Week 1 review: Mount Carmel positives, DuKane's strong debut, hope for the south suburbs
Mount Carmel’s opening loss to Hun of Princeton, New Jersey, was about as positive as possible for a defeat.
Several new players stood out, particularly senior running back Danyil Taylor Jr. and sophomore wide receiver Quentin Burrell, who finished with five receptions for 147 yards and a 30-yard touchdown in the 42-38 loss.
The Caravan had a chance to win on the final drive. Mount Carmel quarterback Jack Elliott, who had a good game overall, threw an interception to end the threat.
Elliott was 14-for-27 for 252 yards. He threw two long touchdown passes and three interceptions. The Vanderbilt recruit also had 11 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown.
It was only the third loss at home for Mount Carmel under coach Jordan Lynch. The back-and-forth, hard-fought game was a memorable one for Hun.
‘‘You saw two teams that didn’t quit at all,’’ Hun coach Todd Smith said. ‘‘That was one of the best football games we’ve ever been in.’’
Hun is a prep school and had several fifth-year players, but everyone but its quarterback played both offense and defense.
‘‘There’s a lot of young guys out there for us, but you better grow up real quick,’’ Lynch said. ‘‘That’s why I’m here. The coaches are gonna get them where they need to be.’’
DuKane debuts strong
The DuKane has been one of the premier conferences in the state for the last few seasons. Batavia is a perennial power, Wheaton North won the Class 7A title in 2021 and St. Charles North reached the 7A title game in 2018.
It’s traditionally one of the deepest conferences, with four or five teams qualifying for the playoffs each season.
There wasn’t much buzz around the DuKane heading into this season, however. Batavia was thought to be in a rebuilding year, Geneva lost a lot to graduation and Wheaton North was largely unknown. Batavia and Wheaton-Warrenville South cracked the preseason Super 25, and St. Charles North, with experienced quarterback Ethan Plumb, was expected to reach the rankings at some point.
It only has been one week, and the DuKane already has exceeded expectations. The conference went 7-1 in Week 1. Batavia picked up a major victory against Glenbard West, St. Charles North knocked off preseason-ranked Palatine and Wheaton North took down Providence.
Scouting the south suburbs
It has been a rough few years for high school football in the south suburbs. The sport naturally favors wealthier districts. Former powers Thornton and Hillcrest have fallen on hard times.
Lincoln-Way East, Joliet Catholic and Kankakee were the only south-suburban teams in the preseason rankings. The majority of power is firmly north and west of Chicago.
Bolingbrook and Homewood-Flossmoor, two previously dependable programs, have dipped in form recently under new coaches. They played in Week 1, and the Vikings dominated 56-6.
There are signs that fourth-year coach Terrell Alexander has things moving in the right direction at H-F. The Vikings were 4-5 in his first season but qualified for the playoffs at 6-4 in 2022 and went 5-5 last season.
Quarterback RJ McDonald threw for 220 yards and five touchdowns against the Raiders. Michael Terrell and Joaquin Jordan each scored rushing touchdowns.
H-F found itself in a tough conference after the Southwest Suburban/DuPage Valley merger. The Vikings have conference games against Lockport, Lincoln-Way East, Naperville North and Neuqua Valley.
They face Marian Catholic on the road in Week 2 and have a tough nonconference game at Sandburg in Week 3. Strength of schedule and one conference victory might be enough to get them back into the playoffs this season.
If any south-suburban public school has a chance at football success, it is H-F, so the Vikings should be monitored closely.