To be blunt, Mount Carmel’s Nathan Samuels was embarrassed at what a national TV audience was getting to see. And then the senior running back went out and did something about it.
The host Caravan had already allowed two touchdowns on special teams and a safety during a showdown game being broadcast by ESPN. That was before Samuels took off on a fake punt.
“The sideline was down, the whole country’s watching us and the coaches just talked about playing through adversity,” he said. “After that run, you could feel the momentum change.
“And we just started running with it.”
Samuels came through Friday night with a 47-yard run on that fake punt as Mount Carmel erased a 30-0 deficit in Chicago for a stunning 48-44 win over St. Joseph Regional of New Jersey.
Senior quarterback Brady Cloherty threw a whopping seven TD passes after the Caravan (1-1) faced a 30-point hole in the second quarter. He completed 26 of 41 passes for 309 yards.
One play after the fake punt on fourth-and-9, Cloherty connected on a 27-yard TD pass with junior receiver Marshaun Thornton, who finished with two TD catches as Mount Carmel outscored St. Joseph 48-14 over a 29-minute stretch.
“That 47-yard run changed everything and brought us the momentum we needed,” Cloherty said. “Nate is a great player who can really do everything. He’s athletic but also a very tough player.
“He can catch the ball and make big plays also running with the ball.”
Michigan-bound senior receiver Quentin Burrell caught a 35-yarder, his third TD pass, with 5:03 left for the winning score. Samuels added 102 yards on 12 carries and 45 yards on two catches.
The Samuels’ run, however, was the spark that lit the fuse after the Caravan was denied on a fourth-and-short situation on its opening possession.
“We’ve always been aggressive about going for it on fourth down,” Mount Carmel coach Jordan Lynch said. “Nate made the play, got free and it opened up much after that.
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“He’s a playmaker, and he got everything moving after that.”
Samuels, a Lindenwood recruit who also had a massive 29-yard run late in the fourth quarter, scored 10 TDs and led the Caravan in rushing last season with 719 yards.
“I’m a very versatile back,” Samuels said. “The coaches know that. I thought it was great to be able to use the fake punt. It was the first time I could really show what I was capable of.”
He credits his love and dedication to his craft to the memory of his maternal grandfather, who introduced an awkward, overweight kid to football at 5 years old. That changed everything.
“He forced me on the field when I was younger and that turned out just to be amazing,” Samuels said. “He passed in 2019, when I was in fifth grade. I thank him dearly for that every day.
Samuels’ father was a four-sport athlete in high school, while an uncle played running back at Eastern Illinois. Samuels is also a sprinter in track. He has an electric burst getting to the edge.
“My freshman year is when everything started to click for me,” Samuels said. “I had a big game last year against Brother Rice. Everything has moved forward since that.”
His older brother, Ethan, is a freshman guard at Wabash Valley, a high-profile junior college basketball program.
“I’m a really outgoing guy, and having battles with my brother was a big part of my personal development,” Nathan said. “He really helped me out of my shell.”
Samuels confirmed that this night ended up as a story he will never forget.
“We’ve obviously won state championships every year I’ve been here, but this is right up there with my greatest experiences ever,” he said. “I know I didn’t get in the end zone, but it was great to help my teammates out in every way possible.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.