Mount Carmel’s Danyil Taylor Jr. makes rare move from tight end to running back. Any hiccups? ‘I can play anywhere.’

After playing tight end his entire high school career, Mount Carmel’s Danyil Taylor Jr. made the switch to running back for his senior season this fall.

Tight end to running back isn’t exactly a common move. But for Taylor, it was no sweat. After all, the list of positions he’s played on the football field is quite long.

“I’ve played tight end, running back, quarterback, defensive end, safety, wide receiver,” Taylor said. “I played some offensive line in the past. I’ve played linebacker. Almost everything.

“I feel like I can play anywhere.”

Taylor is certainly getting the hang of things in the backfield. He ran for 120 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries Friday night, lifting the host Caravan to a 35-21 win over Joliet Catholic in a CCL/ESCC crossover game in Chicago.

Vanderbilt recruit Jack Elliott returned for Mount Carmel (5-2) after missing last week’s 16-13 loss to Brother Rice with an injury. He shook off a slow start, completing 10 of 19 passes for 238 yards and two TDs. Cooper Lehman added four catches for 59 yards and a TD, plus a 41-yard TD run.

Defensively, Patrick Breakey recovered a fumble and Tristan Pusateri came through with an interception as the Caravan rallied from a 14-7 halftime deficit.

Nate Magrini ran for 116 yards and a TD on 16 carries and Larry Stringham added 103 yards and a TD on 19 carries for Joliet Catholic (4-3). Zachary Beitler and Adam Bailey recovered fumbles.

Taylor, however, has been waiting for his breakout performance. And while he hadn’t found it easy to break off big runs early in the season, he had faith they were on their way.

“The biggest challenge is I just have to learn my O-line,” he said. “I have to be a little more patient and everything will come together. It can be frustrating, but at the end of the day, if I stay patient and keep pressing,…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mount-carmel-danyil-taylor-jr-050500937.html

Author : Chicago Tribune

Publish date : 2024-10-12 05:05:00

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