What is wrong with Mount Carmel?

[Silver Rain]

MOB asks, but fails to answer, the question that some of us have on our minds right now. From my perspective, the Caravan's problems are mental, not physical, and therefore, probably, fixable. I say 'probably' because teenagers can be hard to redirect sometimes. But Lynch is known as a fixer, a coach who can identify flaws in his team with unflinching honesty. If he has fallen short this year, he won't point his guilty finger at anyone but himself.

 

[PowerI66]

At this point, shut down the program!

 

[Topiarydan1]

The teams they have lost to are pretty good. They have an insanely tough schedule. ESL, St Joe's, Rice. If anything the penalties have been one that have perhaps been more than usual. Their DBs have been weak link on D. Overall I think they win out their regular schedule and roll through 8A. Similar with Rice, both losses to great teams on the road at LWE by 1 and at Loyola by 3

 

[McCaravan]

They lost to arguably the #1 statewide team and at the time #5 team in the on the road. Versus BR they got taken off guard and underestimated BR on kick offs and their defensive plan was not executed as the planned. Cullen Winters while not the big D1 talent is the most reliable tackler in the secondary has not played since the 1st Quarter vs St. Joes. He was replaced by a Sophmore moving Saldana from Corner to Safety. Him being out is a hit in the secondary. I'm confident they will beat PC and JCA and then they got the #1 Chicagoland team on the road again and a lot will have to improve to beat them.

Lot of it is mental. Lot of it is discipline. While the Sloche weekly "Drive for 5" videos are cool to watch they need to stop. No distractions, stay out of the locker room and huddles, stay off social media (well I can hope). Refocus and lock in. They have talent to spare, go all in.

Flyers and Crusaders played better then them that night. If they rematched I'd like MC to fix their problems. Even if LA wins week 9 I wouldn't want to play them in the playoffs, especially LA in a rematch

 

[sporthog_9er]

Nothing is really wrong with Mt Carmel. They are a really good high school football team.

What is wrong is the reporter, who constantly drums up clicks (I understand his job) with borderline ridiculous headlines. Often times purposely intices quotes from minor student athletes and coaches on purpose to cause controversy. I sincerely wished nobody ever spoke to him again.

Carry on.

 

[McCaravan]

Both Coaches made excellent comments in his latest click peice. I get it, it's his job, if he wrote boring or no intesing stuff he would be out of a job. Sucks being on the receiving end but us reading it keeps him employed and in their good graces. He's one of the last ones to keep up on HS sports for so long. He's a pain in the a** but I get why he does what he does.

 

[Silver Rain]

Cullen Winters while not the big D1 talent is the most reliable tackler in the secondary has not played since the 1st Quarter vs St. Joes.

Yes, Winters iced the game against Oswego.

He was replaced by a Sophmore moving Saldana from Corner to Safety.

Holcolm said he knew McGee would fly by the safety.

While the Sloche weekly "Drive for 5" videos are cool to watch they need to stop. No distractions, stay out of the locker room and huddles, stay off social media (well I can hope). Refocus and lock in.

Yes.

Even if LA wins week 9 I wouldn't want to play them in the playoffs, especially LA in a rematch

MC does improve throughout the season. Last year, they peaked in the playoffs against LWE. In '24, they had three losses, including one to Rice, and then rolled through 7A. Carmel is losing the tough games now, games they've almost always won. I don't mind if they lose, but I hate it when they beat themselves.

 

[RamblerPop1]

Hubris.

 

[Running_Clock]

Plantz will get their D back on track…

 

[Silver Rain]

nm

 

[pjjp]

Even last year, they seem to be a team that plays in spurts. They seem disinterested at times. When they are fully engaged (like in the LWE playoff game), they are great. They just don’t seem to play with a consistent level of intensity. They normally have the talent to overcome that, but not always, as evidenced on Friday when they played another very talented team.

 

[Cross Bones]

Nothing is wrong except the hyperbole ALL of our media (not just MOB) and some message board rhetoric used when discussing MC (and some other past teams).

 

[Running_Clock]

28-7 MC

Hopefully Nissen switches the verbal play signals.

 

[ODERTY1]

Football looks different when you get the calls.

 

[SiuCubFan8]

It was always a scenario that MC lost to ESL and BR. I would have bet on a split but not sure why people seemed shocked.

 

[McCaravan]

It was always a scenario that MC lost to ESL and BR. I would have bet on a split but not sure why people seemed shocked.

Absolutely. Believe me I was not happy after they lost because it was one of those games that if a couple things go a different way MC wins. That's the narrative for most MC losses. Last team I saw beat them down beginning to end was LA in 2024.

At the beginning of the season I said I wouldn't be surprised if MC went 14-0 and I wouldn't be surprised if they went 6-3. ESL has almost as many D1 as MC. MC was breaking in a new QB who got hurt and had to break an unknown second QB in. MC's strengths was equally matched by ESL strengths. They committed 18 penalties?? That's crap play. Up until BR they didn't commit 18 penalties the past 4 games combined. And they still had a two score lead with 10 minutes left in the game. ESL played a very good and clean game.

