By RICHARD TORRES
For The Reporter
FISHERS – Some didn’t believe in the Class 6A Carmel Greyhounds coming into the 2025 football season, but those opinions may change after Friday night.
Down 7-0 and 10-7 to host 6A No. 7 Fishers in the first quarter, the 6A No. 9 Greyhounds went to work and never let up, winning 49-24 to kick off head coach Kevin Wright’s second go-around at Carmel.
“The players are just buying into what coach has to say,” Carmel senior quarterback Anthony Coellner said. “As a whole unit, offense, defense and special teams, you can’t just do it with one guy or one coach. It’s got to be a team effort, and I feel like we’ve done a great job stepping up to him challenging us.”
The task for the Greyhounds this season was to reclaim Carmel’s winning tradition. They took a huge step on opening night, amassing 543 yards in offense and scoring on six of their initial seven drives.
Overall, Carmel reached the end zone in 6 of 7 opportunities and achieved the result with versatility, tempo and execution.
“All the practice during the summer and spring, all the hard work we put in has really paid off, but there’s still work to do,” Coellner said.
Coellner put in a full day, completing 9 of 12 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 112 yards on 11 carries for three touchdowns.
The Greyhounds tied the game 7-7 on a perfect over-the-shoulder, 24-yard touchdown pass from Coellner to senior Jacob Bellin on fourth-and-6 late in the first quarter.
Touchdowns on Carmel’s next three possessions made it 28-17 by halftime.
“The offense did a really good job of just mixing things up. The defense came up with a couple of key stops that we needed to get,” Wright said. “Like I told (Fishers head coach) Curt (Funk) before the game, I was really impressed with them watching their scrimmage. They are really a good football team.”
The Tigers had 406 yards in offense with senior Ryan Thembulembu rushing for 125 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown. Senior quarterback Gage Sturgill completed 19 of 27 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns.
However, Carmel’s efficiency on offense and the defense’s ability to hold Fishers to 6 of 12 on third down and 0-for-3 on fourth down, which led to a trio of turnovers on downs, put the Greyhounds in position to win their third straight season-opening game.
“I thought our offense did a nice job, and we caught some bad breaks with some costly penalties, but then we got into a game of catching points,” Funk said. “When that happens, your offense gets out of balance. Unfortunately, defensively, we just didn’t get enough stops.”
Carmel had a balanced attack and utilized its no-huddle offense to produce 304 yards rushing and six touchdowns and 239 passing yards.
Senior Andrew Pemberton had a rushing touchdown and 109 yards on 19 carries. Sophomore Ayden Johnson had 80 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns. Pemberton’s longest run was 47 yards. Johnson’s longest rush went for 17 yards.
The Tigers led 10-7 after a 21-yard field goal conversion by senior Micah Hillen, but two touchdown drives over their next seven possessions kept them trailing.
“We knew there was going to be adversity. They drove the ball up and down the field early in the game, and so it was can the offense respond? Can the defense get stops?,” Wright said. “It’s complimentary football, just having the faith. Traditionally, Carmel, they believe. Tonight was a good first step, but it’s just a first step.”
(LEFT) Carmel’s Ayden Johnson rushed for 87 yards and two touchdowns during the Greyhounds’ win at Fishers on Friday. (RIGHT) Fishers quarterback Gage Sturgill threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns. (Joshua Herd)