Here are highlights and notes from semifinal playoff results around the Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Conference.

Mount Carmel eyes third perfect season under Jordan Lynch

Since his first season as head coach at Mount Carmel in 2018, Jordan Lynch has led the Caravan to a pair of 14-0 seasons that culminated in state championships. Is a third on the way?

Having ousted three-time defending 8A champion Loyola and state title contender Lincoln-Way East, Mount Carmel (13-0) is on the cusp of a fourth straight championship and the 11th undefeated season in the program’s 100-plus-year history. The Caravan, who have six 14-0 records on their resume, face Oswego on Saturday.

“When you’re at Mount Carmel, expectations are high all of the time,” Lynch said. “Our goal isn’t to go undefeated. Our goal is to win the Catholic League division championship and win the state championship. The target has always been on our track. It would make any other team’s season if they can beat Mount Carmel.”

After a hard-fought 21-17 first-round win against Loyola, Mount Carmel and its big-play offense have cruised through the playoffs, beating Belleville East, Lincoln-Way East and Fremd with minimal opposition. Quarterback Emmett Dowling threw for 341 yards and three scores and ran for one to lead the Caravan in their win over Fremd and Northwestern quarterback recruit Johnny O’Brien.

“The best way to stop that quarterback is to keep him off the field,” Lynch said. “We ate some clock and went on a six-and-a-half minute drive to open it up... Our defense pressured him and we made him get rid of the ball quicker than we wanted to. Our defensive backs made some good plays and we played with effort.”

The three-time defending 7A champions, Mount Carmel will battle an Oswego team that has allowed only 45 points over four playoff games, including a 24-21 quarterfinal win against Maine South. A 42-yard field goal from Kaleb Stumpenhorst helped Oswego seal a 10-7 semifinal victory over Lockport. Saturday’s 8A state final will kick off at 7 p.m. on Saturday evening at Hancock Stadium.

“They have some underclassmen who’ve played really well,” Lynch said. “They try to shorten the game by running the ball and they play good defense. It should be a great matchup for us... We love to throw the ball, but we believe in our run game, our quarterback, our running backs and our offensive line. Championships are won up front, especially in November. We’re gonna be who we are.”

Montini takes 23-game winning streak into 4A state finals

Chris Andriano’s 2015 6A state championship team is the only team in Montini’s 60-year history to finish the season 14-0.

Mike Bukovsky’s 2025 bunch is knocking on the door of being the second team in the school’s rich history of achieving that feat. The Broncos (13-0), who remained unbeaten with a 47-27 semifinal victory over Morris on Saturday, have not lost a football game in over 14 months and will carry a 23-game winning streak into the 4A state championship game at Hancock Stadium on Friday night.

“We’re used to being in the playoffs and our kids know that it’s win or go home,” Bukovsky said. “Most of that chatter about being undefeated was in the regular season, so we were dealing with a little bit of that then, but right now, it’s about like it always is... doing our job every week and playing for our playoff lives.”

Montini will meet Rochester (12-1), a high-scoring perennial state title contender that edged out Breese Central 43-42 in overtime to punch its ticket to the state championship. The Rockets, who’ve scored 619 points and average nearly 48 points per game, took out Sacred Heart-Griffin 41-35 in an overtime quarterfinal thriller.

While Montini doesn’t have much history of playing Rochester in football, Bukovsky’s relationship with Rockets coach Derek Leonard dates back to competing against his father, Ken Leonard, who won six state championships as the coach at Sacred Heart-Griffin.

“We have a tremendous amount of respect for the Rochester program,” Bukovsky said. “I’ve known Derek for many years and we had many, many battles with his father when he was at Sacred Heart-Griffin. I’ve known them for many, many years. We’ve never played Rochester, but they’ve had tremendous success and we have a huge amount of respect for their football program.”

The Broncos also feature a potent offense, scoring an average of almost 40 points per game with 516 points compiled this season. Quarterback Israel Abrams, a four-star prospect who threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns while adding a rushing touchdown in the win over Morris, has been the catalyst for Montini’s offense.

A victory for the Broncos on Saturday would mean back-to-back state championships after Montini won the 3A title last season. It would also be the eighth state championship in the team’s history.

“We know this is going to be our biggest test,” Bukovsky said. “They play fast and there are a lot of things we’re preparing for in practice this week. We’ve seen similar athletes and even though some of their schemes and formations are different and they play at a fast tempo, we have some comparable athletes on our team.”