Lenti earns 300th win in Caravan victory

Updated: March 22, 2011 5:14PM

The road to 300 wins, traveled over 27 seasons, couldn't have been easy for Frank Lenti. Certainly not as easy as the milestone win came Friday in the first round of the Class 8A state playoffs.

Mount Carmel trounced Bolingbrook 55-27 at Gately Stadium, with all but 47 seconds of the second half played under a running clock, to advance to a second-round matchup against the winner of Friday's contest between Downers South (7-2) and Neuqua Valley (6-3).

With the win, the Caravan improved to 8-2 on the season and Lenti to 300-53 on a coaching career that began in 1984. He is only the fourth coach in Illinois high school football to reach 300 wins.

After acknowledging the contributions of his superiors, predecessors, colleagues, parents and players, Lenti boiled the secret of Mount Carmel's success to its essentials.

"We force the kids to measure up and do what's right," he said.

No one was more right Friday than Catholic League co-MVP Chris Sujka. The senior quarterback ran for 171 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries - all in the first half - and completed 3 of 7 passes for 58 yards.

Michael Banks (33 rushing yards, 47 receiving yards) scored both of his touchdowns, on runs of six and four yards, before Sujka got on the board with a 1-yard plunge to make it 21-0 in the first quarter.

It went to 28-0 after Draco Smith (six carries, 47 yards) took an option pitch for the first of his two touchdowns. Sujka then outran everyone 86 yards up the left sideline for a score and, even more spectacular, weaved his way through the Bolingbrook defense from 15 yards out make it 42-0 with 3:02 left in the half.

The Raiders (5-5), marched 80 yards for the touchdown that prevented the second half starting with a running clock, getting the score 39 seconds before halftime on a 10-yard toss from sophomore quarterback Aaron Bailey to senior wide receiver Daniel Fisher (nine catches, 196 yards).

Bailey rebounded well from a rough start. After fumbling on the first play from scrimmage and finishing the first half with minus-six yards rushing on 14 carries, Bailey ended up completing 19 of 30 passes for 254 yards while running for 61 yards on 19 carries.

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