Harper falls to Mt. Carmel

The Harper Cardinals gave it their best shot, but it didn't prove to be enough against determined Mt. Carmel.

Led by a swarming defensive effort and outstanding running game, Mt. Carmel defeated Harper 34-8 in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 6-A quarterfinals at Gately.

Mt. Carmel simply dominated the Harper offense as the Cardinals couldn't get anything going.

Leading the way for the Mt. Carmel defense was linebackers Brendan Noble and Steve Flerick, who each sacked Harper quarterback David Williams twice in the contest.

The win moved Mt. Carmel into the Class 6-A semifinals next weekend against Providence. It will be a revenge game for the Caravan, who dropped a 42-16 decision to Providence in the regular season finale.

Despite the loss, Harper isn't finished for the season. They'll return Public League playoffs with a shot at playing the Prep Bowl.

Mt. Carmel got touchdown runs from Nick Hofbauer and Larry Dortch in building am early 21-0 lead. Hofbauer finished with 107 yards on 19 carries Dortch had 83 yards rushing, and quarterback Dan Daigler had scoring runs of two and three yards.

In the Public League playoffs, Simeon defeated Dunbar and Hubbard ran past Robeson.

Led by quarterback Kevin Thunderbird, Simeon defeated Dunbar 40-22. Thunderbird rushed for three touchdowns and also threw for a score.

In addition to Thunderbird, Simeon, the defending city champs, got 145 yards rushing from Nate Bell.

Hubbard rolled past Robeson, 33-7 as the Greyhounds forced five fumbles and Quarterback Robert Hughes scored on a five-yard run and also threw a three-yard touchdown pass to lead Hubbard to the win.

The Public League playoffs resume Tuesday.

Article copyright REAL TIMES Inc.