By JIM BELSER
Carmel withstood a strong second half passing performance by Lawrence Central quarterback John Lewis to edge the Bears 16-14 at home Friday night.
Both teams endured cold, rainy conditions, putting a damper on offensive execution for the pair as the Metropolitan Interscholastic rivals prepare for sectionals, which begin on Oct. 26 after a bye for Class 6A teams next week. Fourth-ranked Carmel (7-2, 5-2 MIC) ends the 2018 season in a three-way tie for second in the MIC behind undefeated and 6A No. 1-ranked Warren Central.
“I am proud of the way we played tonight,” Camel coach John Hebert said. “We overcame some defensive mistakes, but Lawrence Central is a highly capable team, and our offense made the plays when we had to, overall it was a good team win.”
Despite the close score, the Greyhounds kept the drama at an even keel, though the visitors seemed one big play away from stealing a victory.
Thanks to an energetic Carmel defense, that play never came. Up just 9-7 in the fourth quarter from Spencer Hanna field goals, Carmel put together a drive that ended in a 6-yard touchdown run by Zach White with 10:50 left in the game to go up 16-7.
A trick play by Lawrence Central (3-6, 3-4 MIC) in its last possession moved the ball to the Carmel 34. A sideline catch by Bears star Kirk Pinkston at the one yard line set up a touchdown pass on the following play for Lawrence Central, closing the score 16-14 with 2:43 left.
After Carmel secured the ball on the onside kick, Carmel quarterback Tyler Trent sealed the victory with a nifty 12-yard play action run for a first down, allowing the Greyhounds to down the ball until the clock ran out.
Carmel got a huge night from sophomore running back Zach White, who finished with 191 yards on 35 carries and a touchdown. Trent added 105 yards on 13 carries.
“Everybody loves him,” Hebert said. “He is so tough and hard-nosed, everyone gets excited when he has the ball. He brings energy that the offense feeds off of.”
In the third quarter, Lawrence Central turned away three straight rushing attempts by Carmel from the one-yard line. But Hanna of Carmel drilled a 29-yard field goal to add his third of the game, making it 9-7 Carmel. A 47-yard touchdown pass to Pinkston notched a score for Lawrence Central in the third.
Summing up the season, Herbert sees more to come from the Greyhounds.
“Our goal is not to win every game necessarily, we have learned a lot from our losses. This team is tight and focused, there is a good energy to this team,” Hebert said.
With White and the offensive line – featuring Matt Kleppinger, Caleb Shaffer, Sloan Goldblatt, Dominick Cate and Thor Kracht – Carmel controlled LC in the trenches much of the game. On defense, Carmel corralled the Bears into an inept first half of offense.
Mishandled snaps and overthrown passes plagued the LC offense in the first half – a swarming Greyhound defense took care of the rest, holding the Bears to just 58 total yards on offense.
The conditions hampered Carmel’s offensive as well. Carmel quarterback Tyler Trent was just 1-of-12 passing in the first half as a cold, steady rain held sway. Points would have to come in increments for Carmel. Four straight rushes by White aided by favorable field position placed the Greyhounds at the Bears 22-yard line in the first quarter. Carmel field goal kicker Spencer Hanna rewarded his teammates with a 35-yard field goal with 3:56 left in the opening quarter.
In the second quarter, Hanna put the Greyhounds on the board again, this time with a 30-yard field goal to go up 6-0. White broke off a 22-yard run to set up the score.
Carmel begins 6A state tournament play in sectionals on Oct. 26 at home against Westfield.
Carmel’s Beau Robbins (41) goes after a Lawrence Central runner during the Greyhounds-Bears game Friday at Carmel Stadium. The ‘Hounds held on for a 16-14 win in their regular season finale. Also pictured for Carmel are Ryan Tilev (44) and Jack Knapp (54). (Richie Hall)