Mount Carmel quarterback Jack Elliott manufactured magic moments throughout the Caravan’s season opener on Thursday.
He limped to the line of scrimmage on the final play, hoping to find a way into the end zone to win the game in the final seconds.
It didn’t pan out. Elliott threw an interception with 27 seconds left that sealed a 42-38 win for Hun from Princeton, NJ.
Elliott was 14 of 27 passing for 252 yards. He threw two long touchdown passes and three interceptions. The Vanderbilt recruit had 11 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown. He left the game for two plays in the third quarter while struggling with cramps.
It’s just the third loss at home for Mount Carmel under Jordan Lynch. The back-and-forth, hard-fought game was a memorable one for the Raiders.
“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 quarterback Jack Moran, a Charlotte recruit, was 19-for-32 with one interception and five TDs.
“Obviously we both need to get a little better on defense,” Smith said. “But [Mount Carmel] was really stout against the run. We saw some things we liked in the secondary and we tried to take advantage of it.”
Hun is a prep school and had several older players, but everyone but Moran played both sides of the ball.
“They were big, big guys and they are physical,” Caravan coach Jordan Lynch said. “It’s a hell of a game ot play Week 1. Those guys made the trip, flew in yesterday and stayed in a hotel. That’s probably a little bit out of routine for a high school kid. But they put up a fight and didn’t back down.”
Several new stars appeared for Mount Carmel. Sophomore wide receiver Quentin Burrell was a revelation, finishing with five receptions for 147 yards including a 30-yard TD.
Senior running back Danyil Taylor Jr. had 11 carries for 44 yards and two touchdowns. Senior linebacker Matthew Mucha made a handful of huge plays that helped keep the Caravan (0-1) in the game in the second half. New kicker Nicolas Mullen nailed a 34-yard field goal that gave Mount Carmel a 38-35 lead with 4:04 left.
Danyil Taylor Jr. spins and scores on a tough 4-yard run.
Mount Carmel and Princeton Hun tied at 28 with 3:58 left in the 2Q.
The Raiders had the momentum. Then a Payne interception and a couple big plays from Elliott turned it around. pic.twitter.com/zN6sg8ayCp
— Michael O’Brien (@michaelsobrien) August 30, 2024
“They were big, mean and nasty,” Mucha said. “They were maulers. We knew that they had a lot of Division I commits and that they were a wealthy school but we didn’t know what they were about physically.
Moran threw TD passes of 87, 46 and 83 yards in the first half and a 50-yard TD pass in the second half.
“We got beat on a simple concept three times,” Mucha said. “That’s malpractice. That can’t happen. The offense had our back. We had to have their back.”
Next up for the No. 3 Caravan is a trip to rival St. Rita on Friday.
“We didn’t back down, we made some plays,” Lynch said. “It’s a long season. We have to grow. There’s a lot of young guys out there but you better grow up real quick. That’s why I’m here. The coaches are gonna get them where they need to be.”