Main man: Denny Furlong catches two TD passes from Blainey Dowling as Mount Carmel rallies to top St. Rita. ‘This is the best feeling ever.’

Senior receiver Denny Furlong is Mount Carmel quarterback Blainey Dowling’s most reliable target. He has earned Dowling’s trust by making big plays all season.

But the duo started counting on each other long before they were Caravan teammates.

“Blainey and I are best friends,” Furlong said. “I love that kid. I’ve known him forever.

“I know he’s going to get me the ball.”

He sure did Saturday night. Furlong caught two touchdown passes in the second half as visiting Mount Carmel rallied for a 20-9 win over St. Rita in a Class 7A semifinal in Chicago.

Furlong finished with seven catches and 123 yards for the top-seeded Caravan (13-0). Dowling completed 16 of 31 passes for 221 yards, while Damarion Arrington had a huge interception return for a TD.

Mount Carmel will take on Batavia (10-3) — a 24-7 winner over Lake Zurich — at 4 p.m. Saturday in the championship game at the University of Illinois’ Memorial Stadium in Champaign.

The Caravan will be trying for the program’s 14th state title and second under coach Jordan Lynch, the first coming in 2019.

“I’m just trying to go get a ring,” Furlong said. “Going to state, this is the best feeling ever.”

DJ Stewart was the workhorse for St. Rita (10-3), running for 136 yards on 34 carries. Zack Clark and Keyandre White had interceptions for the Mustangs.

It was the 101st meeting between the rivals, with Mount Carmel having rolled to a 35-3 victory in the season opener.

This time, St. Rita shut down the Caravan in the first half and led 6-0 at halftime.

But Dowling hit Furlong for a 21-yard TD pass in the third quarter and a 13-yard TD in the fourth.

“Denny’s a stud,” Dowling said. “He’s always open. I look his way and he’s open. Just the chemistry we have is great. I can always rely on him.

“Through the years playing pickup football in the park, we’ve built up that chemistry over the years. We’ve been doing it since we were 5 years old, 6 years old. We’ve been best buds since the start.”

Alabama recruit Conor Talty kicked three field goals from 36, 27 and 23 yards, the last one giving St. Rita a 9-7 lead in the final minute of the third quarter.

The score was the same until the game flipped in a 49-second span midway through the fourth.

First, Dowling hit Furlong for the 13-yard TD. Two plays later, Arrington intercepted Jett Hilding’s pass and raced 40 yards to the end zone to give Mount Carmel the 20-9 lead.

“I was very confident in myself,” Arrington said. “The quarterback didn’t see me. I read his eyes. I read the receiver and, boom, it happened from there.”

Danny Novickas added a late interception to seal the trip to state.

Bobby Medina also had a big night defensively for Mount Carmel with a fumble recovery, a sack and a tackle for loss.

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“Defense wins championships,” Dowling said. “Those guys really stepped up for us when the offense was struggling.”

The defeat ends the career of retiring St. Rita coach Todd Kuska.

“Our defense played great,” Kuska said. “It’s a shame that we couldn’t get more points on the board, but Mount Carmel has a great defense, too.

“This was a defensive battle and they just hit a couple more big plays than we did. It was a great football game. This is why it’s a great rivalry.”

In the end, Furlong and Dowling would not be denied.

“Denny is so dependable,” Lynch said. “Blainey, Denny, Damarion, all those guys. Those are seniors making plays.”

Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.