Carmel corrects course vs. Benet

After allowing 64 points in a loss to Marist last week, Carmel was eager to get back on track in time for the playoffs.

The Corsairs accomplished that mission in a 42-7 East Suburban Catholic win over Benet (1-8, 0-8) on Friday night at Benedictine University in Lisle.

Carmel (6-3, 6-2) rushed for 343 yards, led by 150 on 15 carries from senior Jordan Kos.

Kos scored on runs of 9, 9 and 22 while becoming the school's career rushing leader.

"Anytime we get Jordan the ball in the middle of the field, he can really make stuff happen," said Carmel head coach Anthony Bitto. "They were concentrating on the perimeter so we got some traps inside that really got him some big plays early on."

The Corsairs turned the ball over on their first possession but the offense got in gear later in the first quarter as a 3-yard touchdown run from quarterback Brian Brennan (16 carries, 85 yards 2 TD) capped a 9-play 94 yard drive.

"Winning was one thing, but we wanted to get back to controlling the game and dominating the game," Bitto said. "I'm real proud of the way we handed the line of scrimmage."

Kos put Carmel up 28-0 at halftime with 3 second-quarter touchdowns

"We wanted a full head of steam going into the playoffs," Kos said. "Our offense has been rolling the last couple of games. We cleaned up our defense so everyone feels ready to go."

The game is sure to give the Carmel defense some confidence as Tom Abbene had 2 interceptions, Brett Blum blocked a punt, Bill Dolan recovered a fumble and Seamus Quilty, among others, delivered big hits all night.

"They were flying around and making plays," Kos said. "We are looking good in all three phases of the game. We are feeling confident, and we feel that we can make a deep run."

While Benet was out of the game early on, the Redwings battled until the end and outscored the Corsairs 7-0 over the final 15:38.