Chicago – Mount Carmel senior Ron Newcomb was named National High School Football Player of the Week by Sports Illustrated on Monday.

Newcomb’s efforts in Mount Carmel’s thrilling 14-12 win over previously undefeated Lincoln Way East on November 18 in the IHSA State Semi-Final game garnered him the national recognition.

One of a small group of Mount Carmel players who line up on both sides of the ball, Newcomb, a team captain, plays defensive end and tight end. He is also the team’s punter. Against Lincoln Way East, Newcomb notched 14 tackles and caught three passes, one of them for a touchdown. But the magnitude of Newcomb’s plays and how they eventually impacted the outcome of the game were what stood out the most.

Mount Carmel was winning 7-6 before Newcomb corralled an 8-yard touchdown pass from Carter Kopach with 3:29 to go in the fourth quarter, a score that ended up being the game-winning touchdown. He was also a key figure in two other huge plays. In one play, Newcomb rushed his punt to avoid nearing Griffins punt-blockers, and he was able to avoid a blocked punt. In another, Newcomb grabbed a dangerous onside kick attempt by Lincoln Way East with Mount Carmel up 14-12 with just over a minute remaining.

“When Sports Illustrated called me, I was numb. I didn’t even know what to say,” said Newcomb, who maintains a 3.0 grade point average and will attend Northern Illinois University in 2007 on a football scholarship. “I was trying to be as low-key as possible, but my sister was jumping up and down and screaming.

“It feels awesome. But ultimately, my teammates and coaches allowed me to win this award. Our preps at practice gave us a great look at the Lincoln Way East offense, and then Coach Dave (Lenti, Defensive Coordinator) put me in some great spots to be successful.”

Mount Carmel head coach Frank Lenti also pointed to the award being a group accomplishment.

“It’s a tremendous honor for Ronnie to be named the National High School Player of the Week by Sports Illustrated. This is really a team honor. Nobody can ever achieve this kind of accolade by themselves,” Lenti said. “In the game, Ron scored the winning touchdown, had 14 tackles, was our punter and he recovered an onside kick. Ron was able to do all of these things because the guys around him put him in a position to be successful.”

Lenti is proud of the way Newcomb has progressed throughout his four years in Mount Carmel’s storied football program. 

“Ron is a guy who is typical of a Mount Carmel football player. He’s grown up in our program and he had very nice freshman and sophomore seasons. Ron played on both sides of the ball as a junior, but he made much more of an impact on the defensive side of the ball,” Lenti said. “So in the offseason, I sat down with Ron and told him we looked forward to him making a major impact on offense, too. Ron worked and developed physically. The fruits of his labor are now showing.”

Newcomb and the Caravan will return to Champaign’s Memorial Stadium on November 25 for the IHSA Class 8A State Championship versus Wheaton-Warrenville South. Saturday will mark the 13th time in 21 years that Mount Carmel has played in the state title game. The Caravan is 9-3 in those contests, with two wins coming over Wheaton-Warrenville South (In 1990 and 1991, when the school was called Wheaton Central).

“We don’t want to walk off that field crying again,” said Newcomb of his team’s state championship loss to Prospect in 2005. “We want a different outcome this year, and we’ll do anything in our power to make that happen.”

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Matt Kellam, Director of Communication
P: 773-324-1020  x245
F: 773-324-2468
mkellam@mchs.org