The final week of the regular season provided host Carmel with yet another powerful opponent as the Corsairs faced Fenwick in a battle for second place in the ESCC/CCL White Division.

The Friars held a 14-point lead as they took advantage of a fumble recovery by Mike Murphy early in the third quarter. But Carmel (7-2, 2-1) would storm back with 28 unanswered points to capture an exciting 38-24 victory behind a great performance by Nebraska-bound quarterback Trae Taylor.

A 3-yard run by Carmel’s Jorden Moore and an extra point by Jack Doyle cut the lead to 24-17. Then Carmel’s Kristian Chaddick recovered a fumble by Fenwick (6-3, 1-2) before a 3-yard TD run by Taylor (51 yards on 11 rushes) tied the score at 24-24 with 2:20 left in the third quarter.

The Corsairs took the lead for good when Taylor (21-for-41, 329 yards) hit Greg Bess-Henning with a 37-yard touchdown pass with 11:38 to play. The Friars struggled to move the ball in the fourth quarter as Carmel’s Jaquel Edmonds (98 yards on 19 carries) scored on a 2-yard run with 4:11 remaining to pretty much seal the victory for Carmel.

“We knew it was going to be a dogfight. We’ve been behind plenty of times, and we were able to make plays tonight,” said Carmel coach Jason McKie. “He (Taylor) has been a true leader, that’s what you need from that position, and that is what he’s done all year.”

Fenwick’s Noah Sur opened the scoring with a 37-yard field goal before Taylor hit Kyron Hart with a 13-yard TD pass to take a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter.

Fenwick quarterback Jamen Williams responded with a 92-yard scoring play on a short pass to wide receiver Raphiel Stewart, who bolted all the way down the field to give the Friars a 10-7 lead. A 23-yard field goal by Doyle with 12 seconds left in the first half deadlocked the score at 10-10.

A 16-yard TD run up the middle by Fenwick’s Tommy Thies (34 yards on 5 rushes) made the score 17-10 before Williams (53 yards on 12 carries) scored on a 1-yard keeper for a 24-10 Fenwick lead. Williams was 8 for 15 passing for 142 yards.

Jake Thies had 66 yards rushing on 13 attempts for the Friars while Moore carried the ball 8 times for 30 yards.

“It’s a team sport, and you can’t do it without a full team effort from the offensive line and the defensive line,” said Taylor. “The first half we tried to run it more. But the passing game was there all night, we just had to get in the rhythm.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20251024/prep-football/carmel-scores-final-28-points-for-comeback-win-over-fenwick/