Carmel collects big victory over ND
A defensive slugfest came down to the closing minutes. No matter what Notre Dame threw at Carmel Catholic's football team, the host defense had an answer.
Delivering a series of timely defensive stops in the second half, the Corsairs rallied with one of its best team efforts of the year in stunning the Dons 10-8 in East Suburban Catholic Conference action at Baker Stadium on Friday night.
"That's the best defensive game we've played in five, six years," said Carmel coach Andy Bitto, whose team improves to 3-3 with a 2-2 ESCC mark. "We knew they were big and going to run right at us. They've been successful against everybody to this point. I'm thrilled with how hard our defense played."
Aside from Carmel's first offensive possession - a two-play series capped by a 73-yard touchdown vaunt from Zaire Barnes - the game was highlighted by defensive play.
The Corsairs unit held Notre Dame (4-2, 3-1) to four downs on three separate occasions, including a goal-line stand.
On the flip side, Notre Dame's biggest stops yielded its lone first half points.
Carmel's second possession saw a bad snap launch into the backfield, landing in the hands of Dons linebacker Mario Olivella, who scooped up the ball and raced 17 yards to pay dirt.
After its offense was stalled shy of the end zone, Olivella struck again, catching Miles Tramill shy of the goal line for a safety and an 8-6 Dons edge that held to the mid point.
"We stopped them on the goal line," Bitto said. "They got a safety, but it could've been a touchdown (on the previous drive) and that would've been the game."
Offensive struggles continued for both squads early in the third quarter.
On Carmel's third drive, however, Jeremy Strutzel broke the doldrums with a 26-yard pass to Shaneal Greene and a 17-yard toss to Noah Thigpen setting up Matt Hellen, who drilled a 33-yard field goal to reclaim the lead.
"That kick's something we've practiced thousands of times from freshman all the way to senior year," said Hellen. "The practice paid off."
The fourth quarter saw each team have opportunities to swing the momentum their way. Carmel pushed the football into Dons territory only to see a pair of punts go awry and give the visitors solid field position.
Their defense wouldn't budge, holding Notre Dame on downs twice and stalling a fake punt situation with a Jacob Sicco sack of quarterback Tom Drabik.
"We work hard every week to know what is coming on those four down plays," said Sicco, who reeled off 12 tackles with a pair of sacks. "We're giving 100 percent effort every time and making sure we cover those plays."
The Dons had one final opportunity in the closing minutes after burning their timeouts to force a late Carmel punt.
After picking up a first down, the visitors were held to a critical fourth down situation. Drabik went after receiver Nick Ruiz only to see Carmel's Jimmy Harvey step in front of the pass to wrap the victory.
"The line was getting pressure making the quarterback rush it," Harvey said. "I was just in the right place at the right time."
Offensively, Zarnes led the game with 140 yards on 12 carries including the game's lone offensive touchdown. Miles George tallied 113 yards on 35 carries to lead Notre Dame.
George Curran added an interception for the Corsairs.