By RICHIE HALL
Kevin Wright will make his return to the Carmel sidelines tonight as the Greyhounds play their season-opener at Fishers.
Wright coached Carmel from 2010 to 2014, before some of the players on this year’s Greyhounds team were even in elementary school.
“Everybody’s new for me,” said Wright. But that would’ve been the case for any coach, as Carmel graduated 40 seniors from last year’s squad.
“It’s a relatively inexperienced team,” said Wright. “I think the good thing is, you’ll see continual growth throughout the season. That’s what I’m looking forward to. Everything has been teachable moments and that’s part of the process.”
There are some players coming back for the Hounds who will provide leadership. Senior quarterback Anthony Coellner threw for 1,896 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. Senior Jake Bellin had 47 of those catches, with five of those four touchdowns. Coellner, offensive lineman Cade Clark and wide receiver Spencer Sell are the offensive captains for the Greyhounds this year.
Sophomore Ayden Johnson will be the main running back as Carmel starts its season. He played in five games as a freshman, running for 28 yards and a touchdown. Also returning are junior Josiah Gilmore, who totaled 91 rushing yards and a touchdown, and senior Andrew Pemberton, the Greyhounds’ leading runner last year with 588 yards and four TDs.
Seniors Kaiden Bower, Will Massey and Isaac Nelson will be the senior captains for Carmel’s defense. Senior Chase Jarred returns the most tackles with 72, while junior Aiden Dickerson brings back 55, followed by Nelson with 53.
Carmel plays at Fishers to begin the season tonight. While the ‘Hounds and the Tigers have played each other in the postseason, this will be the first regular-season meeting between the schools.