Illinois High School Football Powerhouses Light up the Scoreboard

Trae Taylor, Israel Abrams combine for 12 touchdowns as Montini tops Carmel, 55-54

Nebraska commit and top Illinois high school quarterback Trae Taylor had a big game this past Friday night. / Trae Taylor/X

Friday night featured a showdown between two of the top Illinois high school football teams, and with it, two of the top junior quarterbacks in the country.

In the end, Israel Abrams and Montini Catholic High School secured a 55-54 victory over Trae Taylor and Carmel Catholic High School.

For Abrams, he ended up with four passing touchdowns and 572 yards passing, completing 22 of 33 on the night. His incredible performance in the air helped the Broncos erase an early 15-point deficit.

With just over a minute to play, Abrams tossed a 90-yard touchdown pass and Montini converted the two-point attempt for a 55-48 lead, according to Greg Smith of Rivals. Taylor marked his team right down for another score, but the Montini defense stopped the potential game-winning two-point try.

What a game! 90-yard TD pass from Israel Abrams. Great effort by the WR again. 2-pt conversion is GOOD. Montini leads 55-48 w 1:26 left. pic.twitter.com/82C4XVE776

— Greg Smith (@GregSmithRivals) October 4, 2025

Trae Taylor Records Eight TDs in Tough Loss

Taylor, who has committed to Nebraska to play football, hit on 25 of 36 for 505 yards with five touchdowns. He added three more scores on the ground and collected 66 yards.

According to 247Sports, Taylor is the No. 2 player in Illinois and the fourth-ranked quarterback overall, checking in as the No. 36 player in the country.

Of course Trae Taylor and @CorsairsFB answered. 57 yard TD pass to make the score 54-55. But the two-point conversion for the win fails. But they recover the onside kick with 27.1 seconds left. pic.twitter.com/zEcdaNFAD4

— Greg Smith (@GregSmithRivals) October 4, 2025

Montini has now won four games this year by seven points or less, but sit at 6-0. They host Saint Viator next week. Carmel is 4-2 with both losses coming by a combined eight points as they lost to regroup vs. DePaul College Prep next.

More Illinois High School Sports Headlines

feed