Carmel runs out of options
The triple option that the Carmel Catholic employs requires timing, precision and a certain amount of skill.
The offense keeps opponents guessing and, for the most part this season, the Corsairs' opponents guessed wrong.
Saturday night, in a Class 7A state quarterfinal game at No. 2 seed St. Rita in Chicago, the third-seeded Corsairs found a defense that not only guessed right as to which ball carrier had the ball but downright figured out the Carmel attack.
St. Rita held Carmel to a season-worst 183 total yards and won 21-0, becoming the first team to shut out the Corsairs since a 10-0 loss at Richards in the 2001 state semifinals.
Carmel closed its season with a 10-2 mark, while the Mustangs advanced to the semifinals at Lake Zurich next weekend in a rematch of the 2006 Class 7A title game won by St. Rita 35-21.
"We weren't able to mandate inside what we wanted to do tonight on offense," Carmel coach Andy Bitto said. "You have to give kudos to their defense for doing the job up front against us. They were physical even more than (Cincinnati) Elder was (in Week 9)."
The opening drive of the night was the most sustained one for Carmel. The Corsairs burned better than five minutes off the clock but still were forced to punt.
After that drive, which yielded 3 first downs, Carmel managed just one more first down and 38 yards the rest of the first half.
"We just read our keys on defense and practiced real hard all week against their offense," St. Rita defensive tackle Charlie Buche said. "We knew it would be hard to stop all of their guys, but we just tried to take away as much as we could."
St. Rita (11-1) struck on its second drive when senior Jahwon Akui (20 carries, 105 yards) went in from a yard out.
Known for being a run-first team, St. Rita put the ball in the air frequently on the windy night and found success in the second half to break the game open.
Senior quarterback Brandon Johnson hooked up with fellow senior Mitch Saffold on a 28-yard scoring strike to put the Mustangs in even greater control, 14-0, late in the third quarter.
"A lot of teams don't think we can pass the ball all that well and that's fine with us," St. Rita coach Todd Kuska said. "We are an offense that can throw it and run it. We like to run it, but when we want to throw it, we will, and we had some success with that tonight."
St. Rita closed the scoring after Carmel failed to convert a fourth down from its own 26-yard line. On the next snap, Akui made one Corsair miss and took it the rest of the way to secure the win.
"(St. Rita) was a fast defense that made a lot of plays and a fast defense," said senior quarterback Brian Serio, who led Carmel with 91 rushing yards. "This was a great year for the juniors to bond with the seniors and carry on from here. This was a fun year. It's just hard to have it end now."