Takeaways: Mt. Carmel vs Fenwick

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mt. Carmel and Fenwick are blue bloods of Illinois high school football.&nbsp; The pair are both among the best teams in the state again this year and absolutely stacked with prospects at all age levels!&nbsp; It was a competitive game early on, but Mt. Carmel just had too much as they gradually took control winning 35-10.&nbsp; We break down the game and all the prospects involved in <strong>Takeaways: Mt. Carmel vs Fenwick</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Vanderbilt Commit Lives Up to Player of the Year Hype</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's start with leader of Mt. Carmel in quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='131488' first='Jack' last='Elliott'].&nbsp; He lived up to the hype of being a player of the year candidate with a strong outing going 27/40 for 300+ yards, 2 touchdowns throwing, and one rushing score.&nbsp; He has excellent mechanics and is always in control.&nbsp; The pocket presence was outstanding all game long.&nbsp; He works well in play action hitting his back foot and letting it rip.&nbsp; Quick and decisive reads.&nbsp; Was very accurate throughout the night over the middle.&nbsp; The senior signal caller takes what the defense gives him.&nbsp; If they play off coverage he will throw the short pass.&nbsp; If it is open over the middle he will go there.&nbsp; Very rarely forced anything all night.&nbsp; One of his more impressive throws was a flick of the wrist dime on the money when on the move hitting his receiver on the sideline downfield.&nbsp; Got his weapons the ball in spots where they could do damage after the catch.&nbsp; Liked the grit that he runs with as he is a tough runner out of the shot gun in short yardage situations.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pass Catchers Galore for Caravan</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mt. Carmel featured a trio of pass catchers who have bright futures at the next level.&nbsp; Let's start with the vet of the group in 2025 wide out [player_tooltip player_id='1564094' first='Cooper' last='Lehman'].&nbsp; He is the possession wide out of the group.&nbsp; Effective going over the middle with sure hands and is excellent on intermediate routes.&nbsp; Finds the weak spots in the defense.&nbsp; Shifty route runner with toughness.&nbsp; He had a 14 yard TD on an out route that he cut inside after the catch for the TD.&nbsp; In the class of 2027 they have an absolute stud in [player_tooltip player_id='432197' first='Quentin' last='Burrell'].&nbsp; We reviewed his mid-season tape a few weeks back and were impressed, but he was even better in this one going over 100 yards.&nbsp; The 6'3” wide receiver had one drop early, but he was lights out the rest of the night.&nbsp; Smooth route runner that gets off the line with ease.&nbsp; Explosive wide out that is quick getting in and out of cuts along with creating separation to give his QB a good target to throw at.&nbsp; Very fluid with sound hands.&nbsp; Won on comeback routes vs off coverage consistently along with throws on the perimeter.&nbsp; Also scored a TD on a 1 yard lob to the edge.&nbsp; Looked like a power 4 pass catcher in this one.&nbsp; They have another young gun to watch outside in 6'2” 180 pound Marshaun Thornton.&nbsp; Long and lanky frame and plays with a ton of physicality.&nbsp; A lot of his damage was done catching bubble screens and running over defensive backs for extra yards.&nbsp; Showed some slipperiness with the rock in his hands as well at times.&nbsp; Little inconsistent with the hands, but overall we really liked what we saw from Thornton.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mt. Carmel Offensive Line and Run Game Go to Work</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the strengths of the Caravan offense is their line.&nbsp; Particularly from center [player_tooltip player_id='1585147' first='Declan' last='Gill'], left guard [player_tooltip player_id='283927' first='Lamont' last='Miller'], and left tackle [player_tooltip player_id='1585329' first='Zion' last='Elliott'] all of which are 2026 prospects.&nbsp; Miller probably has the highest ceiling of the group as he is a massive body that moves light on his feet.&nbsp; Gets after it in the run game with pancakes and sealing well.&nbsp; Excellent pass protector that anchors well setting his feet and can mirror as well.&nbsp; Gill is a center at 6'4” that has great size moving bodies in the run game opening up holes right down the middle on a consistent basis.&nbsp; Has some nasty to him!&nbsp; Elliot is 6'2” and kept his QB clean for the most part.&nbsp; Will probably need to kick inside to guard at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1585253' first='Madden' last='Wilson'] was the go to back for Mt. Carmel.&nbsp; The 5'7” 190 pound 2026 running back hits the hole and follows his blocks up the middle.&nbsp; Ran behind Miller and Gill all night grinding out yardage.&nbsp; Pounds the ball up the middle showing solid vision and patience with smooth cuts.