Lynch thrives as Carmel wins in OT

Carmel coach Andy Bitto went with his gut after losing starting fullback Rondel Jamison to injury.

His gut said to call up sophomore Sean Lynch to the varsity squad ahead of Friday night's clash in Woodstock against Marian Central.

"I just woke up in the middle of the night, after losing my all-state fullback to a broken foot," said Bitto. "I said, 'This kid's a tough kid. He's a sophomore, but he's our kind of fullback.' "

Lynch didn't disappoint in his debut, rushing for 2 touchdowns. The second came at the ultimate time for the Corsairs. His 5-yard plunge in the second overtime boosted the Corsairs to a crucial 45-38 win over the host Hurricanes in this East Suburban Catholic Conference matchup.

"My coaches believed in me this week," said Lynch. "We put in a lot of work this week, my quarterback and I, I couldn't have done it without my line. Shout-outs to all the coaches."

Carmel (4-3, 3-2) sealed the victory by stuffing Marian Central quarterback Gavin Scott at the 2-yard line, popping the ball free from Scott into the arms of safety Joel Basara, who fell to the turf.

The defensive stand came after a wild fourth quarter that saw 31 points scored, and two overtime scoring drives from both teams. After Blake Peterson caught a touchdown from Scott to start the overtime, Carmel answered with quarterback Jeremy Streutzel lofting a five-yard pass to the end zone to Noah Thigpen.

Zaire Barnes added 2 rushing touchdowns for the Corsairs while Brian Niemaszek (game-high 101 yards) added two touchdown runs early for the Hurricanes (3-4, 1-4).