Mustangs take offearly, never look back
ST. RITA 38, NO. 20MOUNT CARMEL 21
St. Rita junior George Western knew howmassive the game Friday against rivalMount Carmel was.
The stands were packed, and the live TV crew was on hand. Western was ready to do some damage on the defensive line, but he never fathomed taking the star turn that developed in the third quarter.
Western scooped up a Mount Carmel fumble and scampered 26 yards for a touchdown. It was the score that put the game out of reach.
“I blacked out at first,” Western said. “Then I saw then end zone and realized I was really doing this. It felt like a dream. I’ve played a little fullback, so I know how to run a little bit.’’
The Mustangs beat the Caravan 38- 21. Western’s score made it 35- 14 and effectively ended Mount Carmel’s comeback hopes.
“We knew it was going to be a great atmosphere, a lot of people here,” St. Rita quarterback Jake Zylman said. “This rivalry is the best in the state. This game was big.”
Zylman was rock- solid. He finished 12- for- 17 for 142 yards and two touchdowns. The senior rushed 14 times for 83 yards and one touchdown.
“Jake was the man tonight, he had a really great game,” St. Rita’s Chris Childers said. “I’m really proud of the way he played and the way the offensive line played.”
Childers was a workhorse with 16 carries for 90 yards and four receptions for 46 yards and one touchdown.
“Our offense worked fast,” Zylman said. “We try to score fast, but it’s OK if we have longer drives. Big credit to the offensive line, they worked their butts off all over the field. All our weapons were clicking.”
Both teams scored on run- heavy first drives.
“I knew it was going to be a rough game,” Childers said. “The first drive always sets the tone. We needed to pick the defense up after the first touchdown, and that’s exactly what we did. That was one of the best first drives we’ve ever had.”
The Mustangs ( 4- 1, 1- 1) moved the ball more effectively in the first half, but Mount Carmel’s Kyle Davis had the big play of the game with an 85- yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Zylman found Childers for a 24- yard touchdown pass to put St. Rita ahead 21- 14 at the half.
St. Rita has beaten St. Patrick, St. Laurence and Rich Central this season. The Mustangs’ only loss was to Providence.
“We want to get back on track to winning the conference,” St. Rita receiver Dave Gleaves said.” We’re back in the race now.”
Mount Carmel shut out Taft, Lane and DePaul in blowout wins this season. The Caravan lost 31- 7 at Loyola. That was all without senior Alek Thomas, their best player.
Thomas helped the U- 18 Team USA win a gold medal at theWorld Baseball Softball Confederating World Cup in Canada earlier this month. Thomas, a lefty center fielder, is committed to TCU for baseball and football. He’s expected to be picked in the first three rounds of the MLB draft in June.
Thomas had 20 carries for 96 yards and two touchdowns. The Caravan ( 3- 2, 0- 2) didn’t complete a pass until early in the fourth quarter.