Brady Cloherty didn’t walk into Mount Carmel with the starting quarterback job handed to him. Seven touchdown passes later - twice now - he’s turned uncertainty into one of the season’s biggest offensive stories.
On Senior Night in Chicago, Cloherty threw for 373 yards and seven touchdowns as Mount Carmel rolled past Providence Catholic 49-14. It was the second time he’s hit that number this season, matching the seven-touchdown eruption he had Aug. 28 against St. Joseph Regional of New Jersey.
That kind of production looks even louder when you remember where the season started. Cloherty transferred from Plainfield East in the offseason and spent the spring and summer in a competition for the quarterback job. Then Ryder Startz got hurt, and the path opened up.
“I was just trying to get the ball to my athletes,” Cloherty said. “It gives me a lot of confidence. Coach Lynch draws up great plays; I just got to get the ball to my playmakers.”
Against Providence Catholic, that was the formula again. Cloherty kept finding space, kept trusting the guys around him, and Mount Carmel kept stretching the game open.
Jordan Lynch said the quarterback’s growth has come from settling deeper into the offense.
“He’s getting more and more comfortable with the offense,” Lynch said. “He has great weapons around him.
When he plays within the system, things like this happen. The best is yet to come.”
That approach has become a theme for Cloherty. He isn’t trying to be the whole show; he’s working through the offense and putting the ball in the hands of Mount Carmel’s playmakers, who handled plenty of the heavy lifting once he delivered it.
For Cloherty, the night carried more than just numbers. Senior Night made the moment feel bigger, and he leaned into the bond of the group around him.
“It was great, the bond we have as seniors,” Cloherty said. “I’m just excited to see what we do.”
Lynch pointed to the families behind the program, too, making clear how much the evening meant beyond the field.
“It’s awesome,” Lynch said. “All these kids and parents put in the hard work and sacrifice to send their kids here and believe in a Catholic school education. It’s a great honor.”
What started as a season with questions about Cloherty’s role has turned into a run of big-time production. He’s now thrown seven touchdown passes in a game twice, and Mount Carmel sits at 5-2.
The job didn’t arrive exactly the way Cloherty expected. Once it did, he grabbed it. And if Lynch is right, there may still be more coming.
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