Mt. Carmel High School football team starts season at brand new campus stadium

CHICAGO (WLS) -- High School football kicks off this Friday with a full schedule of games. And it's a special year for Mt. Carmel High School. The Caravan usually played their home games at Gately Stadium, but this year for the first time ever the legendary football program has a new stadium right on campus.

Second-year head coach Jordan Lynch and his players are looking forward to another run at a state title at the brand new facility.

"We're super excited," Lynch said. "For the first time, the way I look at it, we can have a home atmosphere. And we can play all our five games on Friday night. So we can really get involved with the fanbase and the students, and keep them here after school and really have a true fan base. They did a beautiful job, the field is gorgeous and the kids are excited and it's football season."

"We're excited to start the new year here because we're the first ones to be playing on this new field and new stadium, so everyone is excited to start this new tradition here," said Marty O'Brien, team captain and cornerback. "Last year was going in with a new coach and a new offense. Kind of like we've never done this before but like some guys started 13 games for us last year, so right now a lot of guys know what they're doing but at this point last year guys hadn't even played a game with this offense before."

"The biggest thing I want to show these kids is staying consistent and having a positive message with them," said Lynch. "It's not all about football here, we teach about life and letting them know that it's OK to mess up. We might kick them in the butt but we'll also hug them at the end of the day."