MOUNT CARMEL-Things continue trending upward for a Mount Carmel team that continues to score points in bunches. For the third consecutive week, the Red Tornadoes surpassed the 40-point mark in a 48-14 win over Milton. Cooper Karycki led the way with 122 yards rushing and three total touchdowns. Defensively, Mount Carmel was much-improved against the run, limiting the Black Panthers to just 78 yards on the ground, with a chunk of that coming in the fourth quarter against a group of reserves.
“I’m happy, but I’m not ecstatic,” Mount Carmel coach John Darrah said. “It’s good to get a win. I think we did some good things, worked on our pass game a little bit, and definitely played better defense. I still think there are things we could clean up. There’s some mistakes we made, especially some of the penalties. But it definitely feels good to be 3-0, to get a big win, so we’ll keep pushing forward.”
Milton (1-2) was aided by three defensive penalties on Mount Carmel, helping push its opening drive inside the Red Tornadoes’ 30-yard line. However, a holding penalty on the Black Panthers put them behind the chains, and ended up forcing them to punt. After that, it was all Mount Carmel, and things happened quickly. Karycki took a handoff on the first offensive snap and was gone. The senior raced untouched 79 yards to the end zone, opening the scoring at the 6:58 mark of the first quarter. It was the third 100–yard game of the season for Karycki, who made an impact on special teams as well.
“Cooper had a phenomenal game,” Darrah said. “I’m really happy for him. Just started with a bang, and it seemed like any time he touched the ball, he was making a big play. Great job by Cooper tonight.”
Karycki helped cap off an 11-play, 57-yard drive by crossing the goal line from 11 yards out late in the first quarter, expanding the lead to 14-0. After a three-and-out on defense, Karycki returned a punt 25 yards to give the Red Tornadoes a short field. Jaylen Delaney scored the third Mount Carmel touchdown in as many drives when he faked a pitch, then ran up the middle for a 12-yard touchdown run on a quarterback keeper. Karycki then made his final splash play of the game by taking a punt back 57 yards to the house with 4:51 left in the second quarter. With the run game netting next to nothing, Milton used a couple of big plays through the air to cut the lead to 28-7 at halftime. Jacori Brown hauled in passes of 30 and 27 yards to help set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Brady O’Rourke with 16 seconds remaining before intermission. It would be the only points scored against Mount Carmel’s first- team defense, which held the Black Panthers to negative rushing yards until their last drive of the night.
“We’ve been working for a while on defense,” Darrah said. “We knew we were close, and a lot of times, it was just a mental bust. We are doing some stuff a little bit different, so I think it’s just now starting to sink in with guys. They’re not thinking as much, they’re getting to their spots. If we continue to do that, I think we’re going to be very strong on defense.”
On the opening drive of the third quarter, the Red Tornadoes picked up right where they left off. Karycki returned the second-half kickoff 47 yards to once again put Mount Carmel in excellent field position. Jason Klokis finished the short drive with a 12-yard touchdown run on his sixth and final carry. The passing game wasn’t much of a factor in the first two games against Schuylkill Haven and Pottsville, but it did show some signs of life on Friday night. Delaney found Aiden Brokenshire on a 27-yard scoring strike to put Mount Carmel up 41-7, and pretty much end the night for the offensive starters. The passing numbers for Delaney may have looked pedestrian, as he went 3-of-6 for 54 yards, but a drop in the end zone along with another near-miss could have improved those numbers significantly.
“I did think Jaylen threw the ball well,” Darrah said. “We completed a few passes and we had some opportunities. Brokie is a great athlete. He’s a big guy, so he’s definitely a weapon on offense, and it’s good to see him make a nice catch like that in the end zone.”
Mount Carmel will be traveling to meet a winless North Schuylkill team next week that has faced a brutal schedule to start the season. The Spartans played Jersey Shore competitively on opening night, lost a lopsided game to Notre Dame-Green Pond last week, and let an early lead slip away against Williams Valley in a 19-14 loss on Friday. The game against Mount Carmel will mark the fourth consecutive state-ranked opponent the Spartans will play. North Schuylkill has had plenty of success against Mount Carmel in recent years, which should give the Red Tornadoes plenty of reason to focus on Week 4.
“We have a lot of respect for North Schuylkill,” Darrah said. “I know a lot of people over there, and things like that. We know what they’re going to bring to the table. It’s a really big rivalry game for both teams. Our guys have got to be ready. We’ve gotta have a great week of practice, but we’re looking forward to it.”
Milton 0 7 0 7-14
Mount Carmel 13 15 13 7-48
Individual Scoring
First Quarter
MC-Cooper Karycki 79 run (Josh Miller kick) 6:58
MC-C. Karycki 11 run (kick failed) :30
Second Quarter
MC-Jaylen Delaney 12 run (Max Karycki pass from Delaney) 8:39
MC-C. Karycki 57 punt return (Miller kick) 4:51
M-Brady O’Rourke 1 run (Cahner O’Grady kick) :16
Third Quarter
MC-Jason Klokis 12 run (kick failed) 9:39
MC-Aidan Brokenshire 27 pass from Delaney (Miller kick) 6:05
Fourth Quarter
MC-Jaxon Boblick 1 run (Miller kick) 10:02
M-Brody Locke 1 run (O’Grady kick) 3:02
Team Statistics
…………………M…………MC
1st downs………15…………16
rush-yds………45-78………..33-244
comp-att-int…6-12-0……..3-6-0
pass yds………..119…………54
total yds…………197………..298
fumb-lost………0-0…………1-0
pen-yds………..7-50………6-50
Individual Statistics
Rushing-Milton: Brody Locke 17-74, TD; Luis Santos 14-25; Brady O’Rourke 6-8, TD; Team 1-(-1); Paxton Humphrey 1-(-3); Kamryn Wilson 6-(-25). Mount Carmel: Cooper Karycki 6-122, 2 TDs; Jaylen Delaney 6-36, TD; Jason Klokis 6-26, TD; Michael Higgins 5-20; Logan Shuder 2-19; Jaxon Boblick 4-17, TD; James Spears 1-4; Bailey Pisarz 1-2; Jayden Rotolo 1-0; Vincent Addaman 1-(-2).
Passing-Milton: Wilson 6-12-0, 119 yds. Mount Carmel: Delaney 3-6-0, 54 yds., TD.
Receiving-Milton: Jacori Brown 4-100; Santos 2-19. Mount Carmel: Aidan Brokenshire 2-42, TD; Karycki 1-12.