Without Osterhues, Barrington runs into buzzsaw at defending state champ Mount Carmel

Playoff football moves quickly at Mount Carmel. Barrington experienced that speed firsthand on Friday night when it was eliminated by the Caravan with a 56-0 loss in Chicago.

Mount Carmel quarterback Brady Cloherty ran or threw for seven touchdowns before halftime, as he led the four-time defending state champions to a decisive victory in Class 8A.

“They’ve got skill everywhere, especially on the perimeter,” said Barrington coach Joe Sanchez, assessing the Caravan. “They’re just really good out there — it’s hard for anybody to match up with them.”

For the Broncos, it was the finale of an eventful season in which they stumbled to an 0-4 record through mid-September before sprinting to a seven-game winning streak.

They clinched a playoff berth and claimed a pair of postseason wins in the process.

After upsetting Sandburg last weekend, they earned a second-round trip to an IHSA football mecca.

“Eight weeks ago, nobody would have ever thought we'd have been here, in the Sweet Sixteen, amongst the top 16 teams in 8A football,” Sanchez said.

“This group of seniors kept believing, and they just took it one game at a time,” he added. “There’s a lot to be said about that, from a football perspective and the pride.”

Sanchez’s squad was facing a significant challenge against Mount Carmel. It was amplified by the absence of Lamar Osterhues, who missed the game with an arm injury suffered last week.

Osterhues finished his junior season with 1,500 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. His presence was missed Friday.

“That kid's got a bright future ahead,” said Mount Carmel coach Jordan Lynch, a former Heisman Trophy finalist at Northern Illinois himself.

Lynch was a standout at Mount Carmel prior to his collegiate success with the Huskies; however, the current Caravan quarterback made program history Friday.

Cloherty set the Mount Carmel school record for single-season touchdown passes with his 46th against the Broncos, five of them Friday.

“He’s a special player,” Lynch said. “One of these colleges are going to smarten up and finally start to offer the kid.”

Cloherty had the Caravan offense clicking early on.

He found running back Nathan Samuels and wide receiver Quentin Burrell, a four-star Michigan commit, on back-to-back possessions to make it 14-0 within the first five minutes.

“It starts with great protection, great receivers, running backs,” Lynch said. “(But) this is his offense now, and he's making some big time throws. He's making the right reads, and he's not forcing the ball.”

He then targeted Duran Sims and Marshaun Thornton on touchdown passes before doing it himself on a long second-quarter run to make it 35-0.

“He’s very good, very talented,” Sanchez said. “He does a great job of executing their offense.”

Mount Carmel will look to claim a fifth consecutive state title later this month.

Meanwhile, Barrington senior linebacker Owen Nichols was proud of the way his season ended.

“We made it this far, especially two playoff road wins on the road — I'm pretty proud of myself.”