CHRIS FOX PHOTO
Willowbrook senior quarterback Sam Tumilty takes a snap near the Mount Carmel goal line during the first quarter of the IHSA Class 7A semifinal football game on Nov. 23 in Villa Park. The Warriors tried a run on a fourth-and-goal play. The Caravan committed a pair of offside penalties before Tumilty tried his fourth-down run. The Caravan stopped him short of the goal line to end Willowbrook’s first offensive drive of the game. Mount Carmel scored on a 99-yard touchdown pass on the next play to take a 6-0 lead in the contest, which took place in front of a capacity crowd. The Caravan went on to defeat Willowbrook 27-6. “A lot of people believed in us,” said Tumilty after the game. “It was great they came out to support us. It was a great atmosphere.” The game marked Willowbrook’s first appearance in the semifinals of the state football playoffs since 1975. The Warriors finished the 2019 season with a record of 11-2.
