Go big or go home: Neuqua vs. Carmel

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Tashara Parker
CSNChicago.com Contributor

Tomorrow is the night that weve all been waiting for. The do or die games of the week.

Take a deep breath: There are only a few more hours until the top teams square off for a chance at the state championship game only a week away from tomorrow.

Perhaps one of the biggest games Saturday night is ten-time state champion Mount Carmel vs. Neuqua Valley.

Two teams familiar with one another from their matchup two years ago when the Caravan knocked the Wildcats out of the playoffs in the second-round with a 21-14 victoryso its safe to say the Wildcats are seeking revenge in Saturday's matchup.

Mount Carmel has definitely taken high school football fans on an incredible ride the last few years. Although, they have ten state championships in school history, the majority of their titles were during the 90sand they havent won a state championship game in the last five seasons.

The Caravan heads to their fourth-straight semifinals in the last six seasons when they battle Neuqua Valley in a Class 8A matchup on the Warriors' turf.

If you have been a part of Mount Carmel football in the last 20 years, you know better than most that they are one of the most storied Catholic League schools around.

They have been under the guidance of head coach Frank Lenti since 1984 and he owns nine of Mount Carmel's 10 state championships.

And as much as the team wants another state title, its rare that any other team in the country has won 10 state championships in less than three decades, so theyre already ahead of the game.

Its easy to say the Caravan are dominant in their sport and its run in the game of football is unmatched throughout the stateso fans can only wonder what will happen tomorrow night as they take the field against unbeaten Neuqua Valley.

One thing for sure is itll be a good game. Both teams have speed and are looking to control the ball at all costs, so itll come down to who makes the least mistakes and puts up a solid defensive effort.

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