Whether it’s Fremd or Mt. Carmel, football fans are in for a treat next weekend

Torn between two visions.

That’s what it’s like picking a favorite between two semifinalist prep football teams. Not a favorite in terms of who will win, but a favorite for who you’d like to see in the final.

Unless you’re an obsessed IHSA football fan willing to load up your odometer — or maybe a guru like Rivals recruiting analyst “Edgy” Tim O’Halloran, whose job it is to cover the entire state — it’s nearly impossible to see the immense amount of talent Illinois has to offer from Lake County to East St. Louis.

That’s what I love about the title games in Bloomington-Normal. It’s a chance for the best of the best to do their thing on a statewide stage. A gathering of greats deserving to be seen by the most fans, whether it’s in person or on television.

It’s where Saturday’s Class 8A semifinal between Fremd and Mt. Carmel enters the picture. The state deserves to watch Vikings quarterback Johnny O’Brien play football Thanksgiving weekend, before he takes his talents to Northwestern.

The 8A final will be broadcast at about 7 p.m. Nov. 29 on The U, and fans will want to tune in regardless. Because if top-seeded Mt. Carmel beats Fremd — as many people expect — the Caravan will boast one of the most talented teams ever seen in 50 years of IHSA championship football games.

But as tempting as it is to want to see Mt. Carmel get the statewide exposure, there’s something about Johnny O’Brien. He’s thrown for more than 2,600 yards and 32 touchdowns at a 66% completion rate, but he’s so much more than the numbers.

O’Brien is pure electricity on the field. Like the parade of great local quarterbacks we’ve seen in state title games through the decades, fans would love a glimpse of his talent. Even if it’s only for one game on television.

As Fremd coach Lou Sponsel is fond of saying, O’Brien is a generational talent. And fans not lucky enough to watch him every week at least deserve to see him on their flat screens against the winner of the Lockport-Oswego semifinal.

But there it is again, the lure of Mt. Carmel. An unheard-of nine players have either committed to Power Four college programs or will land at one.

Senior offensive lineman Claude Mpouma (Nebraska) and senior defensive lineman Braeden Jones (USC) are the only two committed players (defensive lineman Joey Quinn decommitted from Vanderbilt), but several others are deciding among programs such as Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Ohio State and Illinois.

Three of the players are juniors and two are sophomores, so the Caravan — winner of 16 state titles including the last three in 8A — isn’t going anywhere. Next weekend on The U might be its own once-in-a-generation chance for IHSA football fans to see this much talent on one team.

It’s not like Fremd is a one-man show, though. You don’t reach the semifinals for the first time in program history without a group brimming with talent. Receiver-defensive back Marquan Brewster is a Western Illinois commit, while two-way lineman Owen Jakubczek is also committed to Northwestern.

But this Mt. Carmel team is on an almost mythical level in terms of individual talent.

Regardless of who wins Saturday’s 8A semifinal, IHSA football fans are in for a treat when they tune in next weekend.