Photo by Mount Carmel Area School District
MOUNT CARMEL-It was a history-making night at the Silver Bowl. With a 43-16 victory over Central Columbia, Mount Carmel became the first school in Pennsylvania to win its 900th game. Before the game, the Red Tornadoes unveiled their brand new video board, which included a fabulous pregame montage that relived some of the greatest moments the program has experienced. The third time proved to be the charm, as Mount Carmel finally captured its landmark achievement after a couple of losses to Southern Columbia and North Schuylkill delayed the inevitable.
“We were running the clock out there at the end, and I forgot about it,” Mount Carmel coach John Darrah said. “It means a lot. I grew up here, I’ve been following Mount Carmel football my whole life. I was on the team for 700, I was in the stands for 600. We have such a great tradition here. It’s nice to be a part of it, and to keep the program moving forward.”
Despite the win, it was a bit of an uneven performance for the Red Tornadoes. Mount Carmel (1-1) committed 13 penalties and had three turnovers. Yet, despite those slip-ups, the offense did pile up yards in bunches. Cooper Karycki rushed for 182 yards and two touchdowns. Jaylen Delaney had 14 receptions for 133 yards, and Michael Kimsal chipped in on special teams with an 87-yard punt return that went for a touchdown.
“I think right now, we’re our own worst enemy,” Darrah said. “I think we played really well offensively. I felt like we were in a rhythm the whole night. We were moving the ball very well, and I think the only thing that was stopping us was ourselves. Whether it would be penalties, turnovers, or miscues, we’ve just gotta eliminate that. We’re a veteran team, we can do that. It’s just a matter of gelling and kind of using our heads a little bit.”
Al Bailey crossed the goal line from 2 yards out to give Mount Carmel a 22-7 lead with 5:36 left before halftime. Central (1-1) had a chance to pull to within one score early in the second half. Dylan Shultz intercepted a pass and returned it 50 yards to set up the Blue Jays at the Mount Carmel 6. However, the Red Tornadoes’ defense would tighten up, and Central had to settle for a 24-yard field goal from Maguire Blake.
“That was a great stand,” Darrah said. “I think at times our defense did good. We kind of had a couple of miscues, a couple of missed tackles, and stuff we’ve got to clean up. I think we showed flashes, and some great potential, but I think our guys understand we’ve got to keep getting better.”
Things really weren’t wrapped up until early in the fourth quarter when Karycki scored his second touchdown of the night from 38 yards out with 11:31 left. Going exclusively to the ground game, Karycki was responsible for all six carries on the drive that totaled 79 yards. Mount Carmel rushed for 241 yards on 37 carries, and without the services of Luke Blessing, it appears as if the Red Tornadoes have some capable replacements in the backfield.
“I was happy at the end of the game with how we ran the ball,” Darrah said. “I think that one possession after halftime, we got a little cute. We were throwing the ball well, don’t get me wrong, but I think we were getting a little cute, and we needed a touchdown to kind of pull away, and we just decided, we’re running the ball right down the field. I was happy to see our line move, and Cooper ran well. It was very good to do that.”
Despite committing 16 penalties themselves, Central was able to hang around through three quarters. Shultz briefly tied the game in the first quarter after he caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Parker Day. Ty Regan, who ran hard all night, matched Karycki with an 182-yard performance of his own. He broke loose on a 62-yard scoring run with just over five minutes left in the game, which was a just reward for his efforts.
“Ty, he’s a captain, a four-year starter,” Central coach E.J. Smith said. “He was banged up a lot last year, banged up the year before. He’s staying healthy right now, and he’s just a great kid. I’m so happy for him, and I’m happy for our offensive line. I mean, he doesn’t get those yards without them blocking. Great effort, we’ve just got to fix some of the little things that are kind of biting us. I think it’s promising moving forward.”
