By RICHIE HALL
Reporter Sports Editor
Once again, the team standing between Carmel and the IHSAA state football finals is Penn.
The No. 10-ranked Greyhounds will host the No. 4 Kingsmen for the Class 6A north semi-state at 7:30 p.m. Friday. This will be the fifth year in a row that the two powerhouses have played each other in the semi-state game.
“Penn and Carmel are very similar programs in many regards,” said Carmel coach John Hebert. “I have to imagine that our core philosophies are similar. We believe in maximizing our preparation to give us the best opportunity to be successful on Friday nights. The education and preparation of our team is never over. I know Penn has that same approach which makes them fiercely competitive. We both have such a deep sense of tradition and a shared history. Every year is a different story but the competitive spirit is a constant.”
The ‘Hounds have been mostly successful against the Kingsmen during this recent rivalry streak. Out of the previous four games, Carmel has won three of them. Last season, the ‘Hounds won 21-10, the penultimate step to a state championship.
Penn will come into Carmel Stadium with an 11-1 record. The Kingsmen struggled at first, dropping their season opener to Valparaiso 12-7, then edging Merrillville 7-0.
The win over Merrillville marked the first of 11 victories in a row for Penn. Since that close win, the Kingsmen have rolled through their other games unopposed.
Weeks 3 and 4 saw respective victories over two Michigan teams, Birmingham Rice 38-0 and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 38-17. After that, the Kingsmen cruised to a championship in the Northern Indiana Conference North Division, beating South Bend Adams 35-0, South Bend St. Joseph 30-14, South Bend Clay 58-6, Elkhart Central 47-3 and Mishawaka 48-7.
In the sectional, Penn avenged its loss to Valpo 13-0 in the semi-final, then won the championship game over Warsaw 40-0. The Kingsmen then took the regional over Crown Point, 33-3.
“As usual, Penn is a very balanced football team that has been very successfully running the football and keeping opponents out of the end zone,” said Hebert. “They are a very physical football team that has dominated the opposition in the past month. They mandate that opponents be very sound in their assignments. Paul Moala, their elite free safety and kick returner, is one of the best football players in the Midwest. We know from our game last year that he is capable of changing the direction of a game on every snap.”
Moala has already committed to nearby Notre Dame and made a key return for the Kingsmen in their game last week. Penn’s quarterback is Ryan Lynch, who threw for four touchdowns against Crown Point and 176 yards. Zach Usenick caught two of those passes.
Overall, Carmel and Penn have played each other 10 times since their first meeting in 1987. The Greyhounds lead the overall series 7-3, including wins in the 1989 and 2011 state championships. (Carmel was aligned in the south semi-state in 2011 and 2012; the ‘Hounds have usually been sent north for most of the current tournament series.)
Carmel’s Nate Frey (center) has 46 tackles and 27 assists for the Greyhounds this season. Carmel will host Penn for the Class 6A north semi-state championship on Friday. (Kent Graham/File photo)