Carmel sustains heartbreaking loss

Carmel was able to contain Joliet Catholic running back Malin Jones, but there was no stopping his teammate, Ty Isaac.

The junior, a NCAA Division I prospect, scored three times as the Hilltoppers defeated the Corsairs 32-31 at Memorial Stadium in Joliet Friday night.

The seesaw affair saw the lead change three times in the final minute, with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Craig Slowik to Isaac — with 35 seconds left — marking the difference between the pair of East Suburban Catholic Conference powerhouses.

Isaac had 216 yards rushing on 19 carries, including touchdown runs of 70 and 46 yards.

“I think Isaac might be the best back in the state,” said Corsairs coach Andy Bitto.

Jones, a Northwestern University recruit, rushed 16 times for 58 yards.

Carmel (0-1) took the lead with a minute left in the game on a 56-yard run by Michael Panico. On the previous play, a 4-yard run by Brian Brennan kept the drive alive on a fourth-down play.

“The spirit kind of dropped, but we got to keep our heads up,” said Isaac, recalling the mood of the Hilltoppers at that moment.

“We were so close,” Panico said. “We never beat them here.”

Joliet Catholic, which held a 12-10 halftime lead, added to its advantage with two touchdowns midway through the third quarter. The first TD came on a 46-yard run by Isaacs. An interception by Brody Wilhelmi on Carmel’s ensuing possession set up a 7-yard TD run by Jones to give the Hilltoppers a 25-10 lead with 6:04 remaining in the third.

It appeared as though Joliet Catholic would control the rest of the game, but the Corsairs then marched 77 yards on five plays on their ensuing possession to close the gap. Panico capped the drive with a 17-yard TD run. The senior running back ran for 150 yards on 13 carries, scoring three times.

“We could have played a little better on offense, but we can’t look back,” Panico said. “We’ve just got to play hard and hope Joliet Catholic slips up (as the season unfolds).”

Down 25-17 in the fourth quarter, the Corsairs came within two points of Joliet Catholic on a 5-yard touchdown draw by Jordan Kos with 4:28 left. Brian Brennan attempted a quarterback sneak on the 2-point conversion attempt, but he was stopped short of the goal line.

“They’re not big, but they all play like college kids,” Hilltoppers coach Dan Sharp said of Carmel.

Stat Sheet: The Corsairs wound up with three ballcarriers — Panico, Kos and Brennan — rushing for more than 100 yards. Kos finished with 123 yards on 17 carries. Brennan ran the ball 18 times for 118 yards.

Up Next: Carmel will try to even its record on Friday, when the Corsairs entertain Nazareth at 7:30 p.m. Nazareth is coming off a 17-0 win over Benet Academy on Saturday.

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