From the sunny Ohio Valley to snowy DeKalb, Illinois, the Mount Carmel football team accomplished something that has only been done once in school history and 16 times in the history of the Illinois High School Sports Association.
The Caravan won four state championships in a row and did it all while staying undefeated this season. The expectations for the Caravan for 2025 were off the charts. Michael O’Brien of the Chicago Sun-Times called the Caravan “the most talented team in Chicago history.” They knew that they had to live up to those high expectations.
“We started this journey back in January,” said head football coach Jordan Lynch ’09. The Caravan’s off-season workout program, Caravan Tough, starts at 5 a.m. three days a week from January through April. “Some of these guys left their house at 4:15 a.m.”
The Caravan’s season was extended by four days after an unprecedented cancellation of the state finals due to weather., The 7A and 8A games were moved from Illinois State University to Northern Illinois University and from Saturday, November 29, to Wednesday, December 3. Coach Lynch, who played quarterback for the NIU Huskies, has an undefeated record (3-0) while coaching Caravan games at NIU.
Each season brings new challenges, new personnel, and new pressure. But what this group shared, according to coach Lynch, was their understanding of the culture at MC.
“This group is special,” he said. “A lot of them are legacy kids, their dads played here, their brothers played here, and they understood the culture of Mount Carmel and what it means.”
Still, maintaining dominance is not guaranteed, even with the talent that the Caravan had this year. Coach Lynch emphasized that this team started at the bottom, and they had to climb their way to the top.
“Every single year, it’s a new team,” Coach Lynch said. “You start from scratch. The culture is built on what I allow.”
In the frigid conditions of the state championship, offense came at a premium. MC punted more in the first half than they had all season. One of those punts was the most important play of the game. After getting a bad snap, punter Dean Kemph didn’t have time to get the kickoff before a defender got there, so he had to scramble to make a successful punt. He got away and kicked it as hard as he could, 45 yards in the air, and senior Patrick Breakey was there to down it at the one-yard line. That one play changed the course of the entire game.
“We practice special teams like crazy all week,” said Kemph. “All those reps put us in the right place for this game.”
After flipping the field, the Caravan defense forced a punt from inside the Panthers’ 20-yard line, and that’s when it happened. Junior Cullen Winters got his hands in perfect position for the block, and senior Gavin Conjar scooped and scored to extend the Caravan lead.
“I saw Cullen make the block, and the ball just bounced right to me,” said Conjar. “No better feeling than celebrating with my brothers.”
Winters, who Coach Lynch and Conjar both say had flown under the radar the entire season, made the play that helped seal history,
“Cullen and I have been on the same side of the ball most of the season, and it’s a lot of fun to see a guy like that make a big play like that in the state championship,” said Conjar.
One of the biggest questions surrounding the Caravan entering this year was the quarterback position. Starting quarterback Emmett Dowling quickly answered that, breaking the single-season passing touchdown record set by his older brother, Blainey.
“It’s all because of him,” said Dowling, pointing at Coach Lynch. “He’s the best coach in the country. We were throwing routes at 4:30 in the morning all year. He prepared me for this.”
Before the game, Emmett received a simple message from his brother, Blainey. “He just said, ‘Play your game, it doesn’t take a super effort, just your best.’”
Outside of all the hype surrounding the Caravan this season, there was one player patiently waiting for his turn. After rushing for the game-tying touchdown against Archbishop Moeller in the first game of the season, junior Nate Samuels burst onto the scene and became the difference maker in some playoff games. After having three touchdowns in the third round of the playoffs against Lincoln Way East, he made it clear that he was one of the best running backs in the state.
“My motivation was all the hours in the summer,” Samuels said. “Keeping my head down, being humble, earning trust. Once I had the trust of my coaches and teammates, everything clicked.
He used one word to describe this season: triumphant.
“We went undefeated. That was the goal.”
Plans for a national schedule are in place for next season. Coach Lynch mentioned the possibility of playing East St. Louis (IL), Archbishop Moeller (OH), or even Bergen Catholic (NJ).
With four straight state championships, Coach Lynch made the next goal clear.
“We want to strive for five,” Lynch said. “It’s never been done at Mount Carmel. Let’s be the first.”
