Darrion Dupree, a running back from Mount Carmel High School in Chicago, carries the ball during the team's season-opening win over East St. Louis at Hancock Stadium in Normal, Ill. on Saturday Aug. 26, 2023.Andy VillamarzoThu, December 4, 2025 at 3:14 AM UTC·2 min readMount Carmel went into Wednesday night’s Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 8A state championship looking to win their 17th state title against a upset-minded Oswego bunch.
For the better part of the first two quarters, the Panthers looked like a team that was hoping to pull off the unthinkable, kinda like Fenwick the night before against East St. Louis for the 6A crown. The Caravan was able to shutdown the Panthers’ the rest of the way, en route to a 20-3 victory at Northern Illinois’ Huskie Stadium.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe victory for Mount Carmel caps a 4-peat of state championships as they finish the season with a perfect 14-0 record.
Oswego (11-3) held a 3-0 as halftime approached, but Mount Carmel took a 6-3 lead when Emmett Dowling scored from three yards out to give the Caravan game.
The Caravan out-gained the Panthers 110-73, with Oswego forcing Mount Carmel to punt the ball five times, something they had only done 13 times in their previous 13 games.
Mount Carmel’s Cullen Winters changed the entire game dynamic when the junior blocked an Oswego punt, with Gavin Conjar picking up and returning it for a touchdown. The Caravan took a 14-3 at the midway point of the third quarter, taking full command of the game the rest of the way.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Panthers gambled late in the third quarter deep into Caravan territory on a fourth down, taking a shot at the endzone, with the pass falling harmlessly incomplete, ending what was one of Oswego’s last chances at adding points to their cause.
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