This season hasn’t gone anything like planned for Mount Carmel — from the up-and-down regular season to an injury to its best player.
But that player — Vanderbilt-bound quarterback Jack Elliott — is back with a vengeance, and the Caravan have their swagger back going into the state finals next weekend.
Elliott threw five touchdown passes, including four in a whirlwind second quarter, and Mount Carmel cruised to a 43-24 road victory against rival St. Rita in a Class 7A semifinal Saturday.
The Caravan (10-3), who are tied with Joliet Catholic for the IHSA lead with 15 state titles, will play Batavia at 4 p.m. Saturday at Hancock Stadium in Normal. Joliet Catholic also will go for its 16th title next weekend. The Hilltoppers will play two-time defending champ Nazareth at 10 a.m. Saturday in a rematch of the Class 5A title game last season.
Elliott’s day was done before the second quarter was finished. He was 9-for-11 for 121 yards with two touchdown passes to Quentin Burrell and one each to Zander Gorman, Cooper Lehman and Marshaun Thornton.
Just as important, Elliott made plays with his legs, gaining 68 yards on eight carries. Mount Carmel missed Elliott’s running earlier this season, both when he was sidelined entirely and when he returned with strict instructions not to tuck in the football and take off.
‘‘I saw with [former teammate Darrion Dupree] especially, kids in the bottom of the pile [were] twisting [his] ankle, twisting his knee,’’ Elliott said. ‘‘I learned from him you’ve got to protect yourself always.’’
When Elliott does that, he takes Mount Carmel’s offense to another level and has coaches looking for new superlatives.
‘‘He’s another coach on the field,’’ Caravan coach Jordan Lynch said. ‘‘As good as the offense is clicking . . . Jack’s calling a certain percentage of those plays. He’s relaying the information and checking out of it, getting us the right look.
‘‘He’s the best player not only in the state but in the Midwest and top in the country, in my belief. I’ve never had a player with that much determination and will to win.’’
‘‘I’ll say that’s the best player in the state, Jack Elliott,’’ Mustangs coach Martin Hopkins said. ‘‘His will and determination says a lot about him. You can see he has that ‘it’ factor.’’
Burrell knows the struggle Elliott goes through to balance staying healthy and playing free.
‘‘He’s been smart, but you can’t take the dog out of the man, right?’’ Burrell said. ‘‘He’s competitive, and he wants to get the first down, he wants to get that extra yard. And that’s what helps us be who we are.’’
Leading 7-0 after one quarter, Mount Carmel scored on Elliott’s touchdown toss to Gorman on the first play of the second. After St. Rita (10-3) went three-and-out, Elliott threw consecutive 30-yard passes to Lehman, the second for a touchdown.
On the Mustangs’ first play after the kickoff, sophomore Taveras Harrington had a 35-yard pick-six. Before the second quarter was over, Elliott added touchdown passes to Burrell and Thornton, and it was 43-0.
‘‘Practice was great; we put the work in,’’ Burrell said. ‘‘And it showed out there today. When we start clicking, nobody can stop us.’’