The score was 0-0 after the first quarter of the regional championship flag football game on Wednesday, October 8th. Prospect had been dominating time of possession throughout the whole first quarter and half, but Carmel had the ball with 55 seconds to go in the first half and they called a timeout.
Prospect’s goal: keep the game scoreless going into halftime.
Carmel quarterback Josie Hartman passed it to wide receiver Maron Bowes for a touchdown with a mere 2.4 seconds left in the first half.
“Kudos to [Carmel coach Ben Berg],” head coach Michael Bosco said. “He’s got a great team and [is] number two team in the state now. I still think they’re number one; they’re the best team we’ve seen.”
Prospect went into their regional championship game against Carmel with an 11-10 record. Prospect was ranked 39th in the state and 213th nationally. Carmel? They were ranked number 2 in the state and number 9 nationally, according to maxpreps.com. They had a record of 19-1, losing their only game against Libertyville.
Prospect had previously played Carmel early in the season, losing 32-6. This game was a huge improvement, as the Knights only lost by a final score of 14-0.
“We kind of had a look at ourselves and be like, ‘What are we doing wrong? What kind of personnel could we change?’ and kind of challenge the girls that they weren’t the same team that we saw come out, our first game against Hersey,” Bosco said. “We finally saw them Monday and Tuesday [in the regional quarterfinals and semifinals], and tonight.”
The improvement was from all the adjustments made at practices, which included moving some girls’ positions and creating healthy competition. For this game in particular, Prospect had coaches studying film from past Carmel games and mentally preparing for this competition.
“I think it definitely was the mental side of the game,” sophomore Claire Happ (8 receptions for 49 yards) said as being the biggest difference. “We really got ourselves together, our communication has definitely increased, our chemistry was definitely increased and we just worked really hard to become more of a team and we didn’t give up on our body language and all that stuff.”
It was hard to keep all that up, however, after all the interceptions Prospect faced: two in the first quarter, and another one in the third quarter with 5:50 remaining, leading to Carmel’s second and last touchdown of the night with 48.2 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
They were able to get back on their feet after installing their new defensive strategy put in place on October 3rd. They didn’t come out with it immediately but used it in their regional semifinal game against Rolling Meadows winning 34-6, and their game against Carmel.
The seniors got their last hurrah tonight, but it gives us a moment to reflect on their season, their improvement and their achievements.
“For [senior QB Libby McDonough, who finished 19-of-29 passing for 88 yards against Carmel] to be able to step up in the way she played in both these last two games was something that we didn’t see for stretches during the season,” Bosco said. “And I think it was a lot to do with confidence and where you’re at.”
The seniors have been an important part of the Prospect flag football community. According to Bosco, they have really helped him become more known in the building and they made it easy for his transition between schools when he came here from Wheeling two years ago.
“Over the season, [the seniors] have become like sisters to me, and all the rides that they gave me and everything like that,” Happ said through postgame tears. “I’ve gotten so, so close to them and they mean the world and I’ll miss them so much.”
Happ also said that she was so lucky to have these kinds of people in her life, the kind of people that she is able to miss this much.
Despite the loss, Bosco couldn’t help but notice the growth in his team throughout this, their second season of existence.
“Kudos to [Berg] for being able to deliver,” Bosco said. “But I’m so proud of the way [Prospect] made this happen.”
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