Excitement filled the air as Mount Carmel High School’s media team streamed their football game against Joliet Catholic on the Marquee Sports Network on October 11th. It was not just a game that had people talking, but it was the fact that it was all student-run.
The Caravan Media Group took their work to the next level when the broadcast aired on national TV for the first time. The school’s football game against their longtime rival, Joliet Catholic, was streamed on Marquee Sports Network as a part of the channel’s new showcase series. Play-by-play announcer senior Matthew Malloy and color commentator senior Christos Dimas were key players in making the production a great success, working with their team under the guidance of Media Moderator Ellie Menke.
“[Athletic Director Phil] Segroves and I were contacted by Marquee over the summer,” Ms. Menke said regarding how the partnership with the national network came about. “They were launching a new initiative called the Community Showcase series, and they wanted Mount Carmel to be part of it. We worked together to select the Joliet Catholic game, which fit perfectly into the atmosphere they were aiming for.”
Months of preparing led up to the big day. From technological rehearsals to coordinating with Marquee staff members, the media team treated this broadcast as any other but with a larger audience. The students had been streaming games on YouTube for years, but this game was the first time doing it for a national audience. Malloy and Dimas had to adjust to new challenges like working alongside professional staff from Marquee.
The planning process for the broadcast started in August. Malloy, a senior leader of the media team, was used to running broadcasts for the school, but this time, things were a bit different. “I was doing a lot of communication with the people from Marquee, especially since some of our main guys were away during the week of the game,” Malloy explained. “It was a bit more work, but I made sure everything ran smoothly.”
Meanwhile, Dimas, who was on a school retreat during the preparation week still found time to help out.
“I was leading Kairos, but I kept checking stats and making sure I had all the information for the game. It had been 17 years since we played Joliet Catholic, so I was looking up past stats and injury reports.” said Dimas.
The live broadcast brought challenges. “It was pretty much the same as our usual YouTube broadcast, but I had to change my mindset, knowing that our audience wasn’t just Mount Carmel fans. We were talking to high school football fans across the country.”
The team faced a few technical difficulties along the way, which Malloy says would have been easier to solve with more guys on deck. “If Leonard [Siegal] or Christos had been there earlier in the week, we might have fixed some things faster,” Malloy said. “But we made it work.”
Dimas, fighting a cold on game day, pushed through the challenges. “I took some medicine and just did my job. Even though I wasn’t there all week, I treated it like a normal broadcast. Every game, whether it’s seen by a thousand people or just a few, is just as important.”
One of the highlights of the broadcast was a special halftime segment, which was created by Malloy. The video honored Joliet Catholic alumni and former role model teacher at MC, the late Mr. Kevin Hansen. It consisted of interviews of people who had won the Green Jacket Award, given to teachers who have demonstrated similar qualities of Mr. Hansen.
“I was proud of that segment,” Malloy said. “I filmed interviews with the six winners who still work here, and it was challenging to cut down an hour of footage to just three minutes. But the Marquee staff loved it, and that made me proud.”
For Ms. Menke, seeing the students’ hard work pay off was the most rewarding part.
“I think when you watch a game on ESPN or College GameDay, you have no idea the amount of work that goes into it,” she said. “Our team brought that to life at Mount Carmel, and it takes a lot of effort from everyone involved.”
The best part of the whole production was knowing that it was all run by her own students.
“I was incredibly proud to see our Mount Carmel football players on the Marquee Sports Network,” Ms. Menke said. “But even more proud that it wasn’t just our players on national TV—it was a student-run production. That’s something the network decided they wanted to do.”
The broadcast was a success, with a lot of positive feedback from viewers across the school community.
“Everyone seemed to enjoy it,” Ms. Menke shared. “It was really cool to turn on your TV and see Brown and White on a major sports network.”
Looking ahead, the media team hopes to take on even bigger challenges. Malloy, who plans to keep pursuing broadcasting after graduation, gave advice for younger students interested in media. “No one is going to hold your hand. The amount of effort you put in is the amount of success you’ll get out of it. Just commit to it, and you’ll be surprised by what you can accomplish.”
