Senior offensive/defensive lineman Bobby Medina shared a big hug Saturday afternoon with his dad, Bobby Sanders, after helping Mount Carmel rally to beat Loyola.
Medina got a good pregame pep talk from his dad, who starred for the Caravan before graduating in 1991 and then playing in college at Illinois.
More Top Picks Best Patio Umbrellas
“After every game, we have a hug,” Medina said. “But it was really meaningful right now.
“My dad talked to me before the game about having regrets about not winning a game against St. Rita, and that helped me to play harder and push through when I got tired.”
Medina came up with a huge sack and forced a fumble as the Caravan scored 14 points in 21 seconds en route to a 42-37 victory over host Loyola in the battle for the CCL/ESCC Blue championship in Wilmette.
Blainey Dowling completed 15 of 24 passes for 157 yards and three TDs and ran for another score to lead the Caravan (9-0, 3-0). Denny Furlong added four catches for 77 yards and a TD and also ran for 64 yards on six carries.
Will Nimesheim had two TD runs, while Jake Stearney ran for one and threw a TD pass for Loyola (8-1, 2-1).
The Ramblers led 24-14 at halftime, but Dowling ran for a 13-yard TD on the Caravan’s first possession of the third quarter.
On the next play from scrimmage, Medina broke through the line, hit Stearney and knocked the ball out of his hands. Parker Startz jumped on the fumble for Mount Carmel.
“I just remember hitting the ball and being ecstatic that it fell out,” Medina said. “It was an instantaneous momentum switch. I felt like we were in complete control of the whole game.”
Startz, who harassed Loyola’s offense from his linebacker spot all day, credited the defensive line with leading the charge.
“Our defense is dogs,” Startz said. “Bobby, Asher (Tomaszewski), Tavon (Rice) and Daniel (Banks) up front, those guys are all dogs. They created that for us.
“That’s what happens when you work hard.”
Two plays after the fumble, Damarion Arrington ran for a 7-yard TD, and the Caravan led the rest of the way.
Down 42-30 with just over five minutes left, Loyola scored on a 23-yard TD pass from Stearney to Spencer Leadbetter.
The Ramblers forced a punt and got the ball back at their own 24-yard line with 2:24 to go, then drove to the Mount Carmel 38.
More Top Picks Best Ergonomic Chairs For Kids
But Danny Novickas pressured Stearney into an incompletion on third down and Stearney’s fourth down pass was off the mark, sealing the win for the Caravan.
Mount Carmel rallied without star running back Darrion Dupree, who sat out the second half after suffering an apparent leg injury. Alonzo Manning filled in with an 18-yard TD run.
“At first, I was sad because we’re like a dynamic duo,” Manning said of he and Dupree. “But I just had to step up, show my talents and make sure our team got the win. Just play ball.”
Dowling threw TD passes of 22 yards to Furlong, 13 yards to Danyil Taylor and 23 yards to Darrion Gilliam.
“Any time you’ve got Blainey Dowling at quarterback, I like our chances,” Mount Carmel coach Jordan Lynch said.
Meanwhile, playing on both lines during a game that lasted over three hours on an unseasonably warm day, Medina pushed through with help from his father’s words.
“It was hard coming off on defense and having to get right back in on offense,” Medina said. “I knew I had to do it to win.
“My dad always talks about the atmosphere when he played and the brotherhood that they had. It helps me push through the adversity.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.