Mount Carmel ends Loyola’s bid for Class 8A four-peat

Loyola snuck into the playoffs with four victories, but no one expected the Ramblers to surrender their recent domination of Class 8A easily.

It took a dynamic, special moment from Mount Carmel wide receiver Marshaun Thornton to end Loyola’s bid for a fourth consecutive state championship, with the top-ranked Caravan escaping with a 21-17 victory in a first-round game Saturday.

Mount Carmel (10-0) couldn’t mount a sustained scoring drive against the Ramblers on the South Side. After nine weeks of struggle and growth, the Ramblers’ traditionally tough defense was back.

The Caravan trailed by three points with six minutes left when quarterback Emmett Dowling found Thornton with a pass over the middle. Thornton broke one tackle, then outran two Loyola defenders to score. It was a 92-yard touchdown pass.

‘‘We were just off all night, a step away from making something special,’’ Mount Carmel coach Jordan Lynch said. ‘‘And [Thornton] delivered. That kid is a sophomore.’’

Thornton’s magic put the Caravan ahead 21-17, and that held up as the final score.

‘‘As soon as I caught it, he came and almost tackled me,’’ Thornton said of a Ramblers defender. ‘‘But being the person I am, I feel I can make those plays and break those tackles and do what I have to do.’’

Dowling and Thornton worked on the play all week. It didn’t click until Thursday.

‘‘Once we finally got it down, we knew it would be the one,’’ Dowling said. ‘‘And it was.’’

Loyola (4-5) led 14-0 late in the first half after a one-yard touchdown run by Melo Maldonado and a six-yard touchdown pass from Dom Maloney to Jordan McKinley.

Dowling and Thornton connected on an 80-yard touchdown pass just before halftime to cut the Ramblers’ lead to 14-7.

Dowling tied the score at 14 with a four-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter before Loyola took a 17-14 lead on a 46-yard field goal by Zak Zemen with 9:59 left.

‘‘I couldn’t be more proud,’’ Ramblers coach Beau Desherow said. ‘‘We had a good plan in place. We talked about having that warrior’s mentality. The guys fought to the very end. They executed our game plan. We just came up four points short.’’

Dowling was 6-for-17 for 232 yards with two touchdown passes and one interception. Nathan Samuels had 12 carries for 58 yards for Mount Carmel.

Loyola double- and triple-teamed Caravan wide receiver Quentin Burrell, and he didn’t have a catch. But Thornton stepped up with two big touchdowns and had three catches for 187 yards.

‘‘They are not a four-win team,’’ Mount Carmel linebacker Stephen Winkler said. ‘‘They are a legit football team. . . . They played hard. We came out a little flat at the start, but we came through when it mattered.’’

The Ramblers played two quarterbacks all season, but Maloney played the entire game against the Caravan. He was 13-for-27 for 161 yards with a touchdown and had 13 carries for 55 yards. Maldonado, a sophomore, had 25 carries for 74 yards.

Mount Carmel beat Loyola 35-24 last weekend in Wilmette.

‘‘The last two weeks, we were finally playing Loyola football,’’ Desherow said. ‘‘We were fortunate to get in the playoffs and have this opportunity. I wish it was the Saturday after Thanksgiving. With the way we turned things around, we would have made a deep run in the playoffs.’’

The Caravan, who have won the last three Class 7A championships, have a tough road to the Class 8A title this season, despite being the top seed. That doesn’t bother Lynch.

‘‘It’s awesome,’’ Lynch said. ‘‘I love it. We want it tough. We wanted Loyola. If it is easy, it won’t feel worth it. The road to state goes through 64th and South Dante.’’