Maine South takes down Mount Carmel

Maine South survived an 83 minute weather delay and a dynamic game from Mount Carmel’s Tony Livermore to earn its second big win of the season.

The No. 3 Hawks knocked off the Caravan 21-13 on Friday at Gately Stadium.

Mount Carmel started strong. They forced a Maine South punt on the first possession. Then the Caravan scored on a 20-yard run by Tony Livermore to take a 7-0 lead.

Then came the 83 minute delay. The stands were cleared and the teams headed to the locker rooms.

“We had a bunch of tennis balls and the guys were playing in a circle, just quick catch,” Maine South coach Dave Inserra said. “Then they were doing a stretching thing where they were just screaming and yelling then we were doing our Hawk calls and laughing. We enjoyed ourselves and just tried to relax.”

It worked. Maine South scored 14 unanswered points after the delay.

Mount Carmel got back into the game on a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Livermore. That cut Maine South’s lead to 14-13.

The game wasn’t about offensive fireworks though. The Hawks’ defense made the difference.

“The defense only gave up seven points,” Inserra said. “We had some stops on defense and we told them that we have to take some pressure off the offense. Plus, the coaching staff did a phenomenal job preparing them.”

Maine South has had a very challenging schedule. The Hawks beat Glenbard West in Week 1 and will face No. 11 Barrington next week.

“You are all geared up for the first game and then it’s hard because you have to flip the switch against another tremendous opponent,” Inserra said. “Now three in a row with Barrington, but a good team can do that. I am very proud of their resolve.”

Maine South sealed the win early in the fourth quarter. A pass bounced off of a Mount Carmel receiver and straight into the hands of linebacker Jimmy Bartell. He took it 20 yard into the end zone to put the Hawks ahead 21-13.

“We’re not real big, outside of Pete [Skoronski], but we are fast,” Inserra said. “We’re fairly disciplined even though we make some mistakes at times, but that will happen when you play against good teams.”

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