”

Brown said he needed to make up for an earlier interception he was set for, until the receiver interfered with him, resulting in a penalty.

“It is a challenge. I knew what I was going to go through,” Brown said. “We played well. I am proud of our team. That is a good football team, and we knew what they were capable of. We just tried to stick to our techniques and what we do.”

Joliet Catholic’s lone score came with 1:43 left in the first quarter, as junior Derrick Pomatto ran one in from 3 yards out to tie the game 7-7.

For Mt. Carmel, it will continue looking for a possible undefeated regular season and No. 1 seed as it moves to Class 8A this year.

As for the Hilltoppers, they need to win out and hope for the best to get into the playoffs.

“We have to get the next two and see what happens,” Jaworski said. “This isn’t where we wanted to be, but I am proud of our guys and their compete level, and now we have to see what happens.”