Football: Bolingbrook keeps Mount Carmel in check

Updated: November 5, 2011 9:37PM

Bolingbrook limited Mount Carmel to a late third-quarter touchdown and elusive quarterback Aaron Bailey made several big plays in the backfield to move the Raiders to the Class 8A quarterfinals with a 21-7 home victory Saturday night.

“There’s no vendetta against Mount Carmel,’’ Bolingbrook coach John Ivlow said of the win over the team that beat the Raiders in the first round last year. “You never like losing twice to anybody. But we’ve said all along we’d like to play them on our field.’’

“Our eyes are focused on something bigger, but we had to get past them first,’’ Bailey said. “It wasn’t revenge or anything like that.’’

Bolingbrook’s quarterfinal opponent will be Downers South (10-1), a 41-14 winner over Brother Rice.

Bolingbrook (10-1) went ahead 21-0 in the third quarter thanks to an athletic play by Bailey. The junior quarterback eluded the rush of All-Catholic Blue linebacker Derrick Bryant and completed a 50-yard pass to Xavier Perkins at Mount Carmel’s 3-yard line.

Jaden Huff ran it in on the next play for the three-touchdown advantage with 4:23 left in the third quarter.

Mount Carmel (7-4) got its only points on its next possession, a 31-yard touchdown pass from Don Butkus to Frank Kelly.

“If everybody did their assignment, we knew we were going to win the game,’’ said Antonio Morrison, the Florida-bound linebacker and the leader of the Bolingbrook defense. “Our defensive speed, everybody flies to the ball.’’

“They’ve been doing an amazing job all year,’’ Ivlow said of his defense. “To hold their offense to what they had is impressive.’’

Morrison and lineman Erik McDowell both sacked Butkus to help stymie a late fourth-quarter drive while interceptions by Tevin Teamer and Greg Gordon stopped Mount Carmel’s final two possessions.

“They did a great job, you have to give Bolingbrook credit,’’ Caravan coach Frank Lenti said. “We couldn’t get them off the field.’’

Bolingbrook led 14-0 at halftime with Huff scoring from two yards out to cap a game-opening 80-yard drive and Bailey adding a 34-yard touchdown run with 2:18 left before halftime.

“When you consider how much they’re on the field, what can you do?’’ Lenti said.

Bolingbrook held Mount Carmel to three-and-out possessions two of the first three times the Caravan had the ball.

“Our defense played phenomenal,’’ Bailey said. “They play phenomenal each night. They come out and play smash-mouth football.’’

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