BR @ BR is very difficult place to play on a crisp clean Friday night. I had MC winning a close game and it ended up BR winning a close game. MC was going in for the go ahead TD with minutes left so anyone who doesn't think it was close, think again. All credit to BR, they took what MC gave them and won.

I initially had MC winning a close one on the road in LA, that now had been changed to giving LA the full on favorite unless their is an injury. What will happen if these two meet in the playoffs? I wouldn't want to be the loser in this game.....

So none of these loses are shocking. If MC loses to PC or JCA at home I'll be shocked. But ESL, BR and if it happens LA? No.

 

[80sRambler]

I wouldn't want to be the loser in this game.....

Assuming LA takes care of business in weeks 7 and 8 (and I will not be super surprised if LA figures out how to lose one of those as they have lacked consistency), I'm thinking losing a close one to MC in week 9 is the best thing that could happen to them heading into the playoffs.

 

[k1867]

28-7 MC

Hopefully Nissen switches the verbal play signals.

Plantz will get their D back on track…

Is this news?

 

[Hilltop#1]

Plantz will get their D back on track…

 

[McCaravan]

Is this news?

News to me. Rumors

 

[LHSTigers94]

The best three teams going into this season was MC, ESL and BR. The change was adding both LWE and LA. On any given night, all five teams can beat each other. The one difference for MC is they have had all the distractions you can think of which causes issues for teenagers. ESL had the NIKE distraction going into the Florida game and you saw the results. Distractions are not good for Pro's which mean it's really not good for teenagers. As another poster mentioned, they may want to stop the drive for five and get totally focused.

 

[80sRambler]

The best three teams going into this season was MC, ESL and BR. The change was adding both LWE and LA. On any given night, all five teams can beat each other. The one difference for MC is they have had all the distractions you can think of which causes issues for teenagers. ESL had the NIKE distraction going into the Florida game and you saw the results. Distractions are not good for Pro's which mean it's really not good for teenagers. As another poster mentioned, they may want to stop the drive for five and get totally focused.

Great post. The players being teenagers makes all the outcomes, good and bad, possible.

 

[pjjp]

It was always a scenario that MC lost to ESL and BR. I would have bet on a split but not sure why people seemed shocked.

I’m surprised how their defense has gotten lit up by the 3 top end teams they’ve played. I thought they would be better defensively with all the returning talent.

 

[Running_Clock]

Is this news?

Rumors/rumblings — heard there may have been an incident involving MC’s DC during the Rice game and that he’s no longer with the team. Anyone more in the know at MC care to share what they’ve heard?

 

[OnVikings!]

The best three teams going into this season was MC, ESL and BR. The change was adding both LWE and LA. On any given night, all five teams can beat each other. The one difference for MC is they have had all the distractions you can think of which causes issues for teenagers. ESL had the NIKE distraction going into the Florida game and you saw the results. Distractions are not good for Pro's which mean it's really not good for teenagers. As another poster mentioned, they may want to stop the drive for five and get totally focused.

Great stuff here. MC will be just fine. Fixable mistakes. The CCL Blue is a tough place to play. Add in a few other powerhouses (ESL and St. Joes for MC. LWE for BR, Cathedral for LA), and you are bound to come up short in a game or two. Come playoff time, they will all be battle tested though. Watch and learn.

Kids in general need to learn that games aren't won on instagram, they're won on the field.

 

[Colin2299]

Nothing is wrong except the hyperbole ALL of our media (not just MOB) and some message board rhetoric used when discussing MC (and some other past teams).

Do they not have the most D1 talent on one team in IHSA history?

 

[SiuCubFan8]

Do they not have the most D1 talent on one team in IHSA history?

Hasn’t ESL showed us that doesn’t always matter on the field sometimes? And MC didn’t lose to Marmion, they lost to teams with big time talent.

 

[Colin2299]

Hasn’t ESL showed us that doesn’t always matter on the field sometimes? And MC didn’t lose to Marmion, they lost to teams with big time talent.

Correct…and that’s why this thread was started. If MC has the most talent, why isn’t it showing up on the field?

 

[Cross Bones]

Do they not have the most D1 talent on one team in IHSA history?

So, who had the 5th most?

 

[SiuCubFan8]

Correct…and that’s why this thread was started. If MC has the most talent, why isn’t it showing up on the field?

Because it’s football, these are kids, it doesn’t always show up on field and they lost to really good talented teams. Maybe it’s just my prerogative but really nothing to see here. They are fine. They will be just fine. Bar was set extremely high, right or wrong.

 

[Colin2299]

So, who had the 5th most?

Walther

 

[LHSTigers94]

Correct…and that’s why this thread was started. If MC has the most talent, why isn’t it showing up on the field?

Who said MC had the most talent on the field between the teams they have lost to? If I'm not mistaking, ESL has more D1 kids than MC IF that is how you are basing talent.

 

[Stella5]

Correct…and that’s why this thread was started. If MC has the most talent, why isn’t it showing up on the field?

They lost two close games to the #1 and the #5 team in the state man