Fremd stays close early before Mt. Carmel pulls away in 8A semifinal

Fremd’s magical season came to end Saturday in Chicago.

The Vikings put together a spirited effort, but came up short to Mt. Carmel 42-21 in the Class 8A semifinals.

Top-seeded Mt. Carmel (13-0), which moved up to 8A this season after winning three consecutive 7A titles, will play Oswego next Saturday in the championship game at Illinois State University at 7 p.m. Oswego beat Lockport 10-7 to advance.

Fremd (11-2) made its deepest run in state playoffs in school history. However, the Vikings ran into a Mt. Carmel team that many feel is one of the best teams ever.

But Fremd made sure they left their mark at 64th and Dante.

“Our kids fought all night,” Fremd coach Lou Sponsel said. “Our defense went out and played lights out and kept us around for awhile. We just didn’t go out and execute. And when you are playing this team, the margin for error is so small.”

Mt. Carmel tried to set the tone early when the Caravan put together a 16-play, 68-yard touchdown drive. The Vikings didn’t go down easy as Carmel quarterback Emmett Dowling barely crossed the goal line on fourth-and-goal from the one to make it 7-0.

The Vikings then turned the Caravan away on Mt. Carmel’s next possession when Michael Murray intercepted in the Fremd end zone.

Fremd, which struggled offensively in the first half, had an opportunity to climb back into the game after the interception. But a third down dropped pass at midfield and a failed fourth down conversion gave Mt. Carmel a short field.

That led to a Mt. Carmel touchdown run by Madden Wilson. Then after another defensive stop and a Fremd punt, the Caravan struck again on a 38-yard touchdown pass from Dowling to Marshaun Thornton to make it 21-0, which was the halftime score.

Fremd showed life to begin the second half.

Marquan Brewster returned the kickoff 90 yards to the Caravan five. Two plays later, Johnny O'Brien connected with Brewster on a one-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-6.

The Caravan then ratted off three straight touchdowns to make it 42-6 at the end of the third quarter. Dowling, who was 28-of-46 for 341 yards, threw touchdown passes of 13 yards to Quentin Burrell, 50 yards to Nathan Samuels and seven yards to Stephen Winkler.

Despite that, Fremd refused to go away.

After an interception by Brewster, O’Brien moved the Vikings down the field. Faulkner scored from 17 yards out and followed with a conversion catch to make 42-14.

The Vikings then intercepted Dowling for the third time. Owen Jakubczak deflected a pass and it was picked off by Tom O’Brien. Three plays later, O’Brien tossed an 11-yard scoring strike to Ben Riddle to make it 42-21.

“I am really proud of this team,” said O’Brien, who was under constant pressure from Mt. Carmel’s defense and finished 12-of-29 for 102 yards.

“That fourth quarter was all heart for us. I just love this team so much. We wanted to leave a legacy. It hurts. But I am proud of this group.”

Troy Pepe, who along with Jakubczak, Tom O’Brien, Murray and Brewster, made sure Mt. Carmel wouldn’t pull away.

“I m really proud of how we fought,” Pepe said. “Obviously I don’t think the scoreboard reflects how physical and how well we played on defense. I am really proud of that last quarter especially, just not going out light and playing hard to the end.”

Jakubczak said the Fremd run began at the end of last season.

“It all started in the off-season,” Jakubczak said. “Right away, our juniors, who are now seniors, knew it was time to step up. We really rallied. We hung out with the younger guys. We brought them into lifts and into the extra work. I think camaraderie was one of the biggest parts of our success this season.”

Sponsel said this group was special.

“I’m proud of these kids,” Sponsel said. “They left their legacy. Our kids should be proud and keep their heads up high. They are passing the torch to the next group of kids.”