by MUNDELEIN, Ill. — Junior quarterback and Nebraska commit Trae Taylor put on another show Friday night, leading the Carmel Catholic Corsairs to a commanding 54–14 win over the DePaul College Prep Rams in a CCL/ESCC crossover matchup.
First Quarter:
Taylor, who entered the game as the state leader with 19 touchdowns, continued his dominant season by throwing for multiple scores and orchestrating an offensive clinic for the Corsairs (5–2, 1–1 CCL/ESCC White). The Corsairs struck early and often, with Taylor connecting on three first-quarter touchdown passes. Two to senior wide receiver Eli Jackson and one to sophomore running back Jordan Moore. The Corsairs built a 21–0 lead after the opening quarter.
Second Quarter:
Taylor added two more scoring drives in the second quarter, including a rushing touchdown. The third Corsairs’ touchdown came when Taylor was on the Rams 10-yard line, looked to his right and threw a beautiful ball to Jackson who was safely already in the end zone. The Corsairs pushed for the two-point conversation, but Taylor was stopped by Rams defense and that concluded the first half of the game.
Third Quarter:
The Rams (2–5, 1–1 CCL/ESCC Purple) finally got on the board in the third quarter when junior running back Zach Stewart broke free for a 30-yard touchdown run.
Four minutes after the Rams scored, the Corsairs came back for one more touch down to close out the quarter. Once Rams junior kicker Emmett McClue cleared for a touchback, the Corsairs opened at its 20-yard line. Taylor connected with Moore once again for short gains before hitting Jackson on a deep pass to the Rams 16-yard line. Moore then broke through the defense to the 1-yard line and finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Senior kicker, Jack Doyle’s extra point made it 47–7 Corsairs with 5:29 left in the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, the Rams showed some late fight when junior quarterback Jackson Grabinski connected to senior wide receiver Matthew Osterman for a 20-yard score. Cutting the deficit to 47-14 with 9:36 remaining.
Backup junior quarterback Noah Ulbrich played the entire fourth for the Corsairs. Midway through the fourth, Ulbrich capped the game by finding sophomore Jaquel Edmonds for a long touchdown strike, extending the lead 54-14.
Corsairs defense closed out the game including an interception by senior corner back Drew Bance and solid tackling that kept the Rams from finding the end zone again. The Corsairs’ reserves controlled the clock the rest of the way, sealing a 54–14 victory to cap a dominant performance Friday night.
Next Week:
Week 8 of Illinois high school football will be in full swing next Friday. The Carmel Catholic Corsairs hit the road to face the Loyola Academy Ramblers with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. CT, while the DePaul College Prep Rams return home to host the St. Francis Spartans at 7:00 p.m. CT.
Carmel Catholic: 21 19 7 7 = 54
DePaul College Prep: 0 0 7 7 = 14
