Photo courtesy of Jimmy May
MOUNT CARMEL-In 2025, close calls against good teams where Mount Carmel was one play away from winning was a theme that brought an end to the Red Tornadoes’ season. With a new year comes new results. Mount Carmel was able to deliver a knockout blow against a quality opponent, as the Red Tornadoes made plenty of big plays in the run game, and were able to hold off Schuylkill Haven in a wildly entertaining 48-41 win.
“I thought we did a great job offensively,” Mount Carmel coach John Darrah said. “I thought our kids showed a lot of heart. Tons of guys were just cramping up, staying in the game, and things like that. They definitely willed themselves to victory. Obviously, there’s a lot of stuff we’ve got to clean up. We did have a lot of mental errors defensively, but we’ll go back to work on Monday.”
Mount Carmel (1-0) racked up 519 yards of offense, all of which came on the ground. Jaylen Delaney, who looked very smooth running the ball at quarterback, put up numbers that would make any video game player proud. Delaney rushed for 284 yards and four touchdowns on 16 carries. He traded haymakers with Schyulkill Haven running back Colton Reber all night long. Delaney got Mount Carmel on the board with a 60-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and found the end zone twice in the fourth quarter on two important runs of 45 and 36 yards respectively. The second sprint to pay dirt gave Mount Carmel a 48-34 lead with 6:39 left in the game.
“Yeah, I mean, he’s a dude,” Darrah said of Delaney. I’m glad he’s on our team. He made some huge plays and had some huge moments tonight. We knew he had the capability to do that and it was nice to see him be able to go out and do it.”
Schuylkill Haven (0-1) has a big-time playmaker of its own in Reber. The junior running back totaled 2,875 yards as a sophomore, and he picked up right where he left off last year. Reber rushed 21 times for 310 yards and three touchdowns. He scored twice on 80-yard runs and also found the end zone from 39 yards at the 5:38 mark of third quarter, which briefly tied the game at 27-27 following a successful two-point conversion.
“I thought there were times in the game where I thought we did alright,” Darrah said. “I think it was more mental breakdowns. We did miss a couple tackles here and there, but just got to be a little more sound on our assignments. Because with a kid like him, if you give him a crease, and you get him on the second level, he’s tough to bring down.”
There is plenty of running back depth for Mount Carmel, and that was on full display Friday night. Cooper Karycki was a significant factor. The senior rushed for 144 yards on 15 carries and had a 60-yard touchdown run that put his team ahead for good with 4:12 left in the third quarter. Jason Klokis also played a role, as he rushed for 71 yards on just five carries, including a 42-yard sprint to the goal line in the middle part of the third quarter.
“We definitely know we have a really deep backfield,” Darrah said. “We were forced to showcase that tonight, but every guy who when we called their number, I thought they ran hard. It was a good team victory. I’m glad we’re 1-0.”
Trailing 48-34, Schuylkill Haven quarterback Bradyn Diehl connected with Chase Yoder on a 20-yard touchdown pass with 1:30 remaining. The Hurricanes tallied 545 yards of total offense, as Diehl threw for 173 yards and three touchdowns. Mount Carmel knew an onsides kick was coming, and given what happened against Shamokin last year in Week 10, everyone at the Silver Bowl was holding their breath. A collective exhale was let out after Michael Higgins secured the onsides kick, and Delaney picked up one more first down to seal the win.
Darrah was among those who were finally able breathe a sigh of relief after Higgins did the job on special teams.
“Yes, that’s all I have to say,” Darrah said. “It was very deep.”