By CRAIG ADKINS
It started early on and proved to become often as the Noblesville offense coughed up the football on Friday night for a total of five giveaways. Those miscues wound up turning into a pair of Carmel touchdowns that helped the Class 6A No. 2 Greyhounds cruise past the host Millers 34-7 at Beaver Materials Field.
Carmel received the opening kickoff and methodically drove down the field in nine plays and 80 yards to put their first points on the scoreboard. Senior quarterback Tyler Trent capped off the drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to senior Schuylar Bradley that took 5:06 off the clock for an early 7-0 Hounds lead.
Trent and the Carmel offense kept the momentum from their Week 1 win over Louisville Trinity last week and kept it going on the road at Noblesville.
“We’re trying to establish our identity right now, just like Justin is and Noblesville,” Carmel head coach John Hebert on his team through two games. “Their identity is that they’re a very tough defensive team. They’ve got a great defensive line and linebackers and they’re very gritty. And we think that our identity is going to be based on being able to run the ball,” Hebert continuing on the identities of both teams two games in.
After forcing the Millers the punt, the Greyhounds showed the Millers more of their running game. Junior tailback Dylan Downing was the horse they went with for the second drive in a row, when he found the end zone from five yards out that now had Carmel up two scores.
Carmel had a chance to tack on a field goal, but Matt Fortier’s 24-yard attempt from the left hash sailed wide left. But three plays later, Noblesville quarterback Grant Gremel’s threw a pass that was intended for sophomore Zach Blevins, but tipped off his hands and into those of Tommy Spraetz for a 35-yard interception return TD, giving the Greyhounds a three-score lead of 21-0.
The offensive frustrations continued for Noblesville, but it wouldn’t last long. Gremel fumbled at his own 27 with the Hounds’ Ryan Tilev pouncing on it.
Moments later, Noblesville senior cornerback Zach Gruver would pick off a pass that was tipped. Off-setting penalties still gave the Millers possession, but clear back at their own five.
The first play of the drive, Noblesville senior tailback Luke Blevins busted outside, sprinting down the left sideline 95 yards for the Millers’ lone touchdown of the night to trail 21-7 at halftime.
After the two teams traded punts a few times in the third, Carmel figured out that it was time to put the clamps on this game and put it out of reach for the Millers.
Senior tailback Camari Hunt, the other half of the two-headed Carmel backfield, was able to flex his rushing game for the fourth Greyhound score. Hunt scored from three yards away, untouched for a 28-7 advantage.
A couple plays later on Noblesville’s next drive, Gremel fumbled again when the ball was snapped over his head near the goal line, forcing him to bat the ball back out to the 12-yard line, where it was recovered by Carmel’s Matt Boyer.
Two plays into the short drive for the Greyhounds, junior QB Gabe Quigley tossed a jump ball into the endzone to Rhett Williams for an eight-yard TD for what made the final count of 34-7.
Gremel seemed to be playing with a sense of urgency in the fourth and down four scores. The senior QB threw a long ball down the middle on the first play of the next series, but fell short of his receiver and was picked off by junior Carmel safety Garrett Sharp at the 36. Sharp collected his second theft of a Gremel pass the next Miller offensive possession, sealing the deal and allowing Carmel to continue to run the clock out.
The Carmel defense was on a mission, stemming from last week’s huge come from behind win over Trinity, and was completely on point all night long.
“You know, I think this group really likes each other. That’s what we’ve concluded,” Hebert complimenting his defense.
“We’ve got a lot of guys back from last year, but there’s a chemistry between them and they hold each other accountable,” said Hebert again, commending his defense.
By looking at the score, it seems like it was a completely dominant win for the Carmel Greyhounds. Noblesville played a decent game, but just couldn’t get things to go their way a majority of the night.
They would show signs of good things on offense and then they would commit turnovers, preventing continuity with the offense.
“So, for us, we’ve been trying to find the right formula combination up front and I think it’s taking some time, but I think we’re finally at a much better place on the offensive line,” said first-year Noblesville head coach Justin Roden on his team showing spurts of what they’re capable of offensively.
Roden continued to talk on how his Millers wore down mentally and physically throughout the game, which is a tremendous attribute to Carmel’s team as a whole.
“When you play a team like Carmel, who is blessed with the skill level they have and the coaching that they do, the slightest mistake and the slightest letdown results in big plays and they wore us down a little bit,” said Roden of Carmel.
“They’re physically bigger than us. We work hard in the weight room and our kids work hard in practice, but I think kind of there in the fourth quarter, emotionally we were just exhausted and kind of faded,” Roden continued on the size and strength of Carmel.
The lone bright spot for the Millers’ offense was Luke Blevins’ 147 yards rushing on 16 carries and a 95-yard TD.
Noblesville (0-2) looks to pick up the pieces and find a way to win as they hit the road to Fishers (1-1) to open up HCC play next week. Fishers notched their first win last night at home over Pike, 31-14.
Dylan Downing led the Hounds on the ground with 17 rushes for 77 yards and a score and Camari Hunt added 64 yards on 11 carries and a TD. Quarterbacks Tyler Trent and Gabe Quigley both threw touchdown passes and the Greyhound defense caused five Noblesville turnovers on the night
Class 6A No. 2 Carmel (2-0) stays on the road next week to start their MIC schedule. They’ll face a struggling, tough Center Grove (0-2) that lost on Friday at 5A No. 2 New Palestine, 31-9.
Carmel’s Dylan Downing (2) rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown during the Greyhounds’ 31-7 win at Noblesville’s Beaver Materials Field on Friday. (Kent Graham)
Noblesville’s Luke Blevins (right) breaks away from a tackle during the Miller’s game with Carmel. Blevins scored a 95-yard rushing touchdown for Noblesville in the second quarter. Pictured for Carmel is Garrett Sharp. (Kent Graham)