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='1572553' first='Danyil' last='Taylor'] Jr is an interesting small college guy with his 6'1” 215 pound frame.&nbsp; Physical runner that we can see having some H-back potential at the next level as a senior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Trio Up Front on Defensive Line Stacked for Mt. Carmel</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The three big men up front for Mt. Carmel were absolutely dominant on the defensive line.&nbsp; Let's start with recent USC commit [player_tooltip player_id='270192' first='Braeden' last='Jones'].&nbsp; He totally looks the part at 6'4” 255 pounds with broad shoulders.&nbsp; The top 10 junior was garnering double teams from the jump.&nbsp; Used his length and strength to make an impact against the run.&nbsp; Also displayed burst off the edge chasing around the QB a few times for pressures.&nbsp; On the other side of him was Joey Quinn.&nbsp; We saw his mid-season tape and he was already going to make a major move in the rankings and that was affirmed with this evaluation. &nbsp;At 6'6” 245 pounds he is big, strong, and REALLY FAST!&nbsp; The speed off the edge along with a lethal spin move were a thing of beauty in this game.&nbsp; He also walked the right tackle right back through the quarterback on a bull rush where he recorded a sack.&nbsp; Always putting pressure on the passer and getting him off his spot.&nbsp; Also effective vs the run as a 3-4 defensive end that can even slide inside when needed.&nbsp; Such a versatile prospect.&nbsp; The most eye popping prospect all night might have been 6'4” 330 pound defensive tackle [player_tooltip player_id='1682021' first='Caleb' last='Tucker']. &nbsp;He is just a FRESHMAN and he is AWESOME!&nbsp; Young defensive lineman are not supposed to be able to move like that.&nbsp; He showed great burst off the ball getting up field.&nbsp; Got a sack right up the middle.&nbsp; Put pressure in the face of the quarterback all night long.&nbsp; Also is a big time run stuffer that was impactful both taking on blocks for his linebackers along with getting the tackles on his own.&nbsp; Without a doubt this is one of the best freshman in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Back End Has Intriguing Prospects for Caravan</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The linebackers were strong across the board for Mt. Carmel.&nbsp; Class of 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1292234' first='Matt' last='Mucha'] and 2026 linebackers [player_tooltip player_id='1524594' first='Stephen' last='Winkler'] were both physical in the middle of the defense.&nbsp; A pair of 2027s caught our attention starting with linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1598821' first='Roman' last='Igwebuike'] who stands at 6'2” and 215 pounds.&nbsp; He showed explosiveness off the edge as a pass rusher and overall burst to the ball.&nbsp; Good size, athleticism, and length.&nbsp; Same can be said about defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='476341' first='Tavares' last='Harrington'].&nbsp; The 6'2” 170 pound sophomore is a rangy safety that flows to the ball.&nbsp; Good tackler coming up in run support and has a ton of projectability long term.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Auburn Commit Solidifies Top 5 Status</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fenwick superstar [player_tooltip player_id='330445' first='Nathaniel' last='Marshall'] couldn't have asked for a better start to the game.&nbsp; The defensive lineman who is headed to Auburn made a play on the runner in the backfield popping the ball loose for a forced fumble and turnover on the very first play from scrimmage.&nbsp; At 6'4” 265 pounds with the ability to play on the edge or inside he is the ideal SEC defensive lineman.&nbsp; Strong, athletic, explosive, twitchy, and fast.&nbsp; Great use of his hands.&nbsp; Used his length against the run to bring down backs and chased after the quarterback for one sack on the night where he got him out of the pocket immediately off the snap then pursued him down.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Potential on the Back End for Fenwick DB's</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite Elliott having a big game we thought overall Fenwick's defensive backs did alright.&nbsp; Their safety duo of 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='279386' first='Tommy' last='Thies'] and 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='811647' first='Jake' last='Thies'] showed flashes.&nbsp; Tommy had some nice breaks on the ball, tackles down low, and laid the thump in the run game.&nbsp; Like how he flies in making tackles including a key one on 3^rd and 1 at goal line.&nbsp; Jake is a bit thicker playing with physicality and also tackled pretty well.&nbsp; Corner [player_tooltip player_id='1345007' first='Josh' last='Morgan'] is a 2027 DB with strong frame, length, and athleticism.&nbsp; He had an interception in the endzone and another pass break up at the goal line.&nbsp; They all need some refinement, but the tools are there